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Space Science & Advanced Materials Group,
University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.
Contact: Professor Brian McBreen
Tel: +353-1-7162218
Fax: +353-1-2837275
Email: brian.mcbreen@ucd.ie
Contact: Dr Lorraine Hanlon
Tel: +353-1-7162214
Fax: +353-1-2837275
Email: lhanlon@bermuda.ucd.ie
Web: http://www.ucd.ie/~physics/research.htm#space
The Space Science & Advanced Materials Group has had an extensive involvement in space-related research, training and development since the 1980's. Scientific data from large ESA missions and experiments, such as the Infrared Space Observatory, XMM and COMPTEL, have been utilised to carry out fundamental research on a range of astrophysical topics including the time profiles and spectra of gamma-ray bursts, multi-wavelength behaviour of active galactic nuclei and galaxy clusters. The INTEGRAL gamma-ray astronomy satellite is a major component of ESA's Horizon 2000 scientific programme and was launched from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in October 2002. INTEGRAL's sophisticated suite of four experiments, comprising an imager, a spectrometer, an x-ray monitor and an optical camera, is operating in concert to provide an unrivalled view of the violent, high-energy universe.
Over the past decade, in conjunction with Dunsink Observatory and research groups in Spain, Belgium and the UK, we have been involved in hardware and software development for the Optical Monitoring Camera that was flown on INTEGRAL. The software design process for the ground-based pipeline processing of OMC data had to follow strict ESA standards and was subject to rigorous external review. The completed pipeline system was delivered on schedule to the Integral Science Data Centre (ISDC) in Geneva in 2001. Our involvement with INTEGRAL will continue with analysis |and interpretation of gamma-ray data obtained by the spacecraft. Looking further into the future, we plan to continue our programme of scientific research and development with the next generation of ESA spacecraft, such as Herschel Planck, and to expand into the area of advanced materials research from the International Space Station.
- Research in Astrophysics and Space Science
- Software design and implementation to ESA PSS-05 standard
- Payload design for satellites
- Materials in a space environment
- Complex data analysis techniques
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