With New Name, NASA-Led Observatory Begins Scanning the Skies

摘要

NASA's newest astronomical observatory, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, recently completed on-orbit commissioning and has been renamed to honor Italian scientist Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), a pioneer of high-energy physics. NASA made the announcement Aug. 26 as part of an update on the $690 million Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which was launched June 11 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Delta 2 rocket. Fermi recently completed its checkout and calibration period and has officially begun its five-year mission to continuously scan the sky and investigate any detected gamma-ray bursts. So far, Fermi has not seen any.