J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-5241
j.d.harrington@nasa.gov
Lawren Markle
California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, Calif.
626-395-3226
lmarkle@caltech.edu
WASHINGTON -- NASA is lending the Galaxy
Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
in Pasadena, where the spacecraft will continue its exploration of the cosmos.
In a first-of-a-kind move for NASA, a Space Act Agreement was signed May 14 so
the university soon can resume spacecraft operations and data management for
the mission using private funds.
"NASA sees this as an opportunity
to allow the public to continue reaping the benefits from this space asset that
NASA developed using federal funding," said Paul Hertz, NASA's
Astrophysics Division director at the agency's headquarters in Washington.
"This is an excellent example of a public/private partnership that will
help further astronomy in the United States."
The Galaxy Evolution Explorer spent
about nine years as a NASA mission, probing the sky with its sharp ultraviolet
eyes and cataloguing hundreds of millions of galaxies spanning 10 billion years
of cosmic time.
"This mission was full of
surprises, and now more surprises are sure to come," said Chris Martin,
who will remain the mission's principal investigator at Caltech. "It
already has scanned a large fraction of the sky, improving our understanding of
how galaxies grow and evolve. The astronomy community will continue those
studies, in addition to spending more time on stars closer to home in our own
galaxy."
The spacecraft was placed in standby
mode on Feb. 7 of this year. Soon, Caltech will begin to manage and operate the
satellite, working with several international research groups to continue
ultraviolet studies of the universe. Projects include cataloguing more galaxies
across the entire sky; watching how stars and galaxies change over time; and
making deep observations of the stars being surveyed for orbiting planets by
NASA's Kepler mission. Data will continue to be made available to the public.
"We're thrilled that the mission
will continue on its path of discovery," said Kerry Erickson, the
mission's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in
Pasadena, Calif. "The Galaxy Evolution Explorer is like the 'little engine
that could,' forging ahead into unexplored territory."
During its time at NASA, the Galaxy
Evolution Explorer made many discoveries involving various types of objects
that light up our sky with ultraviolet light. Perhaps the most surprising of
these was the discovery of a gargantuan comet-like tail behind a speeding star
called Mira. Other finds included catching black holes "red-handed"
as they munch away on stars, spying giant rings of new stars around old,
presumed dead galaxies, and independently confirming the nature of dark energy.
For astronomers, the most profound shift
in their understanding of galaxy evolution came from the mission's findings
about a "missing link" population of galaxies. These missing members
helped explain how the two major types of galaxies in our universe -- the "red
and dead" ellipticals and the blue spirals -- transition from one type to
another.
"We were able to trace the life of
a galaxy," Martin said. "With the Galaxy Evolution Explorer's
ultraviolet detectors, we were able to isolate the small amounts of star
formation that are the signatures of galaxies undergoing an evolutionary
change. We found that galaxies don't have a single personality, but may change
types many times over their lifetime."
The mission also captured a dazzling
collection of snapshots, showing everything from ghostly nebulas to a spiral
galaxy with huge, spidery arms. A slideshow showing some of the top images can
be seen here http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/galex/gallery-index.html.
Under the new agreement, NASA maintains
ownership and liability for the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft. When
Caltech completes science activities, it will decommission the spacecraft for
NASA. The mission's batteries and solar panels have an expected lifetime of 12
years or more, and the spacecraft will remain in orbit for at least 66 years,
after which it will burn-up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The
agreement can be renegotiated when it expires in three years.
Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles,
Va., which built the spacecraft, will continue performing flight control
functions for Caltech associated with monitoring and commanding GALEX and
participating in mission planning. Universal Space Network will continue
providing the ground stations for communicating with the spacecraft.
For graphics and additional information
about the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, visit http://www.nasa.gov/galex.
- end -
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment