At the end of September, the European Space Agency (ESA) will include a national science project in the launch of the Bexus 31 balloon.
This project, Startospolca, was created by a group of students from the Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astronautics Section of the University of Coimbra (UC) and aims to “measure background radiation at the wavelength of gamma rays.”
Startospolca was selected in 2019 as part of ESA’s Rexus / Bexus (Rocket / Balloon Experiments) Rocket / Balloon Experiments Program to Send Into Space Using Balloons and Rockets.
“Let’s imagine an ancient radio that, if not at the correct frequency, produces familiar background noise. But to know what a music channel is, we need to know what noise is, ”says Enrique Neves, representative of the UC team.
According to the student, finding a solution, you can get the following data: “In our experience, we do the following: we measure the background radiation in gamma rays, noise, so that we can” hear music “that comes from distant celestial bodies.”
Rui Kurado Silva, professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Coimbra, which coordinates Startospolca, recalls that the success of this project could mean a new look at space.
“The results of measurements carried out by Startospolca will help to increase the sensitivity of future telescopes observing the sky in the gamma range (..), in particular, the measurement of new bursts of gamma radiation associated with the detection of gravitational waves is expected, contributes to a new field of astronomy with several messengers “.
All details about this project can be found on the official Startospolca page. Here…
