FIREBall-2

FIREBall-2 (Faint Intergalactic Redshifted Emission Balloon) is a stratospheric balloon-borne telescope containing an ultraviolet (UV) multi-object spectrograph (MOS) with a delta-doped, UV-optimized electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD). FIREBall-2 is jointly funded by CNES and NASA and designed to map faint emissions from the intergalactic medium (IGM) and serves as a testbed for advancing the technology readiness level (TRL) of detectors and other hardware to be used in future space-based missions. It directly maps UV emission from the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of low-redshift galaxies and quasars at∼0.3 to 0.7 through Lyα, CVI, and OVI emission lines. (Li & Kerkeser 2024)

I started working in FIREBall-2 in May 2022. I co-built the first in-flight capable calibration system for FIREBall, enabling precise measurements of spectral resolution and instrument throughput. When FIREBall-2's flight was delayed due to damage to the field corrector (FC) system during shipping, I joined the UA team that was realigning the FC. Using computer-generated holograms for optical alignment and the Faro Arm Coordinate Measurement Machine for precise measurements, I gained hands-on expertise in precision optics and alignment. Once realigned, I helped integrate the FC into the spectrograph vacuum tank and continued working on flight hardware. Following the spectrograph to Caltech, I contributed to integrating the calibration system, testing its functionality, and watching as the repaired spectrograph was integrated into the gondola, with the primary optics getting the telescope ready for the flight campaign. I was present during the 2022 and 2023 flight campaigns at NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, actively supporting the mission's preparations and operations. After the 2023 flight campaign, I kept assisting with the alignment check and flight hardware assembly at Caltech in 2024.