News and Events from 2006
September 20, 2006
‘Extreme Physics’ Observatory Ready For Final Assembly
The primary instrument for NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) arrived at General Dynamics, Scottsdale, Ariz., on September 18 for mounting onto the spacecraft.
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September 14, 2006
LAT Environmental Tests Completed Successfully
The environmental tests of the LAT at the Naval Research Laboratory were completed successfully, and the instrument was placed on the shipping container base (see the linked photograph). The pre-ship review will be held on Friday, and on Saturday the LAT will leave for Gilbert, AZ, where it will be integrated onto the spacecraft at the General Dynamics/Spectrum Astro Space Systems facility.
All 12 of the GBM's NaI detectors have been integrated onto the spacecraft, and the two BGO are being integrated.
August 7, 2006
NASA's GLAST Burst Monitor Set for Spacecraft Integration, One Step Closer to Tracking Most Powerful Explosions in Universe
NASA scientists and engineers have completed final testing and integration of the GLAST Burst Monitor, a space-based instrument for studying gamma ray bursts.
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July 28, 2006
Where's the GLAST now?
The GLAST Burst Monitor left Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., on July 24 and arrived safely at General Dynamics near Phoenix on July 27. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) has completed three of the four environmental tests --- vibration testing, electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing and acoustics testing --- at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. On July 28 the LAT entered the vacuum chamber for an approximately 40-day thermal vacuum test.
After this suite of environmental testing at NRL, the LAT ships to General Dynamics for assembly onto the spacecraft. Integration onto the spacecraft is scheduled for autumn 2006, approximately one year prior to launch.
July 26, 2006
NASA Scientists Conduct Census of Nearby Hidden Black Holes
Scientists on a quest to find hidden black holes in the local universe have found surprisingly few.
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June 19, 2006
Where's the GLAST now?
The GLAST Large Area Telescope (LAT) has completed vibration testing at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. It entered electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing in early June, and this will last about two weeks. After that, there's an acoustics test and the 40-day thermal vacuum test.
After this suite of environmental testing at NRL, the LAT ships to General Dynamics (formerly Spectrum Astro) outside of Phoenix for assembly onto the spacecraft. Integration onto the spacecraft is scheduled for autumn 2006, approximately one year prior to launch.
The GLAST Burst Monitor is at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The GBM will have its pre-shipment review.
May 17, 2006
‘Extreme Physics’ Observatory Prepares for Flight
Scientists and engineers have completed assembly of the primary instrument for the Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope, or GLAST, a breakthrough orbiting observatory scheduled to launch from NASA Kennedy Space Center in the fall of 2007.
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