NASA's INFUSE Rocket Launches to Study Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnants

INFUSE Mission Equips Sounding Rocket with Revolutionary Spectrograph Instrument to Examine Superhot Gases and Supernova Impact on Galaxy Formation.

NASA's INFUSE mission is conducting a study of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnants using a unique instrument combining imaging and spectroscopy. The Cygnus Loop is the leftover of a star that was once 20 times the size of our Sun and exploded into a supernova about 20,000 years ago.
The INFUSE mission aims to reveal how stellar explosions, or supernovae, contribute to the creation of new celestial bodies. Supernovae disperse heavy metals into the surrounding clouds of dust and gas, laying the groundwork for the formation of new star systems.
INFUSE mission uses an integral field spectrograph instrument, the first of its kind to fly to space. This instrument measures far-ultraviolet light, which reveals gas at extremely high temperatures that result from supernova impacts.
The spectrometer captures an image and 'slices' it up into its component wavelengths or spectrums, which contain information about the light source’s composition, temperature, and movement. Researchers can reassemble this data into a 3D image, helping them to identify specific elements, their temperatures, and their locations along the shock front.
The INFUSE payload will launch aboard a sounding rocket, which will fly into space for a few minutes of data collection, then parachute back down to the ground to be recovered. The INFUSE team intends to upgrade the instrument and repeat the launch process to gather more data.