Related papers: Development of Instruments for Space Exploration U…
We summarize the performance of the MAX experiment during its 5 years of operation and present a compilation of the results to date. We describe MAXIMA, a balloon borne experiment employing an array of detectors in the focal plane, that…
Gamma-ray polarimetry is a new powerful tool to study the processes responsible for the emission from astrophysical sources and the environments in which this emission takes place. Few successful polarimetric measurements have however been…
MAXIMA and BOOMERanG are balloon borne experiments designed to map the cosmic microwave background anisotropy power spectrum from l=10 to l=900 with high resolution. Here we describe the program of observations, the experiments, their…
MHD Turbulence is a critical component of the current paradigms of star formation, particle transport, magnetic reconnection and evolution of the ISM. Progress on this difficult subject is made via numerical simulations and observational…
The Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory consists of a 1m aperture Gregory telescope, a UV filter imager, an imaging vector polarimeter, an image stabilization system and further infrastructure. The first science flight of Sunrise…
The Earth possesses many environmental extremes that mimic conditions on extraterrestrial worlds. The stratosphere at 30-40 km altitude closely resembles the surface of Mars in terms of pressure, temperature, and radiation levels (UV,…
We report on the characteristics and design details of the Medium Scale Anisotropy Measurement (MSAM), a millimeter-wave, balloon-borne telescope that has been used to observe anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)…
We investigate the observation of meteors with video cameras in stratospheric balloons, overcoming tropospheric handicaps like weather and extinction. We have studied the practical implementation of the idea, designed and tested…
Future cosmology space missions will concentrate on measuring the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background, which potentially carries invaluable information about the earliest phases of the evolution of our universe. Such ambitious…
An innovative particle detector that offers a compelling combination of cost-effectiveness and high accuracy is introduced. The detector features plastic scintillators paired with a sparse arrangement of SiPMs, strategically positioned…
We review the topic of Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy measurements carried out by means of balloon-borne telescopes. After a short description of the experimental methodology, we outline the peculiar problems of these experiments,…
The technical details of a balloon stratospheric mission that is aimed at measuring the Schumann resonances are described. The gondola is designed specifically for the measuring of faint effects of ELF (Extremely Low Frequency…
The protoMIRAX hard X-ray imaging telescope is a balloon-borne experiment developed as a pathfinder for the MIRAX satellite mission. The experiment consists essentially in a coded-aperture hard X-ray (30-200 keV) imager with a square array…
The POEMMA-Balloon with Radio (PBR) is a proposed payload to fly on a NASA Super Pressure Balloon (SPB). It will act as a pathfinder of the Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA) detector. PBR will consist of an innovative…
We performed a detailed modelling of the background counts observed in a phoswich scintillator X-ray detector at balloon altitude, used for astronomical observations, on board small scientific balloon. We used Monte Carlo simulation…
The infrared astronomy group of Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research has been pursuing astronomical instrumentation activities since its inception. The group has been routinely involved in…
Stratospheric balloons offer cost-effective access to space and grant the opportunity for fast scientific innovation cycles and higher-risk explorations. In addition to science pathfinders, they serve as platforms for technology…
We describe the GRB and All-sky Monitor Experiment (GAME) mission submitted by a large international collaboration (Italy, Germany, Czech Repubblic, Slovenia, Brazil) in response to the 2012 ESA call for a small mission opportunity for a…
We present the technology and control methods developed for the pointing system of the SPIDER experiment. SPIDER is a balloon-borne polarimeter designed to detect the imprint of primordial gravitational waves in the polarization of the…
We present a method to measure the integral vertical intensity and angular distribution of atmospheric muons using a stationary thick plastic scintillator bar detector with PMTs at both of its ends over exposures of a few hours in a…