From Halifax to outer space
A Saint Mary’s University professor is in charge of Canadian efforts in a Japanese-led X-ray satellite mission scheduled for launch in 2014.
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An artist’s rendering of the Astro-H satellite. Source: JAXA
Luigi Gallo, an associate professor at the Department of Astronomy and Physics at SMU, was named principal investigator by the Canadian Space Agency in August to lead a team of Canadian researchers in the Astro-H space mission. He works closely with other scientists and researchers in Manitoba, Waterloo, Montreal, Ottawa and Japan.
The appointment, however, comes as little surprise to the professor, who has been pushing for Canadian involvement in the Astro-H project for many years.
Having obtained his Ph.D in physics at the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany and working at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Japan, Gallo moved back to Canada in 2007. Canada's current involvement in the international project is largely the result of his efforts in advocating it.
The goal of Astro-H as a low-Earth orbit observatory is to help scientists explore the supernovae, galaxy clusters and black holes of the high-energy universe by detecting, collecting and measuring data through methods such as high-energy X-ray imaging.
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Dr. Luigi Gallo’s passion for astronomy, particularly on the subject of black holes, takes firm root in his childhood back in Calgary, where he recalls seeing the aurora and simply being fascinated by the night sky.
Canadian technology
The Canadian component to the entire mission is an on-board measurement system referred to as the Canadian Astro-H Metrology System. Two CAMS components are being designed and built at an estimated cost of $5 million by the Neptec Design Group, a visions systems company based in Ottawa.
Related Websites
- SMU news release - August 3, 2011 (includes video clips with Dr. Gallo)
- CSA webpage for Astro-H explains Canada's role in the international mission
- JAXA webpage for Astro-H has in-depth information on the entire mission
- Astro-H Quick Reference guide (PDF)
- Glossary of astronomical terms (A-Z)
Astro-H has been in development for over a decade and is led by JAXA in a joint effort with:
Gallo says the mission will open up a whole new frontier because scientists will be making observations with instruments that have never been built before. He alludes to the now commonplace wireless technology we use in our daily tasks, which once stemmed from radio astronomy research. Scientific observations will also be made in ways that have not been done before:
"In a lot of ways, we have no idea what we're going to end up seeing," he says. "We can make predictions, and that's what we do... but often, the unknown is also exciting."
Although 2014 is still some time away-not to mention the estimated three to five year post-launch lifespan during which Astro-H will continually send data for Gallo and other scientists to analyze-he also has his eyes set on the future:
"We're already starting to think about what's coming after Astro-H," Gallo says.
The timeframes for the entire development process of these projects, from the time they exist merely as concepts on paper to actually materializing and being launched into space, often span more than a decade. "If we want to have a telescope operating in 2020, we have to start thinking about that now." In fact, Gallo says they are now in the process of making proposals for the next mission, known simply as Athena.
Meanwhile, although the professor plans to focus mainly on the present by enjoying the process of building Astro-H leading up to its launch, he, like an analogous child taking the time and effort to build the perfect boxcar fit for a great race, cannot wait until after that final moment of completion: "It's because you want to drive down that hill, that's the fun part," he says.
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