Accurately pointing instruments mounted on high-altitude balloons at their intended targets can be very difficult. With the development of the Wallops Arc Second Pointer (or WASP) system, however, this procedure is now a lot easier.
NASA has announced a new system that can help scientists point their instruments at the right observation targets more accurately than ever before. The new pointing system is called the Wallops Arc Second Pointer or WASP for short. The system was developed at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
There is a variety of other pointing systems available but the WASP is a very cost-effective and relatively affordable option. Using this system, scientists will be able to accurately observe celestial objects such as planets and asteroids in our solar system.
Unlike previous pointing systems used by NASA, the WASP can accurately point highly sensitive instruments at the right observation targets with a margin of error of less than one arc-second.
"Arc-second pointing is unbelievably precise," said WASP project manager David Stuchlik. "Some compare it to the ability to find and track an object that is the diameter of a dime from two miles away."
The WASP system was first put through its paces in 2011. After the first round of tests, the system was once again field tested in 2013. However, the most recent round of tests was completed late last year where a high-altitude balloon was used to take a HyperSpectral Imager for Climate Science (HySICS) up into the stratosphere. The balloon was able to reach a height of 122,000 feet, where the onboard instruments gathered more data about the Sun, the moon and the Earth.
While the 2013 test was used to send up a HySICS, planetary scientists are raring to give the system a go. Later this year, the Observatory for Planetary Investigations from the Stratosphere (OPIS) will also be using the system in an inaugural flight.
"Planetary scientists really haven't been involved in balloon payloads," said Terry Hurford, the OPIS Principal Investigator. "Planetary targets move with respect to the stars in the background. And because you need to track them to gather measurements, you need a system that can accurately point and then follow a target. These challenges are why planetary scientists haven't gotten into the balloon game."
The technology used in the WASP system can bring about a dramatic change in the way high-altitude science missions are conducted. In the past, scientists had to design their own pointing systems for their instruments. With the introduction of the WASP, however, scientists will be able to focus on the development of a new generation of more accurate and reliable instruments.
