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Explorer I
Title Explorer I
Explanation Inaugurating the era of space exploration [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4406/contents.html ] for the US, the First Explorer [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970518.html ] was launched [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/calander/explorer1.html ] into Earth orbit forty years ago [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/98/expl1rel.html ] (February 1, 1958) by the Army Ballistic Missle Agency [ http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/arspace/welcome.html ]. The Explorer I satellite [ http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/history/mm/lk_inst.html ] weighed about 30 pounds, was 6 feet long, 6 inches in diameter and consisted of batteries, transmitters, and scientific instrumentation [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wexp13.html ] built into the fourth stage of a Jupiter-C rocket. Foreshadowing NASA and the adventurous [ http://www.osf.hq.nasa.gov/history/explorer.html ] and successful Explorer Program [ http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/Programs/explorer.html ], Explorer I bolstered national prestige in the wake of Sputnik [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970427.html ]. The satellite also contributed to a spectacular scientific bonanza - the discovery of Earth-girdling belts of magnetically trapped charged particles now known as the Van Allen Radiation Belts [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Iradbelt.html ].
The First Explorer
Title The First Explorer
Explanation The first US spacecraft was Explorer 1 [ http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/history/mm/sect001.html#Explorer I ]. The cylindrical 30 pound satellite [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980213.html ] was launched (above) as the fourth stage of a Jupiter-C rocket (a modified US Army [ http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/firsts/firsts.html ] Redstone [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970406.html ] ballistic missile) and achieved orbit on January 31, 1958. Explorer I carried instrumentation [ http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/history/mm/lk_inst.html ] to measure internal and external temperatures, micrometeorite impacts, and an experiment designed by James A. Van Allen [ http://www.jamesvanallen.com/productionbiography.html ] to measure the density of electrons and ions in space. The measurements made by Van Allen's experiment led to an unexpected and startling discovery [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wexp13.html ] -- an earth-encircling belt of high energy electrons and ions trapped in the magnetosphere [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html ] now known as the Van Allen Belt [ http://es91-server1.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/sppb/MI/imagers.html ]. Explorer I ceased transmitting on February 28 of that year but remained in orbit until March of 1970.
Marjorie Townsend and SAS-1
Title Marjorie Townsend and SAS-1
Full Description Marjorie Townsend discusses the X-ray Explorer Satellite's performance with a colleague during preflight tests at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Townsend, a Washington DC native, was the first woman to receive an engineering degree from The George Washington University. She joined NASA in 1959 and later advanced to become the project manager of the Small Astronomy Satellite (SAS) Program. The satellite shown in the picture, SAS-1, was the 42nd in NASA's Explorer series, a family of small, simple satellites sent to perform important scientific missions for minimal cost. The first Explorer satellite launched in 1958, months prior to the formation of NASA, initiating a program of exploration that has continued into the twenty-first century. SAS-1 continued the tradition of crucial science projects by carrying the first set of sensitive instruments designed to map X-ray sources both within and beyond our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Also known as Explorer 42 and the X-ray Explorer, it became the first American spacecraft launched by another country when an Italian space team launched it on December 12, 1970 from a mobile launch platform located in international waters off the coast of East Africa. It mapped the universe in X-ray wavelengths and discovered X-ray pulsars and evidence of black holes. The satellite was named Uhuru, which means freedom in Swahili, because it was launched from San Marco off the coast of Kenya on Kenya's Independence Day. In the 1970's the Italian Government made Townsend a Knight of the Italian Republic Order for her contributions to the United States-Italian space efforts. In 1990, Townsend joined BDM International Inc., as the director of Space Systems Engineering with the Space Science and Applications Division.
Date 12/02/1970
NASA Center Goddard Space Flight Center
Amazing Andromeda Galaxy
Title Amazing Andromeda Galaxy
Description The many "personalities" of our great galactic neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, are exposed in this new composite image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The wide, ultraviolet eyes of Galaxy Evolution Explorer reveal Andromeda's "fiery" nature -- hotter regions brimming with young and old stars. In contrast, Spitzer's super-sensitive infrared eyes show Andromeda's relatively "cool" side, which includes embryonic stars hidden in their dusty cocoons. Galaxy Evolution Explorer detected young, hot, high-mass stars, which are represented in blue, while populations of relatively older stars are shown as green dots. The bright yellow spot at the galaxy's center depicts a particularly dense population of old stars. Swaths of red in the galaxy's disk indicate areas where Spitzer found cool, dusty regions where stars are forming. These stars are still shrouded by the cosmic clouds of dust and gas that collapsed to form them. Together, Galaxy Evolution Explorer and Spitzer complete the picture of Andromeda's swirling spiral arms. Hints of pinkish purple depict regions where the galaxy's populations of hot, high-mass stars and cooler, dust-enshrouded stars co-exist. Located 2.5 million light-years away, the Andromeda is our largest nearby galactic neighbor. The galaxy's entire disk spans about 260,000 light-years, which means that a light beam would take 260,000 years to travel from one end of the galaxy to the other. By comparison, our Milky Way galaxy's disk is about 100,000 light-years across. This image is a false color composite comprised of data from Galaxy Evolution Explorer's far-ultraviolet detector (blue), near-ultraviolet detector (green), and Spitzer's multiband imaging photometer at 24 microns (red).
