In connection with the production of the world’s best-ever map of the stars in the Milky Way, a little Norwegian box will have the job of ensuring that the measurements are accurate.
26/01/2007 :: The GAIA spacecraft is going to orbit the earth and map more than a billion stars in our galaxy. This is one of the most ambitious astronomy projects in the history of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The objective is to make a more accurate map of the Milky Way than we have ever had before.
The spacecraft has three extremely sensitive cameras on board. If GAIA had been placed on the moon, it would be able to measure the length of the thumb of someone on earth. In order to achieve this, the angle between the cameras must be exactly correct. This is where the Norwegian equipment comes in, according to the Norwegian Space Centre.
Over the course of two years, the Norwegian technology firm, Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, will design, build, test and deliver an instrument that ensures that the accuracy of the measurements is within the limits defined by the researchers. A small box, built at Kjeller in Norway and containing laser equipment and control electronics, will ensure the accuracy of billions of measurements.
The margin of error is less than one millionth of a degree.
”It sounds almost impossible,” says Lars Lierstuen, chief engineer at Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace at Kjeller in Norway.
”But I’m not worried, because we have delivered similar equipment before. It will certainly be an exciting job though,” says the chief engineer.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs