Dual project supports understanding of climate change and astronomy

The THz sounder TARDiS (Terahertz Atmospheric/ Astrophysics Radiation Detection in Space) will sit on the International Space Station (ISS) and support scientists to better understand the effects of climate change on space, and the origin of the stars and planets. Image credit: Shutterstock Scientists from the University of Oxford are to play a key role in new missions that will help to both better monitor the effects of climate change on space and understand the origin of the stars and planets. A team of researchers from across the country will work together to design a satellite instrument, which will sit on board the International Space Station (ISS). The technology will monitor the complex interaction between the Earth's upper atmosphere and the climate, and could advance our understanding of earth observations and aeronomy. The THz sounder TARDiS (Terahertz Atmospheric/ Astrophysics Radiation Detection in Space) will measure the present state of the uppermost atmosphere, and infer links to the future evolution of lower atmospheric climate change. The project will also investigate the fundamental role the interstellar medium plays in the birth and evolution of the stars and planets. The innovative instrument will measure the emitted radiation from oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere and the interstellar medium using Terahertz remote sensing. Backed by £75k in study phase funding from the UK Space Agency , the project will run as part of the Human Spaceflight Microgravity Programme, in conjunction with a second International Space Station (ISS) for the renowned astronaut Tim Peake, which is planned for 2020.