SEDS-I: Subsatellite in moti …
Title SEDS-I: Subsatellite in motion (every 10th frame)
Completed 1994-04-01
COBE Satellite Marks 20th An …
NASA's Cosmic Background Exp …
11/18/09
Description NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite rocketed into Earth orbit on Nov. 18, 1989, and quickly revolutionized our understanding of the early cosmos. Developed and built at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., COBE precisely measured and mapped the oldest light in the universe -- the cosmic microwave background. For these results, COBE scientists John Mather, at Goddard, and George Smoot, at the University of California, Berkeley, shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics. The mission ushered cosmologists into a new era of precision measurements, paving the way for deeper exploration of the microwave background by NASA's ongoing WMAP mission and the European Space Agency's new Planck satellite. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/cobe_20th.html. Image Credit: NASA
Date 11/18/09
The First Explorer
Title The First Explorer
Explanation Fifty years ago (on January 31, 1958) the First Explorer [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/explorer/ ], was launched into Earth orbit [ http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/explorer/ welcome.html ] by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. Inaugurating the era of space exploration for the United States, Explorer I [ http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/expinfo.html ] was a thirty pound satellite that carried instruments to measure temperatures, and micrometeorite impacts, along with an experiment designed by James A. Van Allen [ http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/vanallen.html ] to measure the density of electrons and ions in space. The measurements made by Van Allen's experiment led to an unexpected and startling discovery [ http://www.phy6.org/Education/wexp13.html ] -- an earth-encircling belt of high energy electrons and ions trapped in the magnetosphere [ http://www.phy6.org/Education/Intro.html ] now known as the Van Allen Radiation Belt [ http://www.phy6.org/Education/wradbelt.html ]. Explorer I ceased transmitting on February 28, 1958, but remained in orbit until March of 1970. Pioneering space scientist James Van Allen [ http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/features/ james_van_allen.html ] died on August 9th, 2006 at the age of 91.
Explorer XVII Satellite
Title Explorer XVII Satellite
Full Description Weighing 405 lbs. (184 kg), this 35-inch (89-cm) pressurized stainless steel sphere measured the density, composition, pressure and temperature of Earth's atmosphere after its launch from Cape Canaveral on April 3, 1963. The mission was one of three that Goddard Space Flight Center specifically conducted to learn more about the atmosphere's physical properties?knowledge that they ultimately used for scientific and meteorological purposes. Explorer XVII carried two spectrometers, four vacuum pressure gauges and two electrostatic probes. Before it reached its intended orbit that ranged from 158 to 570 miles (254-917 km) above Earth, the satellite was spun up to about 90 rpm.
Date 01/01/1963
NASA Center Goddard Space Flight Center
Galaxy Centaurus A
PIA04624
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy Centaurus A
Original Caption Released with Image This image of the active galaxy Centaurus A was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 7, 2003. The galaxy is located 30 million light-years from Earth and is seen edge on, with a prominent dust lane across the major axis. In this image the near ultraviolet emission is represented as green, and the far ultraviolet emission as blue. The galaxy exhibits jets of high energy particles, which were traced by the X-ray emission and measured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. These X-ray emissions are seen as red in the image. Several regions of ultraviolet emission can be seen where the jets of high energy particles intersect with hydrogen clouds in the upper left corner of the image. The emission shown may be the result of recent star formation triggered by the compression of gas by the jet. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
The First Explorer
Title The First Explorer
Explanation Inaugurating the era of space exploration for the US, the First Explorer [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/explorer.html ], a thirty pound satellite, was launched [ http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/explorer/welcome.html ] into Earth orbit on January 31, 1958 by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. Explorer I [ http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/expinfo.html ] carried instruments to measure temperatures, micrometeorite impacts, and an experiment designed by James A. Van Allen [ http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/vanallen.html ] to measure the density of electrons and ions in space. The measurements made by Van Allen's experiment led to an unexpected and startling discovery [ http://www.phy6.org/Education/wexp13.html ] -- an earth-encircling belt of high energy electrons and ions trapped in the magnetosphere [ http://www.phy6.org/Education/Intro.html ] now known as the Van Allen Radiation Belt [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Allen_radiation_belt ]. Explorer I ceased transmitting on February 28 of that year but remained in orbit until March of 1970. Pioneering astrophysicist James Van Allen [ http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/features/ james_van_allen.html ] died on August 9th at the age of 91.
