Credit: Carleton Bailie for United Launch Alliance
The Launch of GLAST
GLAST, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, was successfully
launched on June 11, 12:05 EDT from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta II rocket. GLAST is set to provide the clearest, most sensitive view of the Gamma-ray universe, shedding new light on mysterious sources of high energy emission: accreting black holes, merging neutron stars, exploding stars, and unknown new phenomena. The spacecraft is performing nearly flawlessly since launch. Instrument turn-on should take place in the next two weeks, and the start of science operations is expected in the middle of August.
GLAST is set to have minimum mission lifetime of 5 years, and an anticipated lifetime of 10 years. What will
GLAST discover? We can only guess.
<
HEA Dictionary ● Archive
● Search HEAPOW
● Other Languages
● HEAPOW on Facebook
● Download all Images
● Education ● HEAD
>
Each week the HEASARC
brings you new, exciting and beautiful images from X-ray and Gamma ray
astronomy. Check back each week and be sure to check out the HEAPOW archive!
Page Author: Dr. Michael F. Corcoran
Last modified Tuesday, 27-Feb-2024 10:13:24 EST