December 1, 2015 – MRO Tracks Space Junk and an Asteroid Over Two Days

Dec 022015
 
December 1, 2015 - MRO Tracks Space Junk and an Asteroid Over Two Days

(Press Release from New Mexico Tech) Astronomers at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory recently assisted NASA and SETI track a piece of space junk with the 2.4-meter telescope as it impacted the Earth over the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka on Friday, Nov. 13. Within hours of that project, the MRO team also tracked an asteroid that passed within the zone of Earth-orbiting communications satellites on November 14. “We were doing the work as part of a world-wide collaborative team as a test case for future scenarios to deal with hazardous asteroids that may impact the Earth,” said Dr. Eileen Ryan, […]

October 23, 2015 – Grant from FAA in 2016 for 2.4-Meter

Nov 052015
 
October 23, 2015 - Grant from FAA in 2016 for 2.4-Meter

The MRO 2.4-Meter Telescope will receive funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in early 2016 to monitor the launch and re-entry of commercial space vehicles from Spaceport America, a facility north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. MRO investigators will record and monitor suborbital space vehicles, stratospheric balloons, and other assets. The Principle Investigator and Co-Principle Investigator of the grant, Drs. Eileen and William Ryan, have extensive experience with tracking fast-moving natural and man-made objects in orbit. An undergraduate student from New Mexico Tech’s Mechanical Engineering Department will assist with software development for closed-loop tracking of fast terrestrial targets with the […]

October 15, 2015 – $25 Million Agreement Signed

Oct 202015
 
October 15, 2015 - $25 Million Agreement Signed

Exciting news from Magdalena Ridge Observatory and New Mexico Tech: “New Mexico Tech signed a five-year, $25 million cooperative agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory to support continued development of the interferometer at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory. Dr. Van Romero, vice president of research at Tech, said the new funding will allow Tech to complete three telescopes, mounts and enclosures on the mountaintop facility.” Read more here.

October 15, 2015 – Creech-Eakman Promotes NESSI

Oct 152015
 
October 15, 2015 - Creech-Eakman Promotes NESSI

In late September and early October, Dr. Michelle Creech-Eakman spoke to members of the Las Cruces Astronomical Society at Doña Ana Community College and a colloquium at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona about exoplanetary astronomy and her work with the New Mexico Exoplanet Spectroscopic Survey Instrument (NESSI). NESSI is a highly sensitive ground-based instrument mounted on the MRO 2.4-meter Optical Telescope that studies the atmospheres of distant planets. The ultimate goal of Creech-Eakman’s research is to discover planets with biosignatures like oxygen, water vapor, and methane in their atmospheres, all signs of habitability. While in Flagstaff, Dr. Creech-Eakman also worked with Dr. Gerard van […]

October 2, 2015 – MROI Featured in 2016 AAS Calendar

Oct 082015
 
October 2, 2015 - MROI Featured in 2016 AAS Calendar

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI) will be featured in the American Astronomical Society (AAS) 2016 Wall Calendar. Thanks to the efforts of aerial photographer Tyson Eakman, MROI Project Scientist Dr. Michelle Creech-Eakman, and MROI Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer Andres Olivares, a spectacular image of the MROI will be seen by all members of the Society. The AAS Wall Calendar is provided to its members free of charge and highlights “important astronomical events month by month.”  

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