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Article: NASA launches observatory to hunt gamma ray bursts; U.S., Italy and Britain collaborate on the project
- Article from:
- Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)
- Article date:
- November 21, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The fastest-swiveling space science
observatory ever built rocketed into orbit Saturday to scan the
universe for violent celestial explosions that astronