王邦吉
流星
文章: 24
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« 回覆文章 #4 於: 2009-12-16 09:08:07 » |
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WISE Spacecraft Launches On Mission To Map Sky.
NASA's successful launch Monday of the WISE space telescope is generating significant media coverage, which focused on what the telescope could discover over its lifetime. The AP (12/14) reported, "A NASA spacecraft blasted into space early Monday on a mission to map the whole sky in search of hidden asteroids, comets and other celestial objects." The WISE spacecraft successfully launched and is now in orbit, where it will "spend a month checking out its instruments before scanning the sky for objects that give off infrared light. ... Mission managers say the craft will produce the most comprehensive map yet of the cosmos."
The Los Angeles Times (12/15, Johnson) notes the spacecraft is "not the only infrared mission in operation," but the others "target very specific regions of the sky, while WISE will look at everything, including distant galaxies. The difference is similar to the disparity between a telephoto camera lens and a wide-angle lens." It will scan the sky one and a half times over its 10 month lifespan. "WISE will spend six months mapping the whole sky. It will then begin a second scan to uncover even more objects and to look for any changes in the sky that might have occurred since the first survey," according to the Orlando Sentinel (12/14, Block) "Write Stuff" blog. The Florida Today (12/14, Halvorson) "Flame Trench" blog reported the countdown to launch was "relatively quiet." One of the goals of the mission is to develop a "vast catalogue of objects that will become targets for the James Webb Space Telescope." WISE deputy project scientist Amy Mainzer described the launch as "textbook" in the Pasadena (CA) Star News (12/15, Gallegos). "Members of the WISE mission said they expect the unexpected with this mission."
BBC News (12/15) reports WISE project manager William Irace of JPL said, "All systems are looking good." Computerworld (12/15, Gaudin) also notes NASA "reported that all has gone as planned with the mission so far." AFP (12/14, Zeitvogel) described WISE as a "new breed of satellite" which had a "flawless" launch after earlier delays. Spaceflight Now (12/14, Ray) reported the mission will "rewrite the road maps to the cosmos" with its "four state-of-the-art infrared detectors." According to the article, the "voluminous imagery from WISE will form an authoritative atlas that will be referenced for countless years to come."
The Lompoc (CA) Record (12/14), Denver Post (12/15, Schrader), Huntsville (AL) Times (12/14, Spires) "Space News" blog, Boulder County Business Report (12/14), Reuters (12/14, Gorman), CNN (12/14, Griggs), Space.com (12/14, Moskowitz), Space News (12/15, Klamper, subscription required), Scientific American (12/14, Matson) "Observations" blog, NASASpaceFlight.com (12/14, Graham), Discovery News (12/14, Klotz), and Network World (12/14, Cooney) also covered the story.
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