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Spectroscopic measurements in the millimeter, submillimeter, or THz range, with resolutions exceeding a MHz, provide for highly specific detections of gas-phase absorption and emission by atoms and molecules. Due to relatively low excitation energies involved in the transitions, multiple features are observable in most physical systems, and thus such observations dominate the scientific discovery of molecules in space and contribute significantly to remote sensing of the Earth and planetary bodies. The methods and techniques of THz spectroscopy continue to evolve as capabilities and technologies expand. In this article, we review the genesis of THz spectroscopy in both the laboratory and in space, and follow its development to date, providing background on the challenges, and context for the current developments that promise to extend both remote and in-situ gas composition sensing.

The THz rotational lines of CH+ and its isotopologues have been observed in the range of 0.9–2.6 THz with JPL frequency multiplication chains. They were analyzed together with the known A 1 Π - X 1 Σ + band system data by using the Dunham formulation and the conventional vibration–rotation energy formula. The Λ -doubling in 1 Π states was reexamined, and the doubling or shifts were found to be different for the e- and f-parity levels. In this investigation, the e- and f-parity states were treated as two separate states. The major molecular constants were determined accurately for these two states separately, and were compared with the values obtained previously.

FMOF-1 is a flexible, superhydrophobic metal–organic framework with a network of channels and side pockets decorated with –CF3 groups. CO2 adsorption isotherms measured between 278 and 313 K and up to 55 bar reveal a maximum uptake of ca. 6.16 mol kg−1 (11.0 mol L−1) and unusual isotherm shapes at the higher temperatures, suggesting framework expansion. We used neutron diffraction and molecular simulations to investigate the framework expansion behaviour and the accessibility of the small pockets to N2, O2, and CO2. Neutron diffraction in situ experiments on the crystalline powder show that CO2 molecules are favourably adsorbed at three distinct adsorption sites in the large channels of FMOF-1 and cannot access the small pockets in FMOF-1 at 290 K and oversaturated pressure at 61 bar. Stepped adsorption isotherms for N2 and O2 at 77 K can be explained by combining Monte Carlo simulations in several different crystal structures of FMOF-1 obtained from neutron and X-ray diffraction under different conditions. A similar analysis is successful for CO2 adsorption at 278 and 283 K up to ca. 30 bar; however, at 298 K and pressures above 30 bar, the results suggest even more substantial expansion of the FMOF-1 framework. The measured contact angle for water on an FMOF-1 pellet is 158°, demonstrating superhydrophobicity. Simulations and adsorption measurements also show that FMOF-1 is hydrophobic and water is not adsorbed in FMOF-1 at room temperature. Simulated mixture isotherms of CO2 in the presence of 80% relative humidity predict that water does not influence the CO2 adsorption in FMOF-1, suggesting that hydrophobic MOFs could hold promise for CO2 capture from humid gas streams.

Terahertz absorption spectroscopy was employed to measure the ground state pure rotational transitions of the water isotopologue HD 18 O . A total of 105 pure rotational transitions were observed in the 0.5–5.0 THz region with ∼ 100 kHz accuracy for the first time. The observed positions were fit to experimental accuracy using the Euler series expansion of the asymmetric-top Hamiltonian together with the literature Microwave, Far-IR and IR data in the ground state and ν 2 . The new measurements and predictions reported here support the analysis of astronomical observations by high-resolution spectroscopic telescopes such as SOFIA and ALMA where laboratory rest frequencies with uncertainties of 1 MHz or less are required for proper analysis of velocity resolved astrophysical data.

The infrared spectrum of ammonia has proven to be highly problematic for effective Hamiltonian analysis. The most complete previous study of the 3ν2 and ν4+ν2 bands achieved the accuracy of 0.0069 cm−1 as reflected by the root-mean-square error of their fit, which is slightly more than 10 times the experimental accuracy. In the present study, we performed a global fit of the existing 2141 literature data involving 3ν2, ν4+ν2, 3ν2-ν2, (ν4+ν2)-ν2 together with 1281 new data involving 3ν2-2ν2, 3ν2-3ν2 and (ν4+ν2)-(ν4+ν2) using an effective Hamiltonian together with the Pickett suite of program SPFIT/SPCAT. The new dataset consists of three spectra recorded at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. The effective Hamiltonian model proposed for 3ν2/ν4+ν2 has achieved experimental accuracy. This success combined with our previous success of the 2ν2/ν4 analysis leads us to believe that the vibrational states higher than 3ν2/ν2+ν4 may be analyzed with effective Hamiltonians as well.

