Penn State science writer Barbara Kennedy was at Cape Canaveral with John Nousek and other Penn State scientists for the launch of the Swift gamma-ray-burst observatory. This is a series of reports she has sent from the site about the launch.
Dispatch #1 : Tuesday, 16 November 2004Dispatch #2: Wednesday, 17 November 2004Dispatch #3: Thursday,18 November 2004Dispatch #4: Friday, 19 November 2004sDispatch #5: Saturday, 20 November 2004
Reports from the Mission Operations Center
Penn State science writer Dana Bauer was at the
Mission Operations Center for the launch of the Swift satellite, and has
sent this report:
Dispatch #1: Saturday, 20 November 2004
To view an informational video about the Swift mission, click here.
Media Relations for the SWIFT Mission Operations Center Office of College Public Information Penn State Eberly College of Science 520 Thomas Building (814) 863-4682 (814) 863-8453 (814) 865-1390 |
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About the Swift Mission Operations Center The Swift Mission Operations Center (MOC), located at Penn State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, is responsible for operating and controlling the satellite and for receiving and distributing data from Swift about gamma-ray bursts. MOC scientists also are responsible for planning Swift observations, for commanding and uploading software to the satellite, for verifying the health and safety of the satellite and its instruments, and for quickly reviewing the gamma-ray-burst data as it arrives. The MOC receives almost all of Swift's data--in the range of six thousand million bytes per day--via a transmission station in Kenya maintained by the Italian Space Agency. A small portion of Swift's data--about fifty thousand bytes per day--is delivered via TDRSS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System) simultaneously to the MOC at Penn State and to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, which shares the data with astronomers worldwide through Swift's gamma-ray-burst coordinates network (GCN).
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"Catching Gamma-Ray Bursts on the Fly" is Video Available for Reporters
A limited number of copies of the 58-minute Swift Resource Tape, "Catching Gammy-Ray Bursts on the Fly," are available in Beta format for reporters. To request a copy, contact Kristen Devlin (email: krd111@psu.edu, (814) 863-8453), or Leta Krumrine (email: LAK15@psu.edu, (814) 865-1390.)
Additional copies of the videotape (No. G04-A046, "Catching Gamma Ray Bursts on the Fly") are available for purchase by contacting:
Carol Paik
Interface Media Group
1233 20th St.,
NW
Washington, DC, 20036
(202) 861-0500
Digital video clips of John Nousek, Mission Operations Director and professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, discussing various aspects of the Swift mission are available on-line by clicking here.
Eberly College of Science, Office of Public Information, 520 Thomas Building, University Park, PA 16802-2112
This page was last updated on 2 December 2004
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