The Swift mission was proposed to the 1998 medium Explorers announcement of opportunity; it was selected for Phase A study in January 1999 and for flight in October 1999. Launched in 2004, the Swift satellite is an astronomical robot that autonomously determines the position of a gamma-ray burst and slews to that position for afterglow […]
WIRE The Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) was a small satellite carrying a cryogenically cooled infrared telescope designed to study starburst galaxies—vast clouds of molecular gas cradling the sites of newborn stars. Developed under NASA’s Small Explorer Program, WIRE was intended to have a four month primary mission. WIRE was launched on a three-stage Pegasus XL […]
Small does not mean easy. James Fanson, the project manager on the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), shares a story about how small missions are more susceptible to forces beyond the project’s control. To learn more, please visit: http://appel.nasa.gov/knowledge-sharing/pi-team-masters-forums/
On April 5, 2006, an initial development test was conducted onboard a sounding rocket flight (41.068) which collected analog ground imagery during the descent portion of the rocket’s trajectory and IMU and GPS data from launch to landing. This data was then used to further develop and test Terrain-Relative Navigation (TRN) computer algorithms. The TRaiNED […]
Keith Gendreau received his PhD in astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1995, working on X-ray charge-coupled devices and the cosmic X-ray background with the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics mission. He has been at Goddard Space Flight Center since 1995 and was the calibration lead on the X-ray spectrometer instrument on […]
Using an array of telescopes, TESS would perform an all-sky survey to discover transiting exoplanets, ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, in orbit around the nearest and brightest stars in the sky. The mission’s primary goal would be to identify terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. George R. Ricker is currently director […]
The “Space Africa” Masters with Masters featured Dr. Adigun Abiodun of Nigeria, who formerly served as Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses for Outer Space, and Dr. Peter Martinez, the division head for Space Science & Technology at the South African Astronomical Observatory and chair of the South African Council for […]
In a Masters with Masters geared towards young professionals, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, European Space Agency Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, and German Aerospace Center (DLR) Chairman of the Executive Board Johann-Dietrich Wörner engaged in a conversation about today’s challenges with international cooperation, the role of strong relationships in successful collaborations, and advice to young professionals […]
ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain only had one career plan: become an astronaut. While that plan didn’t come to fruition, he’s happy with his backup job. Jean-Jacques Dordain took part in a young professionals Masters with Masters with DLR Chairman of the Executive Board Johann-Dietrich Woerner and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. The event was moderated […]