Extensive measurements of line positions and intensities are reported for the inversion-rotation and rovibrational transitions of 14NH3 in the 50–660 cm−1 region. This study analyzes high-resolution (0.00167 cm−1, unapodized) Fourier-transform spectra of high purity (99.5%) normal ammonia sample obtained using the AILES beamline of Synchrotron SOLEIL. The experimental conditions are designed to study transitions with intensities weaker than 1 × 10−22 cm−1/(molecule cm−2) at room temperature. Line positions and intensities of more than 2830 transitions of 14NH3 are measured and compiled after proper quality control; the features from minor isotopologues (15NH3 and NH2D) and H2O are identified and excluded. Based on the predictions of recent work from the empirical Hamiltonian modeling, systematic quantum assignments are made for 2047 transitions from eight bands including four inversion-rotation (gs, v2, 2v2, and v4) and four ro-vibrational bands (v2–gs, 2v2–v2, v4–v2, and 2v2–v4), as well as covering their ΔK = 3 forbidden transitions. The measured line positions for the assigned transitions are in an excellent agreement (typically better than 0.001 cm−1) with the predictions in a wide range of J and K for all the eight bands. The comparison with the HITRAN 2012 database is also satisfactory, although systematic offsets are seen for transitions with high J and K and those from weak bands. Also we note that out of the eight bands, the 2v2–v4 has not been listed in the HITRAN 2012 database. Differences of 20% are seen between our measured and calculated intensities depending on the bands. For line positions, greater differences are found for some NH3 bands in HITRAN 2012 than recent predictions. Measurements of the individual line positions and intensities are presented for the eight bands, and the final spectroscopic line positions and intensities are compiled as an electronic supplement.

Quantum mechanical models describing the effects of a C3 internal rotor have been successful in modeling all the torsional manifolds of isolated vibrational states. However, modeling the coupling between nearly degenerate small amplitude vibrations in the C3 internal rotation case remains far from satisfactory and a variety of practical and fundamental questions persist on basis sets, the relative importance of effects and how the problem should be approached. The ν8 C–O stretching state of methanol has been well studied with infrared techniques and has the potential to serve as an experimental reference data set for the development of models for the coupled large and small amplitude motion case. A combined infrared-microwave study of the lowest K A-states of vt = 3, vt = 4 and ν8 has been performed to understand the nature of the interactions between ν8 the excited torsional states. The interaction between vt = 4 and ν8 at K = 0+ has been confirmed to be Fermi type with magnitude of 2.5 cm−1. Additionally, the fundamental a-symmetry and b-symmetry Coriolis interactions between vt = 3 and ν8 have been estimated to be 8900 MHz and −360 MHz, respectively. The magnitude of these interactions suggests that modeling the ν8 state, the vt = 3 state, and the vt = 4 states will have to carefully account for these interactions.

Atmospheric investigations rely heavily on the availability of accurate spectral information of hydrocarbons. To extend the ethane database we recorded a 0.0028 cm − 1 resolution spectrum of 12 C 2 H 5 D from 650 to 1500 cm − 1 using a Bruker Fourier Transform spectrometer IFS-125HR at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The 98% deuterium-enriched sample was contained in a 0.2038 m absorption cell; one spectrum was obtained with the sample cryogenically cooled to 130.5 K and another at room temperature. From the cold data, we retrieved line positions and intensities of 8704 individual absorption features from 770 to 880 cm − 1 using a least squares curve fitting algorithm. From this set of measurements, we assigned 5035 transitions to the v 17 fundamental at 805.342729(27) cm − 1 ; this band is a c-type vibration, with often-resolved A and E components arising from internal rotation. The positions were modeled to a 22 term torsional Hamiltonian using SPFIT to fit the spectrum to a standard deviation of 7 × 10 − 4 cm − 1 (21 MHz). The prediction of the 5035 line intensities at 130.5 K agreed with observed intensities, but a small centrifugal distortion type correction to the transition dipole was needed to model the intensity of high K a R and P transitions. The integrated band intensities of 3.6628 × 10 − 19 cm − 1 /(molecule cm − 2 ) at 296 K in the 770–880 cm − 1 region was obtained. To predict line intensities at different temperatures, the partition function values were determined at nine temperatures between 9.8 and 300 K by summing individual energy levels up to J = 99 and K a = 99 for the six states up through ν 17 at 805 cm − 1 . We found the energy of A and E are inverted as compared to ground state (with the E state lower than the A state) and the splitting, −241.8(10) MHz, lies between the ground state value of +74.167(18) MHz and the first torsional state (ν 18 = 271.1 cm − 1 ) value of −3382.23(34) MHz. The proximity of the energy splitting to the ground state suggests that the ν 17 state has a similar torsional character. The resulting prediction of singly-deuterated ethane absorption at 12.5 μm enables its detection in planetary atmospheres, including those of Titan and exoplanets.

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a well-known cause of cardiovascular disease and mortality and has also been associated with respiratory disease, low birth weight, lung cancer, and other adverse health outcomes. However, our understanding of the relative toxicity of specific PM types-mixtures with different proportions of particles of various sizes, shapes, and compositions-is less well understood. Observations from space, in conjunction with data from surface monitors and chemical transport models, offer a practical means of generating frequent, high spatial resolution maps of PM concentrations in major population centers around the world. The Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) investigation, currently in development, is motivated by the scientific and societal benefits of linking PM types with adverse health outcomes and the value of satellite observations for addressing this objective.

The abundance of deuterated molecules in a star-forming region is sensitive to the environment in which they are formed. Deuteration fractions therefore provide a powerful tool for studying the physical and chemical evolution of a star-forming system. While local low-mass star-forming regions show very high deuteration ratios, much lower fractions are observed towards Orion and the Galactic Centre. We derive methanol deuteration fractions at a number of locations towards the high-mass star-forming region NGC 6334I, located at a mean distance of 1.3 kpc, and discuss how these can shed light on the conditions prevailing during its formation. We use high sensitivity, high spatial and spectral resolution observations obtained with ALMA to study transitions of the less abundant, optically thin, methanol-isotopologues: (13)CH3OH, CH3(18)OH, CH2DOH and CH3OD, detected towards NGC 6334I. Assuming LTE and excitation temperatures of 120-330 K, we derive column densities for each of the species and use these to infer CH2DOH/CH3OH and CH3OD/CH3OH fractions. Interestingly, the column densities of CH3OD are consistently higher than those of CH2DOH throughout the region. All regions studied in this work show CH2DOH/CH3OH as well as CH2DOH/CH3OD ratios that are considerably lower than those derived towards low-mass star-forming regions and slightly lower than those derived for the high-mass star-forming regions in Orion and the Galactic Centre. The low ratios indicate a grain surface temperature during formation ~30 K, for which the efficiency of the formation of deuterated species is significantly reduced., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Variable levels of methane in the martian atmosphere have eluded explanation partly because the measurements are not repeatable in time or location.We report in situ measurements at Gale crater made over a 5-year period by the Tunable Laser Spectrometer on the Curiosity rover.The background levels of methane have a mean value 0.41 ± 0.16 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) (95% confidence interval) and exhibit a strong, repeatable seasonal variation (0.24 to 0.65 ppbv).This variation is greater than that predicted from either ultraviolet degradation of impact-delivered organics on the surface or from the annual surface pressure cycle.The large seasonal variation in the background and occurrences of higher temporary spikes (∼7 ppbv) are consistent with small localized sources of methane released from martian surface or subsurface reservoirs., The authors thank the reviewers for constructive comments that greatly improved the manuscript. The research described here was carried out in part at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Funding: Funding from NASA’s Planetary Science Division is acknowledged by authors C.R.W., P.R.M., S.K.A., G.J.F., C.M., C.P.M., M.H.W., M.G.T., A.S., D.A., C.H.H., R.V.G., A.P., J.L.E., D.P.G., J.C.P., D.K., L.E.C., J.P.-G., S.C.R.R., M.D.S., D.M.H., M.L., J.C., R.W.Z., and A.R.V. R.N.-G. acknowledges funding from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología. J.E.M. and C.L.S. acknowledge funding from the Canadian Space Agency MSL participating scientist program. S.P.Sc. acknowledges funding from the UK Space Agency. A.-M.H. acknowledges funding from the Finnish Academy under grant 310509. J.P.-G. acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under contract ESP2016-79612-C3-1-R. Author contributions: C.R.W. and P.R.M. performed TLS-SAM instrument design, build, and testing (IDBT); surface operations (SO); test-bed activities (TBA); data analysis (DA); data correlations (DC); and science interpretation (SI). G.J.F. and C.M. performed IDBT, SO, TBA, and DA. S.K.A., J.E.M., C.P.M., C.L.S., A.S., D.A., B.S., P.J.C., C.F., P.-Y.M., R.V.G., C.H.H., A.P., J.L.E., D.P.G., S.P.Sa., and R.W.Z. performed SI. J.C. and A.R.V. performed SO. J.C.P., D.K., and L.E.C. performed IDBT. G.M., J.M.-T., J.G.-E., M.-P.Z., M.G.T., S.P.Sc., R.N.-G., A.V.-R., H.K., D.V.-M., M.D.S., A.-M.H., M.G., D.M.H., and M.L. performed DC. J.P.-G. and S.C.R.R. performed DC and SI. Competing interests: No potential conflicts of interest exist for any of the listed authors. Data and materials availability: The data described in this paper are publicly available from NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) under an arrangement with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project at http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl/sam. htm, under the run numbers given in table S2.

Author Institution: I. Physikalisches Institut, Univ. Koln, 50937 Koln; and MPIfR, 53121 Bonn, Germany; JPL, California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA 91109, USA; LISA, Univ. Paris 12 \& Paris 7 \& CNRS, 94010 Cr{e}teil, France; PNNL, Richland, WA 99352, USA

The pure rotational spectrum of mono-deuterated ethane, CH 3 CH 2 D, has been measured up to 1600 GHz and spectroscopic constants have been fit to 984 transitions in the ground state and 422 transitions in the first torsional excited state ( ν 18 ). Analyses of the ground state data were performed with the programs SPFIT, ERHAM and XIAM and of the first torsional state with SPFIT and ERHAM to extract molecular and spectroscopic constants. A combined fit of both states using ERHAM was used to determine ρ = 0.4344026(68), which in the symmetric limit is the ratio Iα/Iz and a measure of the periodicity of the internal rotation energy with K and the energy differences between the A and E torsional substates, Δ E ( E – A ), of 74.167(18) and −3382.23(34) MHz for the ground and excited states, respectively. Using these energy differences and the overtone transitions Δ v = 2 from Raman measurements in the literature, the coefficients V 3 and V 6 of the potential function of the internal rotation in CH 3 CH 2 D were determined as V 3 = 1004.56(4) cm −1 and V 6 = 7.09(12) cm −1 . This analysis lays the ground work for the assignment of the IR spectrum of CH 3 CH 2 D between (680–880 cm −1 ) which will help quantify isotopic ratios by remote sensing missions.

We performed very deep searches for 2 ground-state water transitions in 13 protoplanetary disks with the HIFI instrument on-board the Herschel Space Observatory, with integration times up to 12 hours per line. Two other water transitions that sample warmer gas were also searched for with shallower integrations. The detection rate is low, and the upper limits provided by the observations are generally much lower than predictions of thermo-chemical models with canonical inputs. One ground-state transition is newly detected in the stacked spectrum of AA Tau, DM Tau, LkCa 15, and MWC 480. We run a grid of models to show that the abundance of gas-phase oxygen needs to be reduced by a factor of at least ~100 to be consistent with the observational upper limits (and positive detections) if a dust-to-gas mass ratio of 0.01 were to be assumed. As a continuation of previous ideas, we propose that the underlying reason for the depletion of oxygen (hence the low detection rate) is the freeze-out of volatiles such as water and CO onto dust grains followed by grain growth and settling/migration, which permanently removes these gas-phase molecules from the emissive upper layers of the outer disk. Such depletion of volatiles is likely ubiquitous among different disks, though not necessarily to the same degree. The volatiles might be returned back to the gas phase in the inner disk (within about 15 AU), which is consistent with current constraints. Comparison with studies on disk dispersal due to photoevaporation indicates that the timescale for volatile depletion is shorter than that of photoevaporation., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

