The exploration of the exoplanets has started in recent years, with over 5,500 have been discovered so far. Some were even in the habitable zones of their stars. The imaging of such a potentially habitable exoplanet is the dream of many exoplanet hunters. However, the technology has limited its ability. In particular, a certain piece of technology must be improved before we can directly present an exoplanet in the habitable zone of another star – a star sign. Christine Gregg, a researcher at NASA Ames Research Center, hopes to contribute to the development of a NASA institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) as part of the cohort 2025 to work on a star shade that is based on a special kind of meta material.
To the goal of Dr. Understand Gregg and her team, it is best to understand what Starshades do and what keeps them from being used. A star shade is designed in such a way that it floats with a space telescope and blocks the light of a certain star so that the telescope light can grasp directly from the much less light planet that circulates the star. This light can contain information about its size, the orbital period and even its atmospheric composition, which would otherwise be lost in the overwhelming brightness of the star of the planet.
The shape of a star shadow that traditionally looks like a blossom may not appear intuitive at first – if you try to block the light of a star, why not just make the shape circular? But Starlight from distant can reduce a simple circular structure. The petals are expressly designed in such a way that they do this and even block the self -bent light on the edges of the form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjvrp4hjsp0
Fraser interviews another Starshade expert – Dr. Markus Janson from Stockholm University
But it is not the shape that makes it difficult to provide – it is its size. Starshades are typically developed for hundreds of meters. Therefore, you cannot fit into a traditional rocket cladding that is fully assembled. In addition, you have to move with the telescope – if the telescope of the star shade is accompanied, you are directed at another star and redirected, the starshade must move with it.
The fold is that the starshade is probably tens of thousands of kilometers from the telescope that helps. A minor change of a few networks for the telescope would mean hundreds of thousands of kilometers for its associated star shadow. This type of movement requires a lot of fuel, which is as costly due to the weight requirements for the start of these objects.
No wonder that a star shade still has to be used successfully in space. The combination of gigantic sizes, which do not fit in rocket cladding and massive amounts of fuel to move every time the telescope has to look at a different star, are considerable strikes against the concept. However, if humanity wants to directly introduce an exoplanet in the habitable zone of another star, there is still no better way to do this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS1X_LT23MO
NASA animation of the use of a star shadow
Give the idea of Dr. GREGG – she suggests using meta materials for your star shade, which is robotic in orbit. Metacateries have several advantages over existing proposed starshades (one of which is another Niac recipient this year).
First, meta materials are easier. As with all things directed into space, it means being easier, less costs – or in this case the possibility to bring more fuel so that the star shadow can work longer than alternatives.
Second, the specific types of meta materials that they suggest are much less likely to break. As she mentioned in an interview: “The more stiffness a material has, the less damping it has. It's just a kind of natural compromise. “So if a star shadow is made from conventional materials, it would either be stiff and stiff, but susceptible to vibration systems if they are moved or used between positions, or it would be very flexible, but would have difficulty holding its shape if it should.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3bdmwebv6a
This video shows phononic materials in action.
Credit -Aim program on the YouTube channel of Duke University
The metatic materials Dr. GREGG and her colleagues have proposed to use a kind of material that holds its structure well, but also suppresses vibration by unique use of a material that is called a phononic crystal. These were initially constructed in such a way that sound waves were derived. This means that when used as a material in a star shade, any feedback on the structure of things such as micrometeoroid effects, solar radiation or even the process of using and the month can dampen.
The use of robots to provide the starshade is another focus of Dr. Gregg's work, as she discusses with Fraser. For this phase -i -niac project, however, it focuses on developing the model for Starshade itself and selecting the corresponding material. As with all Niac projects, it can be completed after completing her phase. If she receives it, she can apply for more funds and structural properties.
Learn more:
NASA / C. GREGG – Dynamically stable large room structures over architect meta materials
Ut – to reveal planets to reveal another star, a starshade has to fly 40,000 km from a telescope that is aligned within just 1 meter
Ut – starshade is preparing for the formation of new earths
UT – In order to take the best direct pictures of exoplanets with space telescopes, we want Starshades
Lead picture:
The artist concept, which emphasizes the new approach that the Niac 2025 proposed, has selected the selection of the dynamically stable large spatial structures via architect meta material concept. NASA/Christine Gregg
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