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Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper
Explanation:
Streaking skyward, a
Boeing Delta 2-Heavy rocket carries NASA's
Space InfraRed
Telescope Facility (SIRTF) aloft during
the early morning hours of August 25th.
The dramatic scene was recorded in a time exposure from the pier
in Jetty Park at the northern end of Cocoa Beach, Florida,
about 2.5 miles from the Cape Canaveral launch site.
SIRTF (sounds like "sir tiff") will explore the distant
Universe in infrared light
as the fourth and final
satellite observatory in NASA's
Great Observatories Program.
The three other large astrophysics satellites were designed
for higher energies in the electromagnetic spectrum, with the
Hubble Space Telescope
operating near visible wavelengths, the
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory
instruments sensitive to gamma rays, and the
Chandra Observatory
detecting cosmic x-rays.
SIRTF has been launched into an
Earth-trailing
solar orbit to reduce its exposure to infrared radiation from
our fair planet.
Cooled by an on board supply of
liquid helium,
SIRTF's infrared detectors will operate at near absolute zero
temperatures.
Presently, SIRTF's systems are undergoing a 90-day check out.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: SIRTF - rocket - launch - infrared - great observatories
Publications with words: SIRTF - rocket - launch - infrared - great observatories
See also: