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NASA's IRIS Sun-Watching Telescope: Artist's View
Credit: NASA
Artist's concept of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellite in orbit. The sun-observing telescope is launching in June 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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IRIS Away: NASA Sun Observatory Launches
Credit: NASA TV
NASA's IRIS sun-observing telescope launches toward space on an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket just after its separation from an L-1011 carrier aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on June 27, 2013. Image taken from a NASA chase plane. [
Read the full launch story]
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NASA IRIS Sun Telescope Launch: Mothership View
Credit: NASA TV
NASA's IRIS sun-watching telescope soars toward space atop an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket in this spectacular view from the rocket's L-1011 carrier plane as both flew over the Pacific Ocean on June 27, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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IRIS Sun Telescope Launch Fans: NASA Ames
Credit: NASA Ames Research Center
Members of the public at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., watch a live video feed of the agency's IRIS solar telescope as it soars toward space from a drop point over the Pacific Ocean on June 27, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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NASA IRIS Sun Telescope Launch: Chase Plane
Credit: NASA TV
A NASA chase plane captured this view of the IRIS sun telescope and its Pegasus XL rocket as they soar toward orbit from over the Pacific Ocean shortly after launch on June 27, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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NASA IRIS Solar Telescope Launch: Trajectory
Credit: NASA TV
This still image from a NASA TV webcast shows the trajectory of the agency's IRIS sun-watching telescope as it soars toward orbit atop an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket after its launch over the Pacific Ocean on June 27, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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NASA IRIS Sun Telescope: Mothership
Credit: NASA TV
A camera on the L-1011 carrier plane toting NASA's IRIS sun telescope into launch position captured this aft view of the probe's Orbital Sciences-built Pegasus XL rocket before launch on June 27, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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IRIS Spacecraft Rises into Sky Aboard Carrier Plane
Credit: NASA TV
This screenshot from NASA TV shows NASA's sun-watching IRIS spacecraft rising into the California sky underneath its carrier aircraft on June 27, 2013, ahead of an airborne rocket launch to Earth orbit. [
Read the full launch story]
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NASA IRIS Sun Telescope: Mission Control
Credit: NASA TV
This still image from a NASA webcast shows a view inside the IRIS sun telescope mission operations center at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. [
Read the full launch story]
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NASA IRIS Sun Telescope Launch Plane Returns
Credit: NASA TV
The Stargazer L-1011 carrier plane returns to its home port at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., after launching NASA's IRIS sun-watching telescope atop an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket out over the Pacific Ocean on June 27, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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How the Tiny IRIS Ultraviolet Sun Observing Satellite Works (Infographic)
Credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com Infographics Artist
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Integrated IRIS Spacecraft in Clean Room
Credit: LMSAL
NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) with solar panels open in flight position, in the clean room at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, where it was designed and built.
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Preparing Solar Satellite for Launch
Credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
Technicians work on the payload fairing that will protect NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft during launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket. Launch is currently scheduled no earlier than May 28, 2013.
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Hinode's View of Interface Region
Credit: JAXA/Hinode
This image from JAXA’s Hinode mission shows the lower regions of the sun’s atmosphere, the interface region, which a new mission called the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, will study in exquisite detail. Where previous missions have been able to image material at only a few predetermined temperatures in this region, IRIS will observe a wide range of temperatures from 5000 Kelvins to 65,000 Kelvins (and up to 10 million Kelvins during solar flares). Its images will resolve structures down to 150 miles across.
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IRIS Mission Logo
Credit: LMSAL
IRIS mission logo features a sun, a prism with a rainbow light spectrum coming from it, and on the bottom a list of mission partners: NASA, LMSAL, LMS&ES, ARC, SAO, UiO, MSU, LSJU.
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Payload Fairing Installed
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Engineers attach the starboard side of the payload fairing into place for NASA's IRIS spacecraft. The fairing connects to the nose of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will lift the solar observatory into orbit in June. This image was released June 10, 2013.
