ASTHROS: Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths

This proposal is a request for a 1-year extension for "ASTHROS - Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolutions Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths" since the ASTHROS originally proposed launch date has been pushed back by NASA by at least 1 year (from the original Dec. 2023 date to Dec. 2024 or Dec. 2025). This delay has been externally imposed to the ASTHROS project and is based on programmatic reasons, which are a result of delays of other Antarctic missions impacted by Covid-19 and of the impossibility of the Balloon Program Office to accommodate more than two Antarctic missions per year. ASTHROS is a current stratospheric balloon mission to enable detailed 3D mapping of ionized gas in Galactic and extra-galactic star forming regions via simultaneous observations of the [NII] 122µm (2.46 THz) and 205µm (1.46 THz) fine structure lines. These observations are critical for understanding the structure and dynamics of ionized gas in star forming regions, the effect of radiative feedback from massive stars on their progenitor cloud, and the energy input of massive stars into the interstellar medium. These processes play a key role in the regulation of star formation in galaxies, which in turn drives galaxy evolution. ASTHROS will be a 2.5-m telescope on a long-duration balloon that will produce high spectral resolution, high spatial dynamical range maps of the ionized gas component in a selected sample of Galactic and extra-galactic star forming regions during a flight from Antarctica in 2023. ASTHROS will produce the first high-spectral resolution images of the [NII] 122µm line, which is obscured by the atmosphere even at SOFIA altitudes and can only be observed at balloon altitudes or from space. This line provides an important diagnostic of the ionized gas in star forming regions and together with the [NII] 205µm line can be used to derive the 3D structure of the ionized gas density in star forming regions. Additionally, ASTHROS will have the capability to observe numerous other lines, for example, the HD line at 2.67 THz, enabling its observation in a variety of astrophysical environments. By providing key information on the process of galaxy evolution and by studying the HD line in a variety of environments, the scientific case for ASTHROS is aligned to NASA's goal in Astrophysics which is to "Discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other stars." In particular, the proposed science investigation will help answer the key question – “How did we get here?” - by exploring the origin and evolution of the galaxies, stars and planets that make up our universe. The ASTHROS instrument consist of 4-pixel receivers in the 1.5 THz & 2.5 THz range based on room-temperature frequency multiplied local oscillator sources and cryogenically cooled Hot Electron Bolometer mixers. This receiver technology was successfully flown in HIFI/Herschel and STO-2. Unlike HIFI and STO-2, ASTHROS will fly for the first time a low-power 4K space-compatible cryo-cooler (available at JPL), which will not require liquid helium. This approach is essential for extended lifetime FIR space missions. ASTHROS has passed Pre-Integration Review and it is currently expected to start Observatory I&T in early 2023. A more thorough I&T campaign and some additional thermal analyses and potential changes of the sunshades will be needed to accommodate a 2024 (or even a 2025) launch date due to the position of some of the sky targets. In the revised schedule, observatory I&T will be extended until the fall of 2023. Mission Readiness Review will take place in the summer of 2024, for a planned launch on Dec. 2024.

The Astrophysics Research and Analysis program (APRA) supports suborbital and suborbital-class investigations, development of detectors and supporting technology, laboratory astrophysics, and limited ground-based observing. Basic research proposals in these areas are solicited for investigations that are relevant to NASA's programs in astronomy and astrophysics, including the entire range of photons, gravitational waves, and particle astrophysics. The emphasis of this solicitation is on technologies and investigations that advance NASA astrophysics missions and goals.

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