UCSB Experimental Cosmology Group Experimental Astrophysics Home Interstellar DESTAR Classes Astro 1 – Fall 2018 Physics 6B – Spring 2015 Symmetry & Aesthetics in Contemporary Physics Physics 128 – Senior Lab – Fall 2016 INT 184 – PL Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar – Weapons of Mass Destruction – Spring 2013 Physics 134 – Observational Astrophysics – Fall 2018 Physics 2 – Fall 2013 Physics 3 – Fall 2016 Physics 4 – Winter 2019 Physics 141 – Optics – Spring 2019 Physics 145L – Astrophysics Research Physics 199 – Independent Research Projects Interdisciplinary Center for Interstellar Exploration (iC) Extrasolar Travelers Wafer Scale Spacecraft DE-STAR Starlight GreenPol PLANCK A presentation for general audiences Starshot SETI Small Projects MMT MMS IR Balloon Project eDNA 10 micron Previous Projects B-Machine COFE BEAST WMPol RAAP ARCADE TOSS Facilities Campus Map – Physics White Mountain Live Cameras Camera Archives B-Machine Cam Archive Summit Cam Archive WMRS Barcroft Cam Archive WMRS Weather WM Weather Archive People Group Pictures and Videos LBL 1985 Brazil Recovery of 3 mm sky survey (TMSS) – 1985 Faculty, Research, and Staff Undergraduate Researchers Collaborators Previous Members Net UCSB Corporate Calendar Lab Address Book UCSB Physics Department Webcams Lab Private area Outreach ARC – Undergraduate Aerospace Research Media Links DEEP-IN Media Starshot Media DE-STAR Media SETI Media PLANCK Media NASA Space Grant Student Scholarships Education and Public Outreach Undergrad Research Opportunities The Space Race Powering the Space Race The Story of Vanguard Misc Papers Home Welcome to the UCSB Experimental Cosmology Group! We are an experimental astrophysics group primarily focused on studies of the early universe and astrophysical applications of directed energy. Currently active projects Planck ESA/NASA mission to study CMB anisotropy Greenpol CMB polarization experiment in Greenland DE-STAR Directed energy to deflect asteroids and comets Starlight NASA Directed Energy interstellar mission SETI Search for advanced extraterrestrial intelligence Wafercraft NASA Wafer Scale Spacecraft Development ExtraSolar Travelers (ET) Preparing life forms for interstellar travel Interstellar Center Interdisciplinary Center for Interstellar Exploration We also have a very active education and outreach program. The Planck satellite was launched at 6:12 AM Pacific Thur May 14, 2009 End of Planck: After 4.5 years of successful mapping of the Cosmic Microwave Background, the Planck Satellite was turned off on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at approximately noon, UTC. Excerpt from the 114TH CONGRESS REPORT of the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2d Session: “The Committee encourages NASA to study and develop propulsion concepts that could enable an interstellar scientific probe with the capability of achieving a cruise velocity of 0.1c. These efforts shall be centered on enabling such a mission to Alpha Centauri, which can be launched by the one-hundredth anniversary, 2069, of the Apollo 11 moon landing.” “Therefore, within one year of enactment of this Act, NASA shall submit an interstellar propulsion technology assessment report with a draft conceptual roadmap, which may include an overview of potential advance propulsion concepts for such an interstellar mission, including technical challenges, technology readiness level assessments, risks, and potential near-term milestones and funding requirements” Available at: https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hrpt-114-hr-fy2017-cjs.pdf page 60. B-Machine at Night summer 2008 - Barcroft - White Mountain - note Milky Way View from inside the old dome at WMRS Sunset over the dome at WMRS Sunrise at WMRS NASA Palestine, Texas flight facility - 1980 - note Rai Weiss and David Wlkinson Entrance to South Pole Dome Todd gaier and Mike Seiffert at the South Pole Welcome to the South Pole - "Old