The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF): New Observational Capabilities
Abstract
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) is a 3.0-m infrared telescope located at an altitude of 4.2 km near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. The IRTF was established by NASA to support planetary science missions. Current instruments include: (1) SpeX, a 0.7-5.3 μm moderate resolution spectrograph with a slit-viewing camera that is also an imager, (2) MORIS, a high-speed CCD imager attached to SpeX for simultaneous visible and near-infrared observations, and (3) CSHELL, a 1-5 μm high-resolution spectrograph. MORIS can also be used as a visible wavelength guider for SpeX. Detector upgrades have recently been made to SpeX. We discuss new observational capabilities resulting from completion of a new echelle spectrograph for 1-5 μm with resolving power of 70,000 with a 0.375 arcsec slit. This instrument will be commissioned starting in the spring of 2016. We also plan to restore to service our 8-25 μm camera, MIRSI. It will be upgraded with a closed-cycle cooler that will eliminate the need for liquid helium and allow continuous use of MIRSI on the telescope. This will enable thermal observations of NEOs on short notice. We also plan to upgrade MIRSI to have a simultaneous visible imager for guiding and for photometry. The IRTF supports remote observing from any site. This eliminates the need for travel to the observatory and short observing time slots can be supported. We also welcome onsite visiting astronomers. In the near future we plan to implement a low-order wave-front sensor to allow real-time focus and collimation of the telescope. This will greatly improve observational efficiency. For further information on the IRTF and its instruments including visitor instruments, see: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/. We gratefully acknowledge the support of NASA contract NNH14CK55B, NASA Science Mission Directorate.
- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #47
- Pub Date:
- November 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015DPS....4731220T