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36.312 UG MCCANDLISS/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Far-uv Off Rowland-circle Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy (FORTIS)
- Mission
- Vehicle
- Launch
- Photos
The Far-uv Off Rowland-circle Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy (FORTIS) will be flown for the second time on a mission to investigate Lyman alpha (Ly) escape from nearby star-
forming galaxies and to quantify its relationship to the local gas-to-dust ratio.
FORTIS uses a microshutter array (MSA), developed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). FORTIS expands the use of this technology from the near Infrared (NIR) to the far Ultraviolet (far-UV) range of the spectrum. The MSA is placed at the prime focus of an innovative yet minimalist Gregorian telescope, which uses a diffraction grating as the secondary optic. The icroshutter array allows acquisition of images over a 1/2 degree field-of-view and to autonomously target (on-the-fly) 43 different regions within the field for spectroscopic follow up in the 900 -- 1700 Angstrom bandpass.
This mission will study NGC 1365 also known as the Great Barred Spiral Glaxy in the constellation Fornax.
![Drawing of a Terrier-Black Brant sounding rocket](../images/vehicles/Terrier-Black-Brant-sm.png)
The Black Brant 9 is a two stage sounding rocket with a Terrier first stage and Black Brant second stage. The Black Brant 9 can reach altitudes of about 600 km. Payloads weighing from 400 to 1200 pounds can be flown.
![Google Earth Map showing White Sands Missile Range.](../images/WSMR.jpg)
The FORTIS mission was launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico on December 18, 2015.