Brief History of the Univers …
Title Brief History of the Universe
Description This artist's timeline chronicles the history of the universe, from its explosive beginning to its mature, present-day state. Our universe began in a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago (left side of strip). Observations by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer and Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe revealed microwave light from this very early epoch, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, providing strong evidence that our universe did blast into existence. Results from the Cosmic Background Explorer were honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics. A period of darkness ensued, until about a few hundred million years later, when the first objects flooded the universe with light. This first light is believed to have been captured in data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The light detected by Spitzer would have originated as visible and ultraviolet light, then stretched, or redshifted, to lower-energy infrared wavelengths during its long voyage to reach us across expanding space. The light detected by the Cosmic Background Explorer and the Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe from our very young universe traveled farther to reach us, and stretched to even lower-energy microwave wavelengths. Astronomers do not know if the very first objects were either stars or quasars. The first stars, called Population III stars (our star is a Population I star), were much bigger and brighter than any in our nearby universe, with masses about 1,000 times that of our sun. These stars first grouped together into mini-galaxies. By about a few billion years after the Big Bang, the mini-galaxies had merged to form mature galaxies, including spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. The first quasars ultimately became the centers of powerful galaxies that are more common in the distant universe. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning pictures of earlier galaxies, as far back as ten billion light-years away.
SEDS-II: Slowest period of d …
Title SEDS-II: Slowest period of deployment
Completed 1994-10-19
The X-ray Timing Explorer
Title The X-ray Timing Explorer
Explanation Launched Saturday [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/xte_1st.html ] on a Delta rocket [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951213.html ], the X-ray Timing Explorer [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/xte2.html ] (XTE) will watch the sky for rapid changes in X-rays [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#X-ray ]. XTE [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/XTE.html ] carries three separate X-ray telescopes. The Proportional Counter Array [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/PCA.html ] (PCA) and the High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment [ http://mamacass.ucsd.edu:8080/hexte/hexte.html ] (HEXTE) will provide the best timing information in the widest X-ray energy range yet available. They will observe stellar systems [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950624.html ] that contain black holes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951127.html ], neutron stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951122.html ], and white dwarfs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950910.html ] as well as study the X-ray properties of the centers of active galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951205.html ]. XTE [ http://space.mit.edu/XTE/XTE.html ]'s All Sky Monitor [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/ASM.html ] (ASM) will scan the sky every 90 minutes to find new X-ray transients and track the variability of old ones. XTE has a planned life time of two years.
Galaxy UGC10445
PIA04623
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy UGC10445
Original Caption Released with Image This ultraviolet color image of the galaxy UGC10445 was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 7 and June 14, 2003. UGC10445 is a spiral galaxy located 40 million light-years from Earth. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Galaxy NGC5962
PIA04635
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy NGC5962
Original Caption Released with Image NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer took this ultraviolet color image of the galaxy NGC5962 on June 7, 2003. This spiral galaxy is located 90 million light-years from Earth. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Galaxy Messier 51
PIA04628
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy Messier 51
Original Caption Released with Image NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer took this image of the spiral galaxy Messier 51 on June 19 and 20, 2003. Messier 51 is located 27 million light-years from Earth. Due to a lack of star formation, the companion galaxy in the top of the picture is barely visible as a near ultraviolet object. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Galaxy Messier 83
PIA04629
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy Messier 83
Original Caption Released with Image This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 83 was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 7, 2003. Located 15 million light years from Earth and known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, Messier 83 displays significant amounts of ultraviolet emissions far from the optically bright portion of the galaxy. It is also known to have an extended hydrogen disc that appears to radiate a faint ultraviolet emission. The red stars in the foreground of the image are Milky Way stars. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Groth Deep Image
PIA04625
GALEX Telescope
Title Groth Deep Image
Original Caption Released with Image This ultraviolet color blowup of the Groth Deep Image was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 22 and June 23, 2003. Many hundreds of galaxies are detected in this portion of the image. NASA astronomers believe the faint red galaxies are 6 billion light years away. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Messier 101
PIA04631
GALEX Telescope
Title Messier 101
Original Caption Released with Image NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer took this near ultraviolet image of Messier 101 on June 20, 2003. Messier 101 is a large spiral galaxy located 20 million light-years from Earth. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Groth Deep Locations Image
PIA04626
GALEX Telescope
Title Groth Deep Locations Image
Original Caption Released with Image NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer photographed this ultraviolet color blowup of the Groth Deep Image on June 22 and June 23, 2003. Hundreds of galaxies are detected in this portion of the image, and the faint red galaxies are believed to be 6 billion light years away. The white boxes show the location of these distant galaxies, of which more than a 100 can be detected in this image. NASA astronomers expect to detect 10,000 such galaxies after extrapolating to the full image at a deeper exposure level. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Galaxy M101
PIA04630
