Swift Observatory Set to Launch as SSU Group Tells the Story
and Science Behind the Biggest Explosions in the Universe
tell the stories of the biggest explosions in the Universe. At least once
a day, somewhere in the sky, something goes "bang" releasing huge floods
of gamma rays,and signaling the birth of a black hole.
Explaining all this to students, teachers and the public is the mission
of a small staff in the NASA building at Sonoma State University who will
watch with rapt attention on Nov. 17 as the Swift Observatory goes into
space, following its launch from Cape Canaveral.
Swift has been designed to scan the sky for powerful explosions called
gamma-ray bursts. SSU Physics and astronomy professor Lynn Cominsky and
her NASA Educational and Public Outreach Group have spent years developing
many curricular materials that use Swift science to get kids excited by
science and math.
"Kids just love explosions, and these are the biggest ones in the Universe.
We can use gamma-ray bursts to teach students about matter that turns
into energy, just like in Einstein's famous equation (E=mc^2). And each
explosion is the birth announcement of a black hole - another mystery
that really intrigues the public" says Cominsky.
The Swift mission is unlike any other that has been previously launched
by NASA. After first detecting a burst of gamma rays using its largest
telescope, the spacecraft "swiftly" turns to focus two smaller telescopes
that view the cooling embers of the explosion in visible, ultraviolet
and x-ray light.
Each explosion releases more energy in one second than the Sun emits in
its entire lifetime.
Researchers hope the Swift mission will identify the trigger that sets
off the bursts. The spacecraft is named for its ability to swiftly home
in on these bursts, in less than about a minute, sending their locations
down to the ground in another minute or two.
Once the bursts are located, a huge team of astronomers joins the hunt,
studying each burst using ground based visible light and radio telescopes.
One of these telescopes is the new robotic facility that the SSU group
has built in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences at their
Pepperwood Preserve, northeast of Santa Rosa.
This SSU-operated telescope is part of a network that spans the world.
Swift will be sending signals to the SSU telescope and SSU astronomers and physicists will be able to zero in on
some gamma-ray bursts after Swift tells them where to look.
Cominsky's team has developed a wealth of information in order to educate
schoolchildren and the public about what exactly the Swift Mission is
set to accomplish.
Her staff includes: Dr. Phil Plait, Education Resource Director; Sarah
Silva, Program Manager; Aurore Simonnet, Scientific Illustrator; and Tim
Graves, Information Technology Consultant. Six SSU undergraduate physics
majors also work in Cominsky's group.
The Swift spacecraft will be launched during a one-hour window that begins
at 12:09 p.m. EST on Nov. 17 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, weather permitting.
Launch attempts will occur on subsequent days at the same time if Swift
does not get off the ground on its first try.
For more information on the work of SSU's NASA Educational and Public
Outreach Group, visit http://epo.sonoma.edu. For information on the Swift
education program, visit http://swift.sonoma.edu.
NOTE TO MEDIA: Digital artwork by scientific illustrator Aurore
Simmonet is available for downloading from the Swift web site.
Professor Cominksy is deputy press officer for the American Astronomical
Association and is available for interviews prior to the launch. Please contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator,
(707) 664-2057 for contact information.
At top, is a scientific illustration by Aurore Simonnet of merging neutron
stars, one of the theoretical progenitors of gamma-ray bursts.
Above right, SSU physics professor Lynn Cominsky and the model of the
Swift observatory. (Photo by Dakota Decker).