The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory — a.k.a. GUSTO — mission, managed by NASA’s Explorers Program Office at Goddard Space Flight Center, is set to fly on the agency’s annual Antarctic Long Duration Balloon Campaign, which will begin around Dec. 1.
GUSTO, which is headed by University of Arizona’s Christopher Walker, aims to map a portion of the Milky Way galaxy while flying over Antarctica aboard a scientific balloon, NASA said Monday.
The portion of the galaxy to be scanned includes the galactic center and the Large Magellanic Cloud. The sensors that will be used are capable of detecting emission lines that would provide researchers insights regarding the lifecycle of the interstellar medium.
“The environment and stratospheric wind conditions provide a unique and valuable opportunity to fly missions in a near-space environment for days or weeks at a time,” NASA Balloon Program Office acting chief Andrew Hamilton explained.
Apart from GUSTO, this year’s balloon campaign will support four other missions.
“The BPO team is excited to provide support to all our missions this year,” Hamilton said.