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy M101
Original Caption Released with Image This three-color image of galaxy M101 was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 20, 2003. The far ultraviolet emissions are shown in blue, the near ultraviolet emissions are green, and the red emissions, which were taken from NASA's Digital Sky Survey, represent visible light. This image combines short, medium, and long "exposure" pictures to best display the evolution of star formation in a spiral galaxy. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Galaxy NGC5398
PIA04633
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy NGC5398
Original Caption Released with Image This is an ultraviolet color image of the galaxy NGC5398 taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 7, 2003. NGC5398 is a barred spiral galaxy located 60 million light-years from Earth. The star formation is concentrated in the two bright regions of the image. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Galaxy NGC5474
PIA04634
GALEX Telescope
Title Galaxy NGC5474
Original Caption Released with Image NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer took this ultraviolet color image of the galaxy NGC5474 on June 7, 2003. NGC5474 is located 20 million light-years from Earth and is within a group of galaxies dominated by the Messier 101 galaxy. Star formation in this galaxy shows some evidence of a disturbed spiral pattern, which may have been induced by tidal interactions with Messier 101. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Messier 101 Single Orbit Exp …
PIA04632
GALEX Telescope
Title Messier 101 Single Orbit Exposure
Original Caption Released with Image This single orbit exposure, ultraviolet color image of Messier 101 was taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer on June 20, 2003. Messier 101 is a large spiral galaxy located 20 million light-years from Earth. This image is a short and medium "exposure" picture of the evolution of star formation in a spiral galaxy. The far ultraviolet emission detects the younger stars as concentrated in tight spiral arms, while the near ultraviolet emission, which traces stars living for more than 100 million years, displays the movement of the spiral pattern over a 100 million year period. The red stars in the foreground of the image are Milky Way stars. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
Deep Imaging Survey
PIA04627
GALEX Telescope
Title Deep Imaging Survey
Original Caption Released with Image This is the first Deep Imaging Survey image taken by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer. On June 22 and 23, 2003, the spacecraft obtained this near ultraviolet image of the Groth region by adding multiple orbits for a total exposure time of 14,000 seconds. Tens of thousands of objects can be identified in this picture. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission is led by the California Institute of Technology, which is also responsible for the science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of Caltech, manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The mission's international partners include South Korea and France.
COBE's View of the Milky Way
Title COBE's View of the Milky Way
Full Description From its orbit around Earth, the Goddard Space Flight Center's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) captured this edge-on view of our Milky Way galaxy in infrared light, a form of radiation that humans cannot see but can feel in the form of heat, as part of its mission to test the "Big Bang" theory of the creation of the universe. The theory, first proposed in 1927 by Belgian cosmologist Georges Lematre, holds that the universe began as an incredibly dense "primeval atom" that exploded with tremendous force, unleashing matter and space at the speeds of light. NASA set out to prove the theory with the help of COBE. In addition to proving the Big Bang, the satellite discovered that the cosmic background radiation had indeed been produced in the Big Bang just as scientists originally speculated. The satellite's data even discovered the primordial temperature and density fluctuations that eventually gave rise to the Milky Way and other large-scale objects found in space today.
Date 01/01/1990
NASA Center Goddard Space Flight Center
SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of …
Title SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of Earth's Electron Radiation Belts: North Pole Energetic Fluxes from PET
Abstract The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, SAMPEX, measures fluxes of energetic particles from the sun, the Earth's magnetosphere, and cosmic ray sources over a broad range of energies. The four instruments aboard SAMPEX are the Low-Energy Ion Analyzer (LEICA), The Heavy Ion Large Telescope (HILT), The Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST), and the Proton-Electron Telescope (PET).
Completed 1995-01-01
Interstellar Boundry Explore …
Title Interstellar Boundry Explorer (IBEX)
Abstract These animations show IBEX and it's two imagers specialized to detect neutral atoms from the solar system's outer boundaries and galactic medium.
Completed 2007-12-10
Interstellar Boundry Explore …
Title Interstellar Boundry Explorer (IBEX)
Abstract These animations show IBEX and it's two imagers specialized to detect neutral atoms from the solar system's outer boundaries and galactic medium.
Completed 2007-12-10
SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of …
Title SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of Earth's Electron Radiation Belts: North Pole Energetic Fluxes from HILT
Abstract The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, SAMPEX, measures fluxes of energetic particles from the sun, the Earth's magnetosphere, and cosmic ray sources over a broad range of energies. The four instruments aboard SAMPEX are the Low-Energy Ion Analyzer (LEICA), The Heavy Ion Large Telescope (HILT), The Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST), and the Proton-Electron Telescope (PET).
Completed 1995-01-01
SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of …
Title SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of Earth's Electron Radiation Belts: South Pole Energetic Fluxes from PET
Abstract The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, SAMPEX, measures fluxes of energetic particles from the sun, the Earth's magnetosphere, and cosmic ray sources over a broad range of energies. The four instruments aboard SAMPEX are the Low-Energy Ion Analyzer (LEICA), The Heavy Ion Large Telescope (HILT), The Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST), and the Proton-Electron Telescope (PET).
Completed 1995-01-01
SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of …
Title SAMPEX - A Synoptic View of Earth's Electron Radiation Belts: South Pole Energetic Fluxes from HILT
Abstract The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, SAMPEX, measures fluxes of energetic particles from the sun, the Earth's magnetosphere, and cosmic ray sources over a broad range of energies. The four instruments aboard SAMPEX are the Low-Energy Ion Analyzer (LEICA), The Heavy Ion Large Telescope (HILT), The Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST), and the Proton-Electron Telescope (PET).
