Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Original balloon-borne spectrometer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that was flown in 1988 as the Far Infrared Survey (FIRS). The FIRS project showed that the far infrared radiation background is very similar in form to the microwave background measured by the earlier COBE satellite mission, in that its intensity agrees with that of a perfect thermal radiator at 3 degrees Kelvin. This observation provided additional support for the Hot Big Bang theory for the origin of the universe. After flight, the payload was cut in half by its makers for display purposes, mainly to show the sophisticated double refrigeration system that maintained the detector at 0.245 degrees Kelvin. The first half with most of the original internal parts went to the Adler Planetarium, and NASM acquired the remaining half, which underwent reconstruction by students from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The artifact was donated to NASM by Edward S. Cheng and Stephan S. Meyer in July 2001.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type INSTRUMENTS-Scientific Manufacturer Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 Dimensions 3-D: 63.5 × 40.6 × 99.1cm (25 × 16 × 39 in.)
 Materials Mixed metals and ceramics
Electronics
Zeolite
 Inventory Number A20010306000 Credit Line Gift of Edward S. Cheng and Stephan S. Meyer. Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.