[FPSPACE] FW: NASA'S GLAST LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL

[LARRY KLAES]

>From: "Campion, Edward S. (GSFC-130.0)" <edward.s.campion at nasa.gov>
>Reply-To: "Campion, Edward S. (GSFC-130.0)" <edward.s.campion at nasa.gov>
>To: <gsfc_news at listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
>Subject: NASA'S GLAST LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL
>Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:56:30 -0500
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>J.D. Harrington
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>Headquarters, Washington
>June 11, 2008
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>202-358-5241
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>j.d.harrington at nasa.gov
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>Rob Gutro
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>Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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>301-286-4044/443-858-1779
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>robert.j.gutro at nasa.gov
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>George Diller
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>Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
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>321-861-7643
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>george.h.diller at nasa.gov
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>Lynn Cominsky
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>Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif.
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>707-695-7140
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>lynnc at universe.sonoma.edu
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>RELEASE: 08-62
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>NASA'S GLAST LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL
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>CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. -- NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area
>Space Telescope, or GLAST, successfully launched aboard a Delta II
>rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 12:05 p.m.
>EDT today.
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>The GLAST observatory separated from the second stage of the Delta II at
>1:20 p.m. and the flight computer immediately began powering up the
>components necessary to control the satellite. Twelve minutes after
>separating from the launch vehicle, both GLAST solar arrays were
>deployed. The arrays immediately began producing the power necessary to
>maintain the satellite and instruments. The operations team continues to
>check out the spacecraft subsystems.
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>"The entire GLAST Team is elated the observatory is now on-orbit and all
>systems continue to operate as planned," said GLAST program manager
>Kevin Grady of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
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>After a 75-minute flight, the GLAST spacecraft was deployed into low
>Earth orbit. It will begin to transmit initial instrument data after
>about three weeks. The telescope will explore the most extreme
>environments in the universe, searching for signs of new laws of physics
>and investigating what composes mysterious dark matter. It will seek
>explanations for how black holes accelerate immense jets of material to
>nearly light speed, and look for clues to crack the mysteries behind
>powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts.
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>"After a 60-day checkout and initial calibration period, we'll begin
>science operations," said Steve Ritz, GLAST project scientist at
>Goddard. "GLAST soon will be telling scientists about many new objects
>to study, and this information will be available on the internet for the
>world to see."
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>NASA's GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics
>partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of
>Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions
>and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.
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>For more information about the GLAST mission, please visit:
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>http://www.nasa.gov/glast
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>For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
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>http://www.nasa.gov
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>-end-
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