Completed 1995-01-01
The International Ultraviole …
Title The International Ultraviolet Explorer
Explanation The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) [ http://iuewww.gsfc.nasa.gov/iue/iue_homepage.html ] was launched by a NASA Delta rocket [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/DELTA/delta.htm ] in 1978 to provide a space telescope for ultraviolet astronomy. A collaborative project among NASA, ESA [ http://www.esrin.esa.it/ ] and the British SRC (now PPARC) agencies, IUE's estimated lifetime was 3 to 5 years. Amazingly, 17 years and 8 months later, it continues to operate, having made over 100,000 observations [ http://iuewww.gsfc.nasa.gov/ops/pr_images.html ] of comets, planets, stars, novae, supernovae, galaxies, and quasars. The IUE [ http://iuewww.gsfc.nasa.gov/ops/mission.html ] story is a truly remarkable but little known success story which will continue. To reduce costs, on September 30, 1995, the IUE team at GSFC will turn over its science operations to the ESA ground station in Villafranca, Spain [ http://www.vilspa.esa.es/ ] where the ESA/PPARC teams will continue to make astronomical observations.
An Extreme UltraViolet View …
Title An Extreme UltraViolet View of the Comet
Explanation As the Sun floods Comet Hyakutake with ultraviolet light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960326.html ] gases in the coma scatter the radiation and fluoresce making the comet a bright source in the ultraviolet sky. The above image [ http://alcatraz.cea.berkeley.edu/~science/html/ sci_whatsnew_comet.html ] made using data from NASA's Extreme UltraViolet Explorer (EUVE) [ http://www.cea.berkeley.edu/HomePage.html ] satellite, represents the intensity of the comet in this invisible high energy band in false color. The image is about 3/4 of a degree high and 2 degress wide and offers insights [ http://sdp1.cea.berkeley.edu:80/Education/ ] to the composition of this visitor from the distant solar system that can be obtained from the highest energy bands of the ultraviolet spectrum [ http://www.cea.berkeley.edu/Education/new_nelli/summary.html ]. The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950929.html ] satellite has also examined ultraviolet light from the comet [ http://www.vilspa.esa.es/iue/hyakutake.html ] and now reports [ http://www.eso.org/educnpubrelns/ comet-hyakutake-summary-mar28-rw.html ] the detection of many bands of molecular emission particularly those due to molecular carbon (C2), carbon monoxide (CO) and caron dioxide (C02) ions as well as indications of a rapid increase in the production of water (H20).
Space Pioneer Nancy Roman
title Space Pioneer Nancy Roman
date 01.01.1962
description Dr. Nancy Roman, one of the nations top scientists in the space program, is shown with a model of the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO). Roman received her PhD in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1949. In 1959, Dr. Roman joined NASA and in 1960 served as Chief of the Astronomy and Relativity Programs in the Office of Space Science. She was very influential in creating satellites such as the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). She retired from NASA in 1979, but continued working as a contractor at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Throughout her career, Dr. Roman was a spokesperson and advocate of women in the sciences. *Image Credit*: NASA
COBE's View of the Milky Way
title COBE's View of the Milky Way
date 01.01.1990
description From its orbit around Earth, the Goddard Space Flight Center's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) captured this edge-on view of our Milky Way galaxy in infrared light, a form of radiation that humans cannot see but can feel in the form of heat, as part of its mission to test the "Big Bang" theory of the creation of the universe. The theory, first proposed in 1927 by Belgian cosmologist Georges Lematre, holds that the universe began as an incredibly dense "primeval atom" that exploded with tremendous force, unleashing matter and space at the speeds of light. NASA set out to prove the theory with the help of COBE. In addition to proving the Big Bang, the satellite discovered that the cosmic background radiation had indeed been produced in the Big Bang just as scientists originally speculated. The satellite's data even discovered the primordial temperature and density fluctuations that eventually gave rise to the Milky Way and other large-scale objects found in space today. *Image Credit*: NASA
Dynamic Test Chamber
Title Dynamic Test Chamber
Full Description NASA's International Sun-Earth Explorer C (ISEE C) was undergoing testing and evaluation inside Goddard's dynamic test chamber when this photo was taken. Working inside a dynamic test chamber, Goddard engineers wear protective "clean room" clothing to prevent microscopic dust particles from damaging the sophisticated instrumentation. NASA launched the 16-sided polyhedron, which weighed 1,032 lbs. (469 kg.), from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 12, 1978. From its halo orbit 932,000 miles (1.5 million km.) from Earth, the satellite monitored the characteristics of solar phenomena about one hour before its companion satellites-ISEE-A and ISEE-B-observed the same phenomena from a much closer near-Earth orbit. The correlated measurements supported the work of 117 scientific investigators who were trying to get a better understanding of how the Sun controls Earth's near-space environment. The scientists represented 35 universities in 10 nations
Date 11/06/1976
NASA Center Goddard Space Flight Center
SAMPEX - Yohkoh: Solar Modif …
Title SAMPEX - Yohkoh: Solar Modification of Relativistic Electrons in the Earth's Radiation Belts
Abstract The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, SAMPEX, measures fluxes of energetic particles from the sun, the Earth's magnetosphere, and cosmic ray sources over a broad range of energies. The four instruments aboard SAMPEX are the Low-Energy Ion Analyzer (LEICA), The Heavy Ion Large Telescope (HILT), The Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST), and the Proton-Electron Telescope (PET). The Soft X-ray Telescope on the Yohkoh satellite takes daily full-disk soft X-ray images of the Sun. Comparing datasets from the two satellites allows correlation of electron fluxes in the Earth's radiation belts with solar output.