Dome" Welcome to the South Pole - "Old Dome" C-130 at South Pole awaiting takeoff South Pole 1988 - structures eventually get buried South Pole 1988 - Todd Gaier and Jeff Schuster In the jungle - searching for TMSS payload - Brazil 1985 South Pole ACME-HEMT 1990-91 Combined data set - first CMB horizon scale detection Downed TMSS Payload in Trees in Brazil - 1985 South Pole - 1988 TMSS-1 with MIT Gondola - Gerald Epstein 1981 COBE satellite launch - VAFB Nov 1989 Tapirai Brazil 1985 - TMSS crash site near Uruguay ACME-MAX Ft. Sumner BLAST payload with Jeff Schuster 1991 RAAP Construction UCSB - undergrad crew who built it - 1990 South Pole 1988 - Todd Gaier and Jeff Schuster transferring LHe South Pole - 1988 South Pole - 1988 "Start of Round the World Race" - South Pole 1988 C-130 on Skis - Ross Ice shelf - McMurdo Nov 1988 Brazil Jungle Recovery of TMSS 1985 - near border with Uruguay - Tapirai Brazil The "Orb" at the South Pole - with a compact Hummer The "Orb" at the South Pole - what do you see? C-130 at South Pole - The engines stay on to keep warm Flat Plate at South Pole - Todd Gaier adjusting just before deployment on ice - 1988 ACME - SIS at South Pole - 1988 South Pole - 1988 South Pole - 1988 Flying to the South Pole - cockpit of C-130 1988 TMSS - Brazil launch nightime launch attempt Nov 1983 TMSS just before launch - Brazil Nov 1983 ACME just before launch - Ft Sumner, NM 1990 COBE satellite schematic COBE satellite launch VAFB Nov 1989 Blast - Open Aperture Absolute Spectrometer - balloon payload cryogenic optics - 1990 ACME launch - NASA Ft Sumner, NM South Pole 1988 - C-130 that did not make it South Pole 1988 - barber pole is at the actual geographic pole South Pole 1988 - notice latest fashion TMSS - 3 mm CMB near full sky map 1984 - all five flights - missing section was from loss of payload in Brazil TMSS-2 payload with Princeton Group gondola 1981 - Smoot and Lubin during testing ACME-I launch 1988 - Alfredo Chinguanco and Tiny Tim UCSB Flag - South Pole 1989 TMSS termination fitting test after termination failure - Brazil 1983 ACME MAX evening launch Ft. Sumner, NM 1993 BEAST with solar panels - NASA 2000 BEAST with solar panels - NASA 2000 Flat plate 15 and 23 GHz experiment - White Mountain 1989 Flat plate 15 and 23 GHz experiment - White Mountain 1989 BEAST payload - night launch attempt - NASA Ft. Sumner, NM 1999 BEAST payload - NASA Ft. Sumner, NM 1999 South Pole Dec 1988 Inside South Pole Station - Dec 1988 - food is stored outside the freezers, people live inside the freezers! Smoot and Lubin with U2 Anisotropy Experiment - Lima Peru 1978 TMSS Detector 1981 TMSS Brazil launch - Cauchera Paulista Nov 1983 - lost in Jungle subsequently TMSS Brazil launch - Cauchera Paulista Nov 1983 - lost in Jungle subsequently 1992 MAX launch NSBF Ft. Sumner, NM 1981 at NSBF in Palestine Texas - TMSS launch BEAST in Ft. Sumner 1999 Brazil Recovery of TMSS 1985 NASA Fort Sumner, NM Launch of ACME-MAX Beast Lab at WMRS View of WMRS Barcroft with the Old Dome in the background WMRS Barcroft Station Beast Project Launch Sunrise at WMRS Barcroft station The old dome and weather station at WMRS Old Research Dome at WMRS Current Project on directed energy defense against Asteroids Research & Mentorship Program Presentations 2014 SPIE Conference 2015 Security Guard at Sedgwick Enjoying the sunset in anticipation of the eclipse (9/2015) Lunar eclipse of Sep 27, 2015 from Broida Hall Group Calendar: Recent News Planck July 2018 Final Release Raw Science Film Festival Jan 2018 Congress directs NASA to go Interstellar by 2069 – May 2016 NASA 360 Going Interstellar Feb 2016 Asteroid Deflection- Sci Fi or Reality? Roadmap to the Stars June 2015 Planck-BiCEP Analysis of Inflation Claim B-Machine Camera User Login User Password Remember me Lost your password? Copyright © 2018 UCSB Experimental Cosmology Group Experimental Cosmology Group Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9530 Phone: (805) 893-8418