Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

2008 News

Dec 19, 2008

Fermi In The News

Researchers December 8 described the first data collected from NASA's new orbiting observatory, the Fermi Gamma Ray Telescope, during the Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, held in Vancouver this year. Peter Michelson of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., shared the above map, which shows newly identified pulsars.
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Nov 14, 2008

Cycle 2 Proposal Schedule

The ROSES-08 text announcing the Cycle 2 Fermi Guest Investigator program has been amended with the final program details. The proposal due date is March 6, 2009. A Notice of Intent to propose should be submitted through the FSSC website by January 23, 2009. Proposal materials will be posted three months before the deadline.
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Oct 16, 2008

NASA'S Fermi Telescope Discovers First Gamma-Ray-Only Pulsar

About three times a second, a 10,000-year-old stellar corpse sweeps a beam of gamma-rays toward Earth. Discovered by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the object, called a pulsar, is the first one known that only "blinks" in gamma rays.
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Sep 18, 2008

Fermi/GBM Data Now Available

The Fermi/GBM burst catalog, burst data products and daily data products are now available. All data can be accessed through the Fermi-specific Browse interface, while the data products can also be downloaded from an FTP site. Tools and documentation for the analysis of the data products are also available. Please note the caveats.
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Sep 11, 2008

LAT Monitored Source List Released

The flux histories of scientifically interesting sources the LAT team is monitoring are now available through the HEASARC's Browse interface.
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Aug 26, 2008

GLAST renamed Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

At a press teleconference today the GLAST mission was renamed the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in honor of Enrico Fermi, one of the leading physicists of the 20th century. In addition, 'first light' images of the sky were released.
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» First Light Press Conference Transcript (PDF)
» First Light Press Conference Transcript (Word)

Aug 14, 2008

Cycle 1 Begins

Cycle 1 of the GLAST GI program began on Thursday, August 14. Abstracts of the successful GI proposals are posted here.
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Aug 8, 2008

Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The GLAST Fellows Program has been merged with other NASA Astrophysics Division Fellows programs into the Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowship Program that will provide opportunities for postdoctoral research on problems that are broadly related to the scientific goals of the NASA Physics of the Cosmos program as addressed by any of the missions of this program. The deadline for this program is November 7, 2008.
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Jul 31, 2008

See Where GLAST is Flying in Orbit On-Line

As the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) rocketed gloriously from the launch pad on June 11, it faded into the blue sky and out of sight. But GLAST isn't totally out of view: you can still see it soaring overhead. To see where GLAST is around the globe, go to: GLAST Sky Viewing
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Jul 28, 2008

NASA's GLAST Burst Monitor Team Hard at Work Fine-Tuning Instrument and Operations

While only on orbit for 40 days and still in the process of a two-month checkout, NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) has already detected 12 powerful gamma-ray bursts, an encouraging harbinger of good things to come for this mission. The gamma-ray bursts were detected by the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM), one of two instruments on the spacecraft.
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Jul 2, 2008

GLAST Mission Operations at NASA Goddard Powered Up

Several bases of operations for NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) are gearing up for data from the recently launched satellite.
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Jun 30, 2008

SLAC Receiving GLAST Data

Now that the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is up in space, where does the data go? As of last week, it started flowing to SLAC's GLAST Instrument Science Operations Center (ISOC) via a link from the satellite to a ground station and a mission operations center at NASA Goddard, Greenbelt, Md. At SLAC, the data is being monitored, processed and distributed to the rest of the science team worldwide.
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Jun 27, 2008

NASA GLAST Burst Monitor Powers Up Successfully

NASA's GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) Instrument Operations Center in Huntsville, Ala., the focal point for observing gamma ray bursts, was alive with energy as scientists gathered to witness instrument activation the evening of June 25. The GBM team linked in with GLAST mission operations at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., by teleconference and studied a big screen projecting spacecraft information live.
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Jun 12, 2008

GLAST Safely in Orbit, Getting Check-ups

Less than a week after launch, NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is safely up-and-running well in orbit approximately 350 miles (565 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
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Jun 11, 2008

NASA's GLAST Launch Successful

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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Jun 10, 2008

GLAST is Ready to Go!

In a final meeting of scientists, engineers, technicians and officials, NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) received the final "Ready to Go!" from all teams. GLAST is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance's Delta II Heavy rocket with a launch window from 11:45 a.m. - 1:40 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 11.
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Jun 5, 2008

NASA Targets GLAST Launch For No Earlier Than June 11

NASA has set June 11 as the new no-earlier-than target launch date for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. EDT.
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Jun 2, 2008

NASA Targets GLAST Launch For June 7

NASA has set June 7 as the new target launch date for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. EDT and remains unchanged through Aug. 7.
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May 30, 2008

Excitement Builds as GLAST Readies Its Gamma-ray Vision!

Scientists around the world are excited about all the things that the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is going to uncover after it launches on June 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
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May 30, 2008

NASA Targets GLAST Launch For June 5

The launch of NASA's GLAST spacecraft aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Thursday, June 5. The launch window extends from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. EDT and remains unchanged through Aug. 7.
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May 29, 2008

UCSC Physicists Eagerly Await Launch Of NASA Space Telescope They Helped Build

When NASA launches its newest space observatory, physicists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will be watching as the product of nearly 16 years of hard work blasts into orbit. The UCSC team led an international effort to design a massive detector system for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral on June 3.
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May 23, 2008

GLAST Launch

The latest information on GLAST's launch can be found here. Do not miss the image gallery!

May 22, 2008

NASA'S GLAST Space Telescope to Launch Aboard Delta II on June 3

Launch of NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is targeted for Tuesday, June 3, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window extends from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. EDT and remains unchanged through Aug. 7. The June 3 launch date is dependent on space shuttle Discovery's May 31 liftoff, and will move if the shuttle launch is delayed.
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May 20, 2008

New "Particle Detector" Space Telescope to Launch

The next major space observatory, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), is about to begin unveiling the mysteries of the high-energy universe. Scheduled to launch this June, GLAST will study the most energetic particles of light, observing physical processes far beyond the capabilities of earthbound laboratories.
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May 20, 2008

NASA to Hold GLAST Pre-Launch News Briefing

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center will hold a teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 27, for a science and mission status briefing on NASA's upcoming Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission. Reporters should contact Robert Naeye at 301-286-4453 by noon on May 27, for dial-in information.
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May 13 , 2008

NASA's GLAST Gets Shades, Blankets for the Beach

NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is receiving finishing touches at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, near the beaches of eastern central Florida for its launch. The spacecraft is set for launch aboard a Delta II rocket no earlier than June 3. The launch window runs from 11:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. EDT.
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Apr 21, 2008

Powerful Antenna Attached to NASA's GLAST Satellite

The powerful antenna system that will enable NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) to communicate with stations on Earth has been successfully connected to the spacecraft in the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
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Apr 14, 2008

Delta II Rocket Coming Together for NASA's GLAST Satellite Launch

The Delta II 7920-H, or "Heavy," rocket that will launch NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) satellite is in the process of being assembled on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
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Apr 9, 2008

NASA Opens the GLAST Burst Monitor Instrument Operations Center

Today, NASA opens the Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) Burst Monitor Instrument Operations Center, the focal point for observing gamma ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.
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Apr 7, 2008

NASA Selects Three Research Fellows for GLAST Mission

After a nationwide search for junior science researchers on NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) mission, three people have been chosen for these prestigious post-doctoral positions.
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Apr 1, 2008

International Media Accreditation Required Early for GLAST Launch

The launch of NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. EDT on May 16 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. To meet Air Force requirements, international media must submit accreditation requests for the GLAST launch before April 14.
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Mar 26, 2008

GLAST Has Eyes for Gamma Rays

Deciphering the genetic code of the universe is no easy task. Yet that's just what the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope's Large Area Telescope (LAT) seeks to accomplish. Integrated at SLAC in 2005 and 2006 from hardware fabricated at laboratories all around the world, the LAT will use its 880,000 silicon strips to detect high-energy gamma rays with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity, filling in gaps in understanding left by previous missions and pushing new boundaries in particle physics and astrophysics.
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Mar 10, 2008

Smooth Operators

Anyone walking by the LAT (Large Area Telescope) Instrument Science Operations Center (ISOC) Mission Support Room at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), Menlo Park, Calif., last week may have deduced that the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) launched prematurely.
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Mar 4, 2008

GLAST Spacecraft Arrives in Florida to Prepare for Launch

NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, arrived Tuesday at the Astrotech payload processing facility near the Kennedy Space Center to begin final preparations for launch. Liftoff of GLAST aboard a Delta II rocket is currently targeted for 11:45 a.m. EDT on May 16.
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Feb 13, 2008

GLAST's Delta II Rocket's First Stage Arrives in Cape Canaveral

The first stage of the Delta II rocket that will be used to launch the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) into space in May has arrived at Hangar M on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. It joins the second stage, which is already at CCAFS.
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Feb 7, 2008

NASA Calls for Suggestions to Re-Name Future Telescope Mission

NASA announced Thursday that members of the general public from around the world will have a chance to suggest a new name for the cutting edge Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, otherwise known as GLAST, observatory before it launches in mid-2008. The satellite will observe some of the most powerful forces known in the universe.
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Jan 30, 2008

Abstracts of Tentatively Accepted Cycle 1 Proposals

To assist investigators preparing proposals for other programs, the abstracts of proposals that have been tentatively accepted is provided. These proposals were selected for scientific merit after the Phase 1 review, but must still undergo the Phase 2 budget review.
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Jan 25, 2008

GI Program's Phase 1 Results Notification

The principal investigators (PIs) of the Cycle 1 proposals were notified today of the results of the Phase 1 review. The PIs were either invited to submit a Phase 2 budget or were informed that their proposals were rejected. The program was over-subscribed by a factor of ~4, and therefore unfortunately many very good proposals cannot be accepted.
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Jan 18, 2008

GLAST-Relevant Observation Report Webform

Observers are invited to report planned observations that are relevant to GLAST on this webform. If desired, this information can be kept proprietary. After launch, the GLAST mission will consider these multiwavelength observations in planning GLAST's observing timeline.