Completed 1995-11-07
SEDS-II: End of Deployment
Title SEDS-II: End of Deployment
Completed 1994-10-19
The Universe's First Firewor …
PIA09100
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Title The Universe's First Fireworks
Original Caption Released with Image This is an image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of stars and galaxies in the Ursa Major constellation. This infrared image covers a region of space so large that light would take up to 100 million years to travel across it. Figure 1 is the same image after stars, galaxies and other sources were masked out. The remaining background light is from a period of time when the universe was less than one billion years old, and most likely originated from the universe's very first groups of objects -- either huge stars or voracious black holes. Darker shades in the image on the left correspond to dimmer parts of the background glow, while yellow and white show the brightest light. "Brief History of the Universe" In figure 2, the artist's timeline chronicles the history of the universe, from its explosive beginning to its mature, present-day state. Our universe began in a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago (left side of strip). Observations by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer and Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe revealed microwave light from this very early epoch, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, providing strong evidence that our universe did blast into existence. Results from the Cosmic Background Explorer were honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics. A period of darkness ensued, until about a few hundred million years later, when the first objects flooded the universe with light. This first light is believed to have been captured in data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The light detected by Spitzer would have originated as visible and ultraviolet light, then stretched, or redshifted, to lower-energy infrared wavelengths during its long voyage to reach us across expanding space. The light detected by the Cosmic Background Explorer and the Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe from our very young universe traveled farther to reach us, and stretched to even lower-energy microwave wavelengths. Astronomers do not know if the very first objects were either stars or quasars. The first stars, called Population III stars (our star is a Population I star), were much bigger and brighter than any in our nearby universe, with masses about 1,000 times that of our sun. These stars first grouped together into mini-galaxies. By about a few billion years after the Big Bang, the mini-galaxies had merged to form mature galaxies, including spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. The first quasars ultimately became the centers of powerful galaxies that are more common in the distant universe. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning pictures of earlier galaxies, as far back as ten billion light-years away.
The Universe's First Firewor …
PIA09100
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Title The Universe's First Fireworks
Original Caption Released with Image This is an image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of stars and galaxies in the Ursa Major constellation. This infrared image covers a region of space so large that light would take up to 100 million years to travel across it. Figure 1 is the same image after stars, galaxies and other sources were masked out. The remaining background light is from a period of time when the universe was less than one billion years old, and most likely originated from the universe's very first groups of objects -- either huge stars or voracious black holes. Darker shades in the image on the left correspond to dimmer parts of the background glow, while yellow and white show the brightest light. "Brief History of the Universe" In figure 2, the artist's timeline chronicles the history of the universe, from its explosive beginning to its mature, present-day state. Our universe began in a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago (left side of strip). Observations by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer and Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe revealed microwave light from this very early epoch, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, providing strong evidence that our universe did blast into existence. Results from the Cosmic Background Explorer were honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics. A period of darkness ensued, until about a few hundred million years later, when the first objects flooded the universe with light. This first light is believed to have been captured in data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The light detected by Spitzer would have originated as visible and ultraviolet light, then stretched, or redshifted, to lower-energy infrared wavelengths during its long voyage to reach us across expanding space. The light detected by the Cosmic Background Explorer and the Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe from our very young universe traveled farther to reach us, and stretched to even lower-energy microwave wavelengths. Astronomers do not know if the very first objects were either stars or quasars. The first stars, called Population III stars (our star is a Population I star), were much bigger and brighter than any in our nearby universe, with masses about 1,000 times that of our sun. These stars first grouped together into mini-galaxies. By about a few billion years after the Big Bang, the mini-galaxies had merged to form mature galaxies, including spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. The first quasars ultimately became the centers of powerful galaxies that are more common in the distant universe. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning pictures of earlier galaxies, as far back as ten billion light-years away.
The Universe's First Firewor …
PIA09100
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Title The Universe's First Fireworks
Original Caption Released with Image This is an image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of stars and galaxies in the Ursa Major constellation. This infrared image covers a region of space so large that light would take up to 100 million years to travel across it. Figure 1 is the same image after stars, galaxies and other sources were masked out. The remaining background light is from a period of time when the universe was less than one billion years old, and most likely originated from the universe's very first groups of objects -- either huge stars or voracious black holes. Darker shades in the image on the left correspond to dimmer parts of the background glow, while yellow and white show the brightest light. "Brief History of the Universe" In figure 2, the artist's timeline chronicles the history of the universe, from its explosive beginning to its mature, present-day state. Our universe began in a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago (left side of strip). Observations by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer and Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe revealed microwave light from this very early epoch, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, providing strong evidence that our universe did blast into existence. Results from the Cosmic Background Explorer were honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics. A period of darkness ensued, until about a few hundred million years later, when the first objects flooded the universe with light. This first light is believed to have been captured in data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The light detected by Spitzer would have originated as visible and ultraviolet light, then stretched, or redshifted, to lower-energy infrared wavelengths during its long voyage to reach us across expanding space. The light detected by the Cosmic Background Explorer and the Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe from our very young universe traveled farther to reach us, and stretched to even lower-energy microwave wavelengths. Astronomers do not know if the very first objects were either stars or quasars. The first stars, called Population III stars (our star is a Population I star), were much bigger and brighter than any in our nearby universe, with masses about 1,000 times that of our sun. These stars first grouped together into mini-galaxies. By about a few billion years after the Big Bang, the mini-galaxies had merged to form mature galaxies, including spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. The first quasars ultimately became the centers of powerful galaxies that are more common in the distant universe. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning pictures of earlier galaxies, as far back as ten billion light-years away.
The Universe's First Firewor …
PIA09100
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Title The Universe's First Fireworks
Original Caption Released with Image This is an image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope of stars and galaxies in the Ursa Major constellation. This infrared image covers a region of space so large that light would take up to 100 million years to travel across it. Figure 1 is the same image after stars, galaxies and other sources were masked out. The remaining background light is from a period of time when the universe was less than one billion years old, and most likely originated from the universe's very first groups of objects -- either huge stars or voracious black holes. Darker shades in the image on the left correspond to dimmer parts of the background glow, while yellow and white show the brightest light. "Brief History of the Universe" In figure 2, the artist's timeline chronicles the history of the universe, from its explosive beginning to its mature, present-day state. Our universe began in a tremendous explosion known as the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago (left side of strip). Observations by NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer and Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe revealed microwave light from this very early epoch, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, providing strong evidence that our universe did blast into existence. Results from the Cosmic Background Explorer were honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physics. A period of darkness ensued, until about a few hundred million years later, when the first objects flooded the universe with light. This first light is believed to have been captured in data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The light detected by Spitzer would have originated as visible and ultraviolet light, then stretched, or redshifted, to lower-energy infrared wavelengths during its long voyage to reach us across expanding space. The light detected by the Cosmic Background Explorer and the Wilkinson Anisotropy Microwave Probe from our very young universe traveled farther to reach us, and stretched to even lower-energy microwave wavelengths. Astronomers do not know if the very first objects were either stars or quasars. The first stars, called Population III stars (our star is a Population I star), were much bigger and brighter than any in our nearby universe, with masses about 1,000 times that of our sun. These stars first grouped together into mini-galaxies. By about a few billion years after the Big Bang, the mini-galaxies had merged to form mature galaxies, including spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. The first quasars ultimately became the centers of powerful galaxies that are more common in the distant universe. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning pictures of earlier galaxies, as far back as ten billion light-years away.
The X-Ray Sky
Title The X-Ray Sky
Explanation What if you could see X-rays [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#X-ray ]? If you could, the night sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/multiw_sky.html ] would be a strange and unfamiliar place. X-rays are about 1,000 times more energetic than visible light photons and are produced in violent and high temperature astrophysical environments. Instead of the familiar steady stars, the sky would seem to be filled with exotic binary star systems [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951226.html ] composed of white dwarfs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950910.html ], neutron stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951122.html ], and black holes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951127.html ], along with flare stars, X-ray bursters, pulsars [ http://pulsar.princeton.edu/rpr.shtml ], supernova remnants [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951203.html ] and active galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951022.html ]. This X-ray image of the entire sky was constructed with Skyview [ http://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov ], using data from the first High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO 1) [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heao1/ heao1a2_gifbrowser.html ], and plotted in a coordinate system centered on the galactic center with the north galactic pole at the top. Sources near the galactic center are seen to dominate in this false color map which shows regions of highest X-ray intensity in yellow. Astronomers' ability to observe the sky at X-ray energies will be greatly enhanced by the recently launched X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ xte/xte_1st.html ]) satellite.
In the Center of the Keyhole …
Title In the Center of the Keyhole Nebula
Explanation Stars, like people, do not always go gentle into that good night [ http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/~flowers/Thomas.htm ]. The above Keyhole Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960404.html ] results from dying star Eta Carinae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970712.html ]'s violently casting off dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961119.html ] and gas during its final centuries. Eta Carinae [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/etacar.html ] is many times more massive than our own Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960916.html ], and should eventually undergo a tremendous supernova [ http://www.gnacademy.org:8001/uu-gna/text/astro/stars/supernova.html ] explosion. Eta Carinae emits much light in colors outside the human visible range. This past week, X-ray [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#X-ray ] emission from Eta Carinae was verified by the orbiting Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/XTE.html ] to be periodic, peaking every 85.1 days [ http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/users/corcoran/eta_car/eta_car_xte.html ]. This, along with a previously hypothesized 5.52 year period [ http://www1.elsevier.nl/journals/newast/jnl/articles/S1384107697000080/ ], indicates that the dying star might be part of a multiple star system.
Evidence for Frame Dragging …
Title Evidence for Frame Dragging Black Holes
Explanation Gravity can do more than floor you. According to recent measurements [ ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1997/97-258.txt ] of a star system thought to contain a black hole [ http://wonka.physics.ncsu.edu/~blondin/Blackhole/title.html ], it can spin you too. This effect, called frame-dragging [ http://www.enews.com/magazines/discover/magtxt/9703-1.html ], is most prominent near massive, fast spinning objects. Now, a team led by W. Cui [ mailto:cui@space.mit.edu ] (MIT [ http://web.mit.edu/physics/www/physics.html ]) has used the orbiting Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/learning_center/ ] to search for it near a system thought to contain a black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970516.html ]. Cui's team claim that matter in this system gets caught up and spun around the black hole [ http://physics7.berkeley.edu/BHfaq.html ] at just the rate expected [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997ApJ%2E%2E%2E475%2E%2E%2E57B&db_key=AST&nosetcookie=1 ] from frame-dragging. Such discoveries help scientists better understand gravity [ http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/NumRelHome.html ] itself.
X-Ray Pulsar
Title X-Ray Pulsar
Explanation This dramatic artist's vision shows a city-sized neutron star [ http://astro.uchicago.edu/home/web/miller/nstar.html ] centered in a disk of hot plasma drawn from its enfeebled red companion star. Ravenously accreting material [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/dictionary.html ] from the disk, the neutron star spins faster and faster [ http://universe.gsfc.nasa.gov/videos/millisecond.html ] emitting powerful particle beams and pulses of X-rays [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/learning_center/ ASM/welcome.html ] as it rotates 400 times a second. Could such a bizarre and inhospitable star system really exist in our Universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980302.html ]? Based on data from the orbiting Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/learning_center/ ] (RXTE) satellite, research teams have recently announced a discovery [ http://universe.gsfc.nasa.gov/new/news/1998/98-129.html ] which fits this exotic scenario well - a "millisecond" X-ray pulsar. The newly detected celestial X-ray beacon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980211.html ] has the unassuming catalog designation of SAX J1808.4-3658 and is located a comforting 12,000 light years away in the constellation Sagittarius [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/ constellations/Sagittarius.html ]. Its X-ray pulses offer evidence of rapid, accretion powered [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/ cool_binary_fact.html ] rotation and provide a much sought after connection between known types of radio and X-ray pulsars [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/pulsar.htm ] and the evolution [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/pulsar_graph.htm ] and ultimate demise of binary star systems [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/features/movies/binaries.html ].
JWST Project Scientist Wins …
Title JWST Project Scientist Wins Nobel Prize for Physics
General Information What is a News Nugget? News Nuggets are bulletins from the world of astronomy. John C. Mather, a senior astrophysicist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and senior project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), has won the 2006 Nobel Physics Prize. Mather shares the prize with George F. Smoot, a professor of physics at the University of California at Berkeley, for work that helped solidify the Big Bang theory for the origin of the universe. Mather and Smoot were members of a science team that used NASA?s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite to measure the diffuse microwave background radiation, which is considered a relic of the Big Bang.
A World Explorer
Title A World Explorer
Explanation Ferdinand Magellan [ http://www.nortel.com/english/magellan/ferdinand/MagellanBio.html ] was a world explorer. Many consider him the greatest navigator of Europe's 16th century age of sea going exploration and credit his expedition with the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. NASA's Venus probe, the aptly named Magellan spacecraft [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/magellan.html ] shown above in an artist's conception, provided a global view of the poorly known surface of Venus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950822.html ] - just as Magellan's expedition provided the beginnings of a global perspective of the Earth. Ferdinand Magellan's expedition of 5 ships and 265 men left Spain in 1519 in search of a western route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. [ http://eduserv.rug.ac.be/~mbagus/ina.html ] In 1522 one ship and 17 men returned. NASA launched the Magellan probe on May 4, 1989. Placed in a polar orbit, Magellan's many circumnavigations resulted in a detailed radar mapping of 98% of the Venusian surface. [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/mgnlpsc.html ] As pictured, the radar mapper's antenna resembles a large inverted bowl. Power for the radar was produced by the wing like solar panels. In October of 1994, the Magellan probe entered the Venusian atmosphere and ground controllers lost contact [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/mgn_rip.txt ] with the spacecraft. Tomorrow's picture: Two Tails of Comet West
Explanation: The Lunar Orbit …
Title Explanation: The Lunar Orbiter 1 spacecraft [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?66-073A ] was launched in 1966 to map the lunar surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/moon.html ] in preparation for [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunartimeline.html ] the Apollo moon landings [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo.html ]. NASA's plucky robotic explorer performed its job well and pioneered this classic view of the Earth [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/lo1_h102_123.html ] poised above the lunar horizon. The first humans to directly witness a similar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951117.html ] scene were the Apollo 8 astronauts [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS08/Apollo8_fact.html]. As they orbited the Moon in December of 1968 they also recorded Earth rise in a photograph [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951225.html ] that was to become one of the most famous images in history - a moving portrait of our world from deep space.
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