BLAST The Experiment

The January 2020 Antarctic flight of BLAST-TNG made the first observations using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) from a NASA sub-orbital platform. Despite the very short flight duration, we obtained valuable test data including observations of RCW 92B. The left and right panels, respectively, show initial results at 350 and … Continue reading

At 6:10 PM local time on January 6 of this year, BLAST-TNG began its first flight. Most of our systems worked flawlessly and we carried out the first-ever observations using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) from a NASA sub-orbital platform. However, a mechanical failure occurred 14 hours into the flight, … Continue reading

We carried out six launch attempts between December 25 and January 4 – these six were canceled due to high or unsteady low-level winds. Photo is from December 28 when we made it as far as the launch pad. The stratospheric circulation pattern is expected to die out in a … Continue reading

We attached our experiment to the NASA launch vehicle and worked with NASA engineers to look for interference between NASA’s communications and control systems and our experiment’s functions. No problems were found – we are flight ready!  Now all depends on the weather. Fingers crossed for a launch opportunity soon!

First BLAST-TNG collaborators arrive in Antarctica to take the experiment out of storage and prepare it for a December launch!  This photo, taken from the C-17, shows our team’s first view of Antarctica in almost a year.  Its been a long wait following last year’s bad weather and four scrubbed … Continue reading

Ian and Nate were the first of the BLAST team to arrive in Christchurch, New Zealand! The first order of business is a trip to the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) clothing distribution center to get all the extreme cold weather (ECW) gear needed for living and working in Antarctica! … Continue reading

Yesterday was the busiest day here at CSBF for the BLAST team, so we decided to take a group photo of almost all the team. Not only the team was almost completed but also BLAST starts to be almost all mounted, we added the scoop and the readout system on … Continue reading