What's Happening Archive for 2003

Spitzer Space Telescope Presents First Images
December 2003

On 18 December 2003, NASA announced that the Space Infrared Telescope Facility is now named the Spitzer Space Telescope, and released the first science images from the newly christened observatory.

Images and Name To Be Released December 18
December 2003

The first astronomical images from SIRTF will be presented at a NASA news conference on Thursday, December 18 at 1:00 pm (EST). The new name for SIRTF will also be announced at that time. The press conference will be televised live on NASA-TV and webcast at www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/.

Science Mission Begins
December 2003

On December 2, 2003, we celebrate the 100th day of the mission! The in-orbit checkout and science verification period has concluded and the observatory has started its science mission. The first observing program is the First-Look Survey (FLS), conducted by the SIRTF Science Center (SSC) on behalf of the astronomical community.

In-Orbit Checkout Continues
October 2003

SIRTF is in focus, and cold! Telescope performance meets or exceeds all requirements for image quality. The telescope temperature is now below 5.5 K, the design temperature and the temperature required for observations at 160 microns. Some parts of the cold telescope assembly are still cooling and will not reach steady-state for another week or two, but achievement of 5.5 K on the telescope itself is an important milestone for SIRTF.

In-Orbit Checkout Continues
September 2003

Following launch on August 25, SIRTF is performing well during the early phases of its three-month checkout period. The dust cover has been ejected, and the observatory is slowly cooling down to its operating temperature of just a few degrees above absolute zero.

SIRTF Updates
August 2003

Throughout the In-Orbit Checkout period for SIRTF, regular updates will be posted on the SIRTF Homepage. For those who wish to review older updates, an archive has been established.

SIRTF Launched
24 August 2003

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Monday, Aug. 25, at 1:35:39 a.m. EDT (Sunday, August 24, at 10:35:39 p.m. PDT).

Launch Rescheduled
August 2003

The launch of NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) has been rescheduled to no earlier than Monday, Aug. 25, at 1:35:39 a.m. EDT (August 24, at 10:35:39 p.m. PDT). Winter conditions in the southern hemisphere are bringing high wind and high seas delaying the arrival of a tracking and instrumentation ship in the Indian Ocean that is mandatory to support launch. This ship is used to receive data from the Delta second stage. The progress of the ship toward its support location is being monitored. Weather conditions are gradually forecast to improve over the next few days but the arrival time of the ship on station is tentative.

Launch Scheduled for August 23
July 2003

NASA has scheduled the SIRTF launch for August 23 at 1:37:43am (EDT) from Launch Complex 17-B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This re-scheduled date follows an April decision to postpone the launch to address concerns about solid rocket motors (SRMs) on the Delta-II Heavy launch vehicle and to permit the two Mars Exploration Rover launches to proceed. The first stage of the SIRTF launcher is being erected, with installation of the nine SRMs continuing through July 24. The second stage will be erected on about July 28. Shortly thereafter, the SIRTF Observatory will be enclosed in a fairing and installed atop the launch vehicle. The summer launch window extends through mid-September.

NASA Delays Space Infrared Telescope Facility Launch
April 2003

NASA managers have decided to postpone the launch of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket until late August 2003.
Go to NASA release

Launch Rescheduled for Late April
April 2003

The launch has been re-scheduled for no earlier than April 26. NASA has decided to use the additional week to complete internal readiness assessments.

SIRTF on the Launch Pad
April 2003

The SIRTF Observatory has been installed atop its two-stage Delta-II 7920H rocket at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SIRTF Rocket Assembly Completed for April 18 Launch
March 2003

The second stage of the SIRTF expendable launch vehicle has been hoisted and installed atop the Delta-II first stage on Launch Pad-17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Observatory will be installed after the March 31 launch of a GPS satellite from the adjoining pad. To accommodate the USAF launch, NASA has reset the SIRTF launch date for April 18.

