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The Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) has been brought back to life after three years inactivity. The NICMOS instrument allows astronomers to examine the cosmos in infrared wavelengths allowing dark objects that emit heat, such as dust, to be studied in detail. The camera needs low temperatures of around -213 degrees Celsius to operate and became inactive once its solid nitrogen coolant ws exhausted in 1999. A new mechanical cooling system, however, has now been installed and has brought the camera back to life. Unlike ground-based telescopes Hubble is not effected by the absorption of infrared by the Earth's atmosphere allowing objects to be examined in a wider range of wavelengths. Although NICMOS will mainly be used to study distant objects, such as the dusty regions of our own and other galaxies, it is also ideal for studying the properties of asteroids and comets. Minerals and compounds on the surface of asteroids and comets absorb characteristic wavelengths of infrared that allow them to be identified. Studies of Transneptunian Objects (TNOs), which can become short period comets, by Kieth Nolls of the Space Science Telescope Institute has confirmed their icy nature. Further studies of the properties of TNOs will now be possible with the revamped NICMOS camera.
More info: Spaceflight Now Article
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