While most infrared cameras require a different filter for every different frequency of light, the AImS filter can be tuned to any frequency in the near-infrared spectrum. That is enormously helpful in, say, determining the chemical make-up of the surface of Mars. Closer to home, the same technology can be used to examine other things invisible to the human eye, said John Hillman, lead of the camera group at Goddard and NASA's representative on the Smithsonian team. Hillman, whose interest in astronomy is rivaled by his passion for art and the paintings of the great masters, saw the potential for using the camera for looking beneath the surface of a painting to see layers of brushwork and underdrawings that were painted over. The technology also has applications in skin cancer research and for analyzing prehistoric sites, Hillman said.
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye.
The scientists will use AImS to make 72 separate image data sets and piece them together via computer to create mosaics of the massive flag. Each image set takes about 25 minutes to make and is composed of 200 infrared wavelengths. Moisture is of particular concern because in the presence of light it causes a chemical reaction that deteriorates wool. After receiving her Ph.D. in astronomy in early 1997, she worked with Hillman as a National Research Council postdoctoral associate at Goddard, then returned to NMSU this fall as a faculty member. Chanover has used the AImS camera in her planetary research at Apache Point Observatory in the Sacramento Mountains south of Cloudcroft.