I have just learned that the launch of the NASA/DOE Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope has been moved back a bit, to January 31, 2008. Prior to this, the launch was scheduled for December 14. Delays like this are fairly typical given how hard it is to get spacecraft hardware put together. Mission planners know there will be issues, but since they don’t know what the issues will be exactly, they can’t make an accurate schedule too far in advance. So as launch approaches, delays are inevitable.
I’ll be glad to see this one go up. I worked on the education and public outreach for GLAST for six years, and I know it’ll do amazing science.
June 15th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
I’m sorry to hear of the delay, but it will give me a few more weeks of potential sleep - Swift is waking me up several times a week as it is. With GLAST and EXIST coming up, I’m never getting another night’s sleep!
June 15th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
So the big four of LHC, GLAST, Planck, and Herschel have all been moved back from 2007 to 2008. What a group.
June 16th, 2007 at 5:30 am
The information about NRO L-30 really or just cover story?
June 16th, 2007 at 6:22 am
[…] De NASA begint echt op onze vaderlandsche NS te lijken, want de lancering van de gammasatelliet GLAST is uitgesteld van 14 december 2007 naar 31 januari 2008. De GLAST, afkorting van de Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, heeft bij sterrenkundigen hoge verwachtingen. Ik heb hier meerdere malen over de satelliet geschreven en één van de thema’s waar men hoopt dat de GLAST uitsluitsel zal geven is de Loop Quantum Gravitatie (LQG). Ik heb zojuist boodschappen gedaan, dus veel zin om even uit te leggen wat die LQG precies inhoudt heb ik niet, maar de link (naar een eerdere blog) geeft de nodige info. Wat ik wel kwijt wil is dat de dag dat Koningin Beatrix jarig is een satelliet de ruimte in gaat die het nodige vuurwerk gaat opleveren. Hou ‘m in de gaten! Bron: Bad Astronomy Blog. […]
June 18th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
[…] Bad Astronomy has an update on the upcoming GLAST launch. […]