SIRTF Arrives in Florida
March 2003

The SIRTF Observatory has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking a historic milestone in a program that was originally selected by NASA in 1984. The Observatory was shipped as part of a three-vehicle convoy from Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California. A short distance away, at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, erection of the Boeing Delta-II launch vehicle continues at Launch Complex 17B. SIRTF is scheduled for launch at 4:34:07 a.m (ET) on April 15. Launch coverage will be provided by NASA-TV, available on satellite broadcast and some cable systems. The launch will also be Webcast by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Observatory Being Packaged for Shipment
February 2003

The SIRTF Project has successfully completed an important Pre-Ship Review and the completed Observatory is being prepared for shipment to Florida in early March.

2003 SIRTF Fellowship Awards
February 2003

The SIRTF Science Center announces the selection of four new SIRTF Fellows for three-year appointments, starting with the 2003-04 academic year. These research awards were made following a peer review of 38 applications.

Michael C. Cushing (University of Hawaii 2003) intends to study the atmospheric structure and chemistry in low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. The work will be carried out at the NASA-Ames Research Center, in collaboration with Dr. Mark Marley. Research for the Ph.D. dissertation involves a near-infrared spectroscopic survey of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, and is being carried out under the direction of Dr. John Rayner. The postdoctoral work at Ames will utilize spectroscopic data from the SIRTF Dim Suns Guaranteed Time Observer program. The absorption features produced by methane (7.8 microns) and ammonia (10.7 microns) will make it possible to infer the thermal structure of dwarf atmospheres. The analysis can also detect any non-equilibrium chemistry due to vertical mixing in the atmospheres.

Dr. Sarah C. Gallagher (Pennsylvania State University 2002) will undertake a study of quasar outflows at the University of California � Los Angeles, in collaboration with Dr, Matt Malkan. The Penn State doctoral research, under the direction of Dr. Niel Brandt, was devoted to the study of x-ray observations of broad absorption line quasars (BALQs). For the past year, Dr. Gallagher has been working as a postdoctoral associate with Professor Claude Canizares at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After re-locating to UCLA, she will examine the effects of evolution and orientation on BAL outflows. The research will synthesize infrared and x-ray data from a complete and well-characterized sample of BALQs. These data, combined with archived results, will enable the measurement of quasar bolometric luminosities and SEDs, as well as the host galaxy properties. From these values, the accretion rates and host galaxy masses can be inferred for comparison with non-BALQs. The Fellowship is accompanied by 13 hours of SIRTF observing time.

Jacqueline Kessler (California Institute of Technology 2003) will study the evolution of grains and ices in low-mass stars. Upon completion of her work with Dr. Geoffrey Blake on the chemistry of proto-planetary disks, she will relocate to the University of Texas to work with Professor Neal Evans II. The research program, which includes 10 hours of SIRTF observing time, is designed to study the effects of processing of ice and dust in proto-planetary systems. Spectroscopic observations with SIRTF's Infrared Spectrograph obtained from the "Cores to Disks" Legacy Science project will be combined with new SED observations from the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF to determine the major dust and ice components throughout the star formation process. The sensitivity of SIRTF will enable observations of silicates around a variety of solar-type post-main sequence stars and ices in very young stellar objects and in edge-on disks.

Henrik Spoon (University of Groningen 2003) will conduct research on dust in ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs). His Ph.D. thesis research is dedicated to the study of dust and gas in galactic nuclei, and is being carried out under the direction of Professor A.G.G.M (Xander) Tielens. Upon moving to Cornell University to work in collaboration with Professor Jim Houck, the research will focus on the characteristics of dust in a nearby sample of ULIRGs. The goal is to understand the characteristics of dust in the star formation environments in these galactic nuclei and to use this as a tool to probe the interaction of newly formed stars with their environments. This study will also provide templates for dusty starbursts throughout the history of the Universe. The Fellowship is accompanied by 10 hours of SIRTF observing time.

Happy 20th Anniversary for IRAS!
January 2003

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was launched from California twenty years ago, on January 25, 1983. This highly successful Explorer-class mission conducted all-sky surveys of the cosmos at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths. IRAS was a collaborative endeavor between NASA, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In its brief ten-month lifetime, IRAS dramatically changed our perspective on the universe and doubled our census of all cataloged astronomical objects. Join us in celebrating IRAS by reviewing the key scientific discoveries and in viewing the major images from this path-breaking satellite.