The vibrational spectrum of ammonia has received an enormous amount of attention due to its potential prevalence in hot exo-planet atmospheres and persistent challenges in assigning and modeling highly excited and often highly perturbed states. Effective Hamiltonian models face challenges due to strong coupling between the large amplitude inversion and the other small amplitude vibrations. To date, only the ground and ν

Terahertz absorption spectroscopy was employed to measure rotational transitions of water in its second triad 3 ν 2 , ν 1 + ν 2 and ν 3 + ν 2 . Highly excited water molecules were created with a DC discharge, which allowed observation of transitions with lower state energies up to 5939 cm−1. In the 0.5–2.0 THz region, 38 pure rotational transitions in the second triad were observed with MW accuracy for the first time. Additionally, 91 new rotational and ro-vibrational transitions within the ground state, ν 2 , and the first triad ( 2 ν 2 , ν 1 and ν 3 ) were measured with multiplier chains covering the 1.3–2.0 THz region.

Modular fixed-tuned wide-bandwidth multiplier sources for THz generation have enabled and greatly simplified high sensitivity molecular spectroscopic measurements. However, the multiplied sources must be carefully characterized. Characterization requires band-wide measurements of power levels and harmonic content, as well as understanding any spurious behavior. Also, simple bias schemes, and acceptable input power levels that eliminate spurious behavior, support long term reliability, and result in repeatable performance are critical in spectroscopic applications. The fully characterized source may then be useful for both narrow-band high sensitivity integrations, or for band-wide surveys. Coupling the source with various gas-handling systems enables valuable new spectroscopic measurements that improve upon techniques such as Tunable Far-Infrared spectroscopy, Laser-sideband spectroscopy, and photomixer based spectroscopy.

The coverage of the room-temperature rotational spectrum of acrylonitrile has been expanded to a total of 1170 GHz, by recording broadband spectral segments at frequencies ranging 90–1900 GHz. This corresponds, in total, to 61.6% coverage of the rotational spectrum up to 1.9 THz and facilitated an in depth study of rotational transitions in the lowest vibrational states of acrylonitrile and up to large values of rotational quantum numbers. Multiple perturbations between the four lowest vibrational states of the molecule have been identified and successfully fitted within the framework of a coupled four state Hamiltonian. The fit encompasses over 12 500 measured transition frequencies, and delivers precise wavenumbers for the three lowest excited vibrational states entirely on the basis of perturbations in the rotational spectrum: ν11 = 228.29986(2), ν15 = 332.67811(2), and 2ν11 = 457.17496(2) cm−1. The new results are compared with ab initio anharmonic force field calculations and the techniques used to deal in an efficient manner with a broadband, high-resolution spectrum of this type are also described in some detail.

The ground state torsion rotation spectrum of CH2DOH has been completely characterized through J = 30 and Ka = 10, 9, 9 in the three torsional sub-states of the ground state; e0, e1, and o1, respectively. Additional a-type assignments are presented to Ka = 11 in each of the torsional sub-states. The data has been analyzed with an empirical power series model as well as an empirical internal axis model. Over 8000 transitions have been assigned and fit with near experimental accuracy over the range of 4–1628 GHz. The characterization of the spectrum allows for a complete set of ground state term values enabling a better understanding of the infrared spectrum. Comparison of the torsional contributions of the Hamiltonian with normal methanol provides great insight into the nature of the asymmetric-top asymmetric-frame internal rotation problem. The comparison with normal methanol also provides a relatively straightforward transformation from the well understood C3V internal rotation problem to the completely asymmetric internal rotation problem. The data and analysis provide some practical wisdom on the impacts of breaking the symmetry and the choice of models for addressing the nearly three fold completely asymmetric internal rotation problem.

This work presents focal plane modules for Radiation Budget Instrument, a passive remote-sensing instrument that follows the legacy of Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy system to measure short and longwave Earth's radiation budget. The focal plane arrays are micromachined at JPL and integrated into sub-assembly modules to be mounted on the optical telescope of the instrument.

This research is supported by the FIS2014-53448-C2-2-P project (MINECO, Spain), the French PCMI (Programme National de Physique Chimie du Milieu Interstellaire), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11174098).

Terahertz absorption spectroscopy and far infrared Fourier transform (FIR-FT) emission spectroscopy were employed to measure new rotational and ro-vibrational spectra and validate existing datasets for high temperature water, with the goal to improve the accuracy of predictions for pure rotation in the (0 2 0), (1 0 0) and (0 0 1) vibrational states. A total of 104 new rotational transitions in (0 0 0), (0 1 0), (0 2 0), (1 0 0) and (0 0 1) were observed in the 293–2723 GHz region with MW accuracy and with observed J (Max) = 18, 11, 10, 14, 10; K a (Max) = 10, 7, 7, 7, 4; E ″(Max) = 4178, 3771, 4996, 5430, 4939 cm −1 , respectively. A total of 4194 new FIR-FT transitions were assigned in the 50–600 cm −1 region to the same five vibrational states with estimated experimental uncertainty of 0.0008–0.002 cm −1 and with J (Max) = 27; K a (Max) = 21, 18, 18, 17, 17, respectively. Together with previous high-resolution observations, these new data were fitted with the Bending–Rotation approach and the Euler Hamiltonian. The new measurements and predictions reported here will support the analyses of astronomical observations by high-resolution spectroscopy telescopes such as Herschel, SOFIA, and ALMA.

Given the expectations associated with modern observational facilities such as Herschel, ALMA and SOFIA, and the ubiquity of methanol in interstellar gas, precise knowledge of the methanol spectrum is critical. Abundant research has characterized the line positions and quantum assignments in the far infrared, but there is a dearth of line intensity information at most wavelengths. In this work, an empirical database of methanol line intensities from 300 to 500 cm−1 has been compiled from far-infrared measurements recorded on the Bruker IFS 125 HR Fourier transform spectrometer located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The sum of the integrated line intensities has been computed ( ∑ Int = 1.13 × 10 − 18 cm − 1 / ( molecule cm − 2 ) ) at 296 K for 1317 measured features. These have been combined with known assignments for 2 ν 12 – gs , ν 12 – gs , 2 ν 12 – ν 12 plus a few other bands with a small number of transitions in the spectral range of this study. Line intensities of 916 unblended features have been compared to available theoretical calculations of Mekhtiev et al., J. Mol. Spectrosc., 194, 171–178 (1999). These results support the analysis of astronomical observations taken from orbit by the Herschel HIFI instrument.

Rotational spectra of four isotopically enriched, singly substituted species of acrylonitrile have been studied up to 1.2 THz. Extensive analysis of the spectra recorded for H 2 13 C CHCN, H 2 C CH 13 CN, H 2 C CHC 15 N, and H 2 C CDCN, revealed the presence of the same characteristic perturbations between the ground state and the v 11 = 1 excited vibrational state, that have recently been identified in the parent molecule. For this reason transitions in v 11 = 1 have also been assigned in each of the four isotopic species and a coupled state analysis of g.s. and v 11 = 1 was performed on a total of around 3000 lines for each species. The derived precise values of E ( v 11 = 1) are found to be consistent with estimates from anharmonic force field calculations. In addition, transitions for six new doubly substituted isotopic species of acrylonitrile, H 2 13 C 13 CHCN, H 2 13 C CH 13 CN, H 2 C 13 CH 13 CN, H 2 13 C CHC 15 N, H 2 C 13 CHC 15 N, and H 2 C CH 13 C 15 N, have been assigned, and their ground state spectroscopic constants have been determined. Rotational constants for all known isotopic species of acrylonitrile have been combined with ab initio calculation of vibration–rotation constants in the first evaluation of the r e SE geometry of this molecule.

At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) a vibrant THz development program supports the construction of space-based spectroscopic instruments. The recent successes of the Aura’s Microwave Limb Sounder (0.1–2.5 THz) and Herschel’s Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (0.5–1.9 THz) have demonstrated the wide range of molecular astro- and geophysics accessible when remote sensing from a space platform. With access to the THz spectral range these instruments readily observe the rotational spectra of small molecules, and the laboratory spectroscopy of these molecules is then utilized to convert the remote observation into physical quantities such as density and temperature. At the JPL millimeter and submillimeter spectroscopy laboratory we utilize the same technology developed for the space missions in order to make new or improved spectroscopic measurements that support these remote sensing objectives. By virtue of the improvements in technology these new measurements often result in improved structural understanding for the species of interest. We present an overview of the space applications and report a series of improved measurements in the 2.5–2.7 THz range obtained with our most recent hardware under development for sub-orbital/orbital astronomy.