Another launch today

There is another rocket set to launch from Wallops in Virginia today. The Antares rocket will launch carrying the Cygnus spacecraft, which, if all goes according to plan, will dock with the International Space Station in a resupply mission. This will be the second private company to resupply the ISS (the competing SpaceX Dragon has completed two resupply missions to the ISS so far). The launch is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. EDT. It's a clear day out, so if you are on the east coast you might be able to see it with your own eyes. Universe Today has a nice writeup of where and when to look to try to see it.

The BRRISON mission and comet ISON

The comet ISON was discovered roughly a year ago. ISON (or as it is also called, Comet C/2012 S1) it is on its first-ever trip close to the sun from the Oort cloud. Because it was identified near 6 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun (an AU is the average distance between the Sun and the Earth), scientists are excited to be able to monitor the gasses emitted as it nears the sun and heats up. This will give us information about the composition of some of the most pristine, original material of the solar system.

An observing campaign has been put together to monitor the comet ISON as it flies through the inner solar system. In less than a year's time from when the comet was discovered, a mission has also been designed and built to observe ISON. The BRRISON mission is a high-altitude balloon-mounted telescope with infrared cameras that will rise above the New Mexico desert to image the comet ISON and other targets.

BRRISON is an exciting mission for many reasons. It is unprecedented for a planetary mission to be built and flown in a matter of just a year and a few days from when the target was discovered. It will also be the first time that a telescope is flown on a balloon for the purpose of studying planets or objects in our solar system (other than the Sun). Unlike the Sun, planetary objects do not emit their own light, and are thus much dimmer. Just like taking pictures in a dimly lit room, this means that the camera needs to be held steady for a longer exposure time to collect enough light to form a clear picture. When your telescope and camera are dangling from a football field-sized balloon, floating ~125,000 feet above the Earth, it's difficult to keep things steady. The gondola that houses the instruments has been specially designed to compensate for movement, allowing the comet to be imaged. It's also exciting for me because it was the first mission I have gotten to visit in the clean room before it launched! For pictures of BRRISON and more information, you can follow it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BRRISON.