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Verifying the Solar Panel Connections
Credit: LMSAL
Engineers inspect the solar panel connections on the NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) in the clean room at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto where it was designed and built.
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Pegasus Rocket
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will lift NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit is moved from a hangar onto a transporter at Vandenberg Air Force Base. This image was released June 10, 2013.
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Pegasus, IRIS Joined with Carrier Aircraft
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
This image shows technicians and engineers at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California connecting the Pegasus XL rocket with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, solar observatory to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft. This image was released June 19, 2013.
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Aircraft and Rocket Joined
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Technicians and engineers at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California mate the Pegasus XL rocket with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, solar observatory to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft. This image was released June 19, 2013.
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IRIS Spacecraft Team
Credit: LMSAL
The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company spacecraft team in Sunnyvale, Calif. is seen posing in front of the completed spacecraft bus for NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission.
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Integration of Solar Panels
Credit: LMSAL
Engineers secure the solar panels to the telescope for NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) in the clean room at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto where it was designed and built.
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IRIS Integration Review
Credit: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin Space Systems engineer Cathy Chou, integration and test lead for NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) observatory, inspects the IRIS solar telescope in a clean room at the company's Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
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Mating Telescope and Electronics
Credit: LMSAL
Sitting on a work bench, the main telescope is ready to be mated to the back-end electronics of NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS).
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Working On IRIS Spectrometer
Credit: LMSAL
An engineer works on the spectrometer instrument for IRIS.
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IRIS Spacecraft Bus in Cleanroom
Credit: LMSAL
The spacecraft bus structure for NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) mission is seen in a cleanroom in a Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company cleanroom in Sunnyvale, Calif. The bus is currently undergoing integration with the IRIS telescope.
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Cutaway Diagram of IRIS
Credit: NASA/LMSAL
This cutaway diagram shows the IRIS spacecraft components without solar panels for clarity.
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IRIS Components
Credit: NASA/LMSAL
An artist rendition of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) with major components labeled. IRIS is a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere.
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IRIS Illustration
Credit: NASA/LMSAL
An artist rendition of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere.
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Layers of the Sun
Credit: National Solar Observatory
This graphic shows a model of the layers of the Sun, with approximate mileage ranges for each layer: for the inner layers, the mileage is from the sun's core; for the outer layers, the mileage is from the sun's surface. The inner layers are the Core, Radiative Zone and Convection Zone. The outer layers are the Photosphere, the Chromosphere, the Transition Region and the Corona. IRIS will focus its investigation on the Chromosphere and Transition Region.
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Fairing Installation
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB
Engineers move the payload fairing into place for NASA's IRIS spacecraft. The fairing connects to the nose of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will lift the solar observatory into orbit. This image was released may 31, 2013.
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Fairing Installation: Starboard Side Prep
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Engineers make preparations on the starboard side of the payload fairing before it is connected into place for NASA's IRIS spacecraft. The fairing connects to the nose of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket that will lift the solar observatory into orbit in June. The work is taking place in a hangar at Vandenberg Air Force Base where IRIS is being prepared for launch on a Pegasus XL rocket. This image was released June 5, 2013.
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Blacklight Check
Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Engineers inspect NASA's IRIS spacecraft with blacklights before the payload fairing is connected. This image was released June 10, 2013. Engineers inspect NASA's IRIS spacecraft with blacklights before the payload fairing is connected. This image was released June 10, 2013.
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Payload Fairing Moved for Installation
Credit: NASA/ Tony Vauclin
Orbital Sciences team members move the second half of the payload fairing before it is placed over NASA's IRIS spacecraft. This image was released June 10, 2013. [
Read the full launch story]
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First Movie Captured by IRIS Solar Observatory
Credit: NASA/IRIS
A still image from the first movie captured by the IRIS solar observatory, 21 hours after mission controllers opened the telescope’s door.
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Observations From Solar Dynamics Observatory and IRIS Telescope Compared
Credit: NASA/SDO/IRIS
This image compares observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (left) and the IRIS telescope (right).
