• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.87-98
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• 2020

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) has been developing a next-generation coronagraph (NGC) in cooperation with NASA to measure the coronal electron density, temperature, and speed simultaneously, using four different optical filters around 400 nm. KASI organized an expedition to demonstrate the coronagraph measurement scheme and the instrumental technology during the 2017 total solar eclipse (TSE) across the USA. The observation site was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA. We built an eclipse observation system, the Diagnostic Coronal Experiment (DICE), composed of two identical telescopes to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The observation was conducted at four wavelengths and three linear polarization directions in the limited total eclipse time of about 140 seconds. We successfully obtained polarization data for the corona but we were not able to obtain information on the coronal electron temperature and speed due to the low signal-to-noise ratio of the optical system and strong emission from prominences located at the western limb. In this study, we report the development of DICE and the observation results from the eclipse expedition. TSE observation and analysis with our self-developed instrument showed that a coronagraph needs to be designed carefully to achieve its scientific purpose. We gained valuable experience for future follow-up NASA-KASI joint missions: the Balloon-borne Investigation of the Temperature and Speed of Electrons in the Corona (BITSE) and the COronal Diagnostic EXperiment (CODEX).

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.20 no.1 s.24
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• pp.143-149
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• 2005

KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) is developing the near-infrared camera system named KASINICS (KASI Near-Infrared Camera System) which will be installed at the 60cm f/13.5 Ritchey-Chretien telescope of the Sobaeksan Optical Astronomy Observatory (SOAO). The camera system is optimized for JHKL bands and has a 6 arcmin FOV. The optical system consists of two spherical mirrors and a 8-position filter wheel. With the exception for the dewar window, all optical elements are cooled inside cryogenic dewar. Since the Offner system is adopted to prevent thermal noises from outside of the telescope primary mirror, the secondary mirror of the Offner system acts as a cold Lyot stop. The optical performance does not change by temperature variations because the Aluminum mirrors contract and expand homogeneously with its mount. We finished the design and fabrication of the optical parts and are now aligning the optical system. We plan to have a test observation on 2006 January.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.53.2-53.2
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• 2014

IGRINS, the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer, is a near-infrared wide-band high-resolution spectrograph jointly developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and the University of Texas at Austin. IGRINS employs three HAWAII-2RG focal plane array (FPA) detectors. The mechanical mounts for these detectors serves a critical function in the overall instrument design: Optically, they permit the only positional compensation in the otherwise "build to print" design. Thermally, they permit setting and control of the detector operating temperature independently of the cryostat bench. We present the design and fabrication of the mechanical mount as a single module. The detector mount includes the array housing, a housing for the SIDECAR ASIC, a field flattener lens holder, and a support base. The detector and ASIC housing will be kept at 65 K and the support base at 130 K. G10 supports thermally isolate the detector and ASIC housing from the support base. The field flattening lens holder attaches directly to the FPA array housing and holds the lens with a six-point kinematic mount. Fine adjustment features permit changes in axial position and in yaw and pitch angles. We optimized the structural stability and thermal characteristics of the mount design using computer-aided 3D modeling and finite element analysis. Based on the computer simulation, the designed detector mount meets the optical and thermal requirements very well.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.39-47
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• 2012

MIRIS, Multi-purpose Infra-Red Imaging System, is the main payload of STSAT-3 (Korea Science & Technology Satellite 3), which will be launched in the end of 2012 (the exact date to be determined) by a Russian Dnepr rocket. MIRIS consists of two camera systems, SOC (Space Observation Camera) and EOC (Earth Observation Camera). During a shock test for the flight model stability in the launching environment, some lenses of SOC EQM (Engineering Qualification Model) were broken. In order to resolve the lens failure, analyses for cause were performed with visual inspections for lenses and opto-mechanical parts. After modifications of SOC opto-mechanical parts, the shock test was performed again and passed. In this paper, we introduce the solution for lens safety and report the test results.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.199-215
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• 2023

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), the first South Korea lunar exploration probe, successfully arrived at the Moon on December, 2022 (UTC), following a 4.5-month ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory. Since the launch (4 August, 2022), the KPLO magnetometer (KMAG) has carried out various observations during the trans-lunar cruise phase and a 100 km altitude lunar polar orbit. KMAG consists of three fluxgate magnetometers capable of measuring magnetic fields within a ± 1,000 nT range with a resolution of 0.2 nT. The sampling rate is 10 Hz. During the originally planned lifetime of one year, KMAG has been operating successfully while performing observations of lunar crustal magnetic fields, magnetic fields induced in the lunar interior, and various solar wind events. The calibration and offset processes were performed during the TLC phase. In addition, reliabilities of the KMAG lunar magnetic field observations have been verified by comparing them with the surface vector mapping (SVM) data. If the KPLO's mission orbit during the extended mission phase is close enough to the lunar surface, KMAG will contribute to updating the lunar surface magnetic field map and will provide insights into the lunar interior structure and lunar space environment.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.52.3-53
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• 2015

