RADIO AND INFRARED INSTRUMENTS IN THE SUBMILLIMETER ASTRONOMY PROJECT PRONAOS

The aim of the project PRONAOS (Projet National d'Astronomie Submillimetrique) is to open a new wavelength domain to astronomical observation. The atmospheric absorption in the submillimeter range (100-1000 mu m) requires one to observe from very high altitudes. PRONAOS is designed to provide a facility for long duration (>20 hours) balloon flights of a gondola supporting and pointing a two meter telescope with one of its focal instruments: a high sensitivity photometer dedicated to the study of galaxies and to cosmology or a heterodyne spectrometer intended for the measurement of H2O and O2 lines around 380 GHz. This project gathers in a single effort specialists coming from different technical horizons: radio and infrared.