NASA preps GLAST for blast-off

[Rick]

NASA is making final preparations for tomorrow's lift-off of the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) atop a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Launch of the "powerful space observatory" is slated for between 15:45 and 17:40 GMT. It will "open a wide window on the universe", according to the agency, which summarises: "With a huge leap in all key capabilities, GLAST data will enable scientists to answer persistent questions across a broad range of topics, including supermassive black-hole systems, pulsars, the origin of cosmic rays, and searches for signals of new physics."

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/10/glast_launch/

[Rick]

NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) yesterday lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 16:05 GMT atop a Delta II rocket.

The 'scope is now in a circular orbit around 560km (350 miles) above Earth, with its solar panels deployed and ready to get on with its task of "monitoring the universe", the agency reports.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/12/glast_launch/

APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080613.html

[Rick]

A Nasa space telescope has launched successfully on a mission to explore the Universe with "gamma-ray glasses".

The Glast mission will shed light on some of the most violent events in the Universe, that release massive amounts of energy in the form of gamma-rays.

It will scan the sky for massive cosmic explosions, giant black holes that hurl matter across space, and dense neutron stars with powerful magnetic fields.

Glast blasted off from Florida on Wednesday atop a Delta II rocket.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7436088.stm