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is a fiber-fed, optical band high dispersion echelle spectrograph that selected as the first light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). This G-CLEF has been designed to be a general- purpose echelle spectrograph with the precisional radial velocity (PRV) capability of 10 cm/sec as a goal. The preliminary design review (PDR) was held on April 8 to 10, 2015 and the scientific observations will be started in 2022 with four mirrors installed on GMT. We have been participating in this preliminary design study in flexure control camera (slit monitoring system), calibration lamp sources, dichroic assembly and the fabrication of the proto-Mangin Mirror. We present the design concept on the parts KASI undertaken, introducing the specifications and capabilities of G-CLEF.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2014

As the contemporary times entered, the attention focused on the 'human's perception on a space' as much as on that a space's physical structure, so the meaning of a space became defined depending on how a person thought over and behaved in the space. As this age is the times of consilience and integration, a space accepts new technologies beyond being defined simply based on the space's structure and its shape and tries to provide different, 'strange experiences' from tho se felt by the human until now. Recently in the filed of space design, it can be seen that the spae design's connection with various technologies affects on considerable influence on the all fields of culture and arts like space marketings, media arts, exhibitions and performances as well as the buildings. Especially. the fusion of digital images and architecture is actively developed. Images possessing the moving light's attributes shine a city night and day and a building changes a city's appearance itself by adding new materials on the surface of building. It is the purpose of this study to study what new experiences the human gets and creates from his interaction with spaces based on such technological fusion. By studying some cases that used the digital media as a mediating instrument as the way presenting spatial experiences to the human, this study intended to identify what design factors were applied and to find appropriate directions for space desig in relation to what new trials can be done.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.92.1-92.1
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• 2014

In astronomical spectroscopy, stable auto-guiding and accurate target centering capabilities are critical to increase the achievement of high observation efficiency and sensitivity. We developed an instrument control software for the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrograph (IGRINS), a high spectral resolution near-infrared slit spectrograph with (R=40,000). IGRINS is currently installed on the McDonald 2.7 m telescope in Texas, USA. We had successful commissioning observations in March, May, and July of 2014. The role of the IGRINS slit-viewing camera (SVC) is to move the target onto the slit, and to provide feedback about the tracking offsets for the auto-guiding. For a point source, we guide the telescope with the target on the slit. While for an extended source, we use another a guide star in the field offset from the slit. Since the slit blocks the center of the point spread function, it is challenging to fit the Gaussian function to guide and center the target on slit. We developed several center finding algorithms, e.g., 2D-Gaussian Fitting, 1D-Gaussian Fitting, and Center Balancing methods. In this presentation, we show the results of auto-guiding performances with these algorithms.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.64.2-64.2
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• 2012

The SPICA (SPace Infrared Telescope for Cosmology & Astrophysics) project is a next-generation infrared space telescope optimized for mid- and far-infrared observation with a cryogenically cooled 3m-class telescope. It will achieve the high resolution as well as the unprecedented sensitivity from mid to far-infrared range. The FPC (Focal Plane Camera) is a Korean-led near-infrared instrument as an international collaboration. The FPC-S and FPC-G are responsible for the scientific observation in the near-infrared and the fine guiding, respectively. The FPC-G will significantly reduce the alignement and random pointing error through the observation of guiding stars in the focal plane. We analyzed the pointing requirement from the focal plane instruments. The feasibility study was performed to achieve the requirements. Here, we present the role of SPICA/FPC as a fine guiding camera.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.20 no.1 s.24
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• pp.151-161
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• 2005

The reimaging optics of the KASINICS (KASI Near Infrared Camera System) includes many transparent components like an entrance window, band-pass filters, and blocking filters. As observational targets or in-field background objects, bright stars may cause optical ghosts that can significantly degrade the system performance of the KASINICS. We estimated analytically the relative brightness of ghost components with respect to a point source and examined the effects of tilting optical components as a method of suppressing ghosts. We also performed numerical ray tracings including all the optical components and found the results are consistent with those of the analytic estimations. We conclude that the KASINICS will not suffer from significant ghost effects with appropriate anti-reflection coatings and fittings for the optical components.