Glast Science Writer's Guide
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National Aeronautics Space Administration GLAST SCIENCE WRITER’S GUIDE “Exploring the Extreme Universe” Credit: NASA E/PO, Sonoma State University, Aurore Simonnet A guide for reporters to understand the mission and purpose of the GAMMA-RAY LARGE AREA SPACE TELESCOPE (GLAST) A NASA mission in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and many domestic and international partners www.nasa.gov February 2008 NASA NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Mission Directorate NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is a powerful GLAST space observatory that will: (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope) 1. Explore the most extreme environments in the Universe, where nature SCIENCE WRITER’S GUIDE harnesses energies far beyond anything possible on Earth. 2. Search for signs of new laws of physics and what composes the mysterious Dark Matter. 3. Explain how black holes accelerate immense jets of material to nearly light speed. Table of Contents 4. Help crack the mysteries of the stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. Page Topic 5. Answer long-standing questions across a broad range of topics, including solar flares, pulsars, and the origin of cosmic rays. 4 ...................... QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Black hole-powered jet 5 ...................... GLAST KEY SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES of electrons and other 5 ...................... Q&A ON THE GLAST MISSION subatomic particles stream from the center of Galaxy M87 5 .................................. Mission Facts/Science Credit: NASA and The Hubble 7 .................................. Instruments Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) 8 .................................. Launch/Data 10 ................................ Partners 13 .................... HISTORY OF COSMIC DISCOVERY: OPENING NEW WINDOWS 15 .................... A TIMELINE OF GAMMA-RAY ASTRONOMY 17-31 ............... FEATURES: WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WILL GLAST STUDY? 17-18 ........................... FEATURE 1: ..Blazars and Active Galaxies 19-20 ........................... FEATURE 2: ..Gamma-ray Bursts TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE CREDITS GLAST, NASA’s new gamma-ray 21-22 ........................... FEATURE 3: ..Neutron Stars Lead Editors/Layout: observatory, will open a wide 23 ................................ FEATURE 4: ..Cosmic Rays and Supernova Remnants Lynn Cominsky, Sonoma State University, Calif. window on the universe. Gamma 24 ................................ FEATURE 5: ..Milky Way Galaxy Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center rays are the highest-energy form (GSFC) of light and the gamma-ray sky 24-25 ........................... FEATURE 6: ..The Gamma-ray Background Robert Naeye, NASA GSFC is spectacularly different from 25-26 ........................... FEATURE 7: ..The Early Universe Layout Designer: Ruth Jennings, NASA GSFC the one we perceive with our 25-26 ........................... FEATURE 8: ..Solar System: Sun, Moon, and Earth own eyes. With a huge leap in 28-29 ........................... FEATURE 9: ..Dark Matter Contributing Authors and Editors: all key capabilities, GLAST data J.D. (Dan) Blackwood, NASA Headquarters (HQ) will enable scientists to answer 29-30 ........................... FEATURE 10: Testing Fundamental Physics Neil Calder, U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), Stanford persistent questions across a 25-26 ........................... FEATURE 11: . Unidentified Sources and the Unknown Linear Accelerator Center broad range of topics, including 32 .................... GLAST LAUNCH AND OPERATION QUICK FACTS Neil Gehrels, NASA GSFC supermassive black-hole systems, Kevin Grady, NASA GSFC pulsars, the origin of cosmic rays, 33 .................... GLAST INSTRUMENTS Mike Greenwood, General Dynamics, AIS and searches for signals of 37 ................... GLAST WEB SITES new physics. F. Rick Harnden, Jr., NASA HQ 38 .................... ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM BASICS Grey Hautaluoma, NASA HQ 39 .................... EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH PRODUCTS Julie McEnery, NASA GSFC NASA’s GLAST mission is Charles “Chip” Meegan, Marshall Space Flight an astrophysics and particle 41 .................... GLAST SCIENCE GLOSSARY Center physics partnership, developed 46 .................... GLAST-RELATED ACRONYMS Peter Michelson, Stanford University in collaboration with the U.S. Steve Ritz, NASA GSFC Department of Energy, along Mark Seidleck, NASA GSFC with important contributions David Thompson, NASA GSFC from academic institutions and Kathy Turner, U.S. DOE partners in France, Germany, Italy, Marcus Woo, Freelance Science Writer Japan, Sweden, and the U.S. 2 3 NASA NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Mission Directorate GLAST QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE GLAST KEY SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES SCIENTIFIC GLAST PROJECT GLAST LARGE AREA GLAST BURST NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is a powerful SCIENTIST: TELESCOPE (LAT) MONITOR (GBM) space observatory that will: Steve Ritz PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Peter Michelson Charles “Chip” Meegan 1. Explore the most extreme environments in the Universe, where nature [email protected] Stanford University NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Tel. 301-286-0941 [email protected] [email protected] harnesses energies far beyond anything possible on Earth. Tel. 650-723-3004 Tel. 256-961-7694 2. Search for signs of new laws of physics and what composes the mysterious Dark Matter. GLAST DEPUTY GLAST DEPUTY GLAST DEPUTY 3. Explain how black holes accelerate immense jets of material to nearly light PROJECT SCIENTIST: PROJECT SCIENTIST: PROJECT SCIENTIST: speed. Neil Gehrels Julie McEnery David Thompson 4. Help crack the mysteries of the stupendously powerful explosions known as NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] gamma-ray bursts. Tel. 301-286-6546 Tel. 301-286-1632 Tel. 301-286-8168 5. Answer long-standing questions across a broad range of topics, including solar flares, pulsars, and the origin of cosmic rays. GLAST RELATED PUBLICATIONS • GLAST Brochure: http://glast.sonoma.edu/resources/brochure/glastbroch04.pdf Q&A ON THE GLAST MISSION • GLAST Fact Sheets: http://glast.gsfc.nasa.gov/public/resources/pubs/factsheet/Sci_Fact_Sheet.pdf • http://www.fisica.uniud.it/~glast/docs/a06518glastfa1.pdf MISSION FACTS / SCIENCE: WHAT DOES “GLAST” STAND FOR? Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GLAST MISSION? NASA Headquarters Goddard Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center The Universe is home to numerous exotic and beautiful phenomena, some of which can J.D. Harrington Rob Gutro Jennifer Morcone generate inconceivable amounts of energy. GLAST will open this high-energy world. 202-358-5241 301-286-4044 256-544-7199 Astronomers will have a superior tool to study how black holes, notorious for pulling matter [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] in, can accelerate jets of gas outward at fantastic speeds. Physicists will be able to search for signals of new fundamental processes that are inaccessible in ground-based accelerators and NASA-TV Sonoma State University U.S. Dept. of Energy, SLAC observatories. Deanna Kekesi Lynn Cominsky Kelen Tuttle Television Producer GLAST Press Officer 650-926-2585 301-286-0041 707-664-2655 [email protected] WHAT ARE GLAST’S MAIN MISSION OBJECTIVES? [email protected] [email protected] • To understand the mechanisms of particle acceleration in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), neutron stars, and supernova remnants (SNRs). • Resolve the gamma-ray sky: characterize unidentified sources and diffuse emission. Stanford University U.S. Dept of Energy Goddard Space Flight Center Dan Stober, Science Writer Peter Lincoln Robert Naeye • Determine the high-energy behavior of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and variable sources. Standford News Service 202-586-9010 301-286-4453 • Probe dark matter and the early Universe. 650-721-6965 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WILL GLAST STUDY? (See Features section of this guide) 1. Blazars and Active Galaxies GLAST RELATED WEB SITES 2. Gamma-ray Bursts MAIN NASA GLAST WEB SITE: http://www.nasa.gov/glast 3. Neutron Stars NASA GLAST MISSION WEB SITE: http://glast.gsfc.nasa.gov 4. Cosmic Rays and Supernova Remnants EDUCATION WEB SITE SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY: http://glast.sonoma.edu 5. Milky Way Galaxy GLAST Multimedia Gallery: http://glast.sonoma.edu/resources 6. The Gamma-ray Background 7. The Early Universe 8. Solar System: Sun, Moon, and Earth MAIN GLAST INSTRUMENT WEB SITES: Q & A 9. Dark Matter LAT instrument at Stanford University: http://glast.stanford.edu/ 10. Testing Fundamental Physics GBM instrument at Marshall Space Flight Center: http://www.batse.msfc.nasa.gov/gbm/ 11. Unidentified Sources and the Unknown GLAST is NASA’s next-generation mission designed to explore the WHAT'S NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY ABOUT THIS MISSION? most energetic phenomena in our Universe. GLAST is the first imaging gamma-ray observatory to survey the entire sky every day and with high sensitivity. It will give scientists a unique opportunity to learn about the ever-changing QUICK REFERENCE 4 5 NASA NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Mission Directorate Universe at extreme energies. GLAST will detect thousands of gamma-ray sources, most of GLAST WILL STUDY THE ORIGIN OF COSMIC RAYS. HOW DO COSMIC RAYS AFFECT which will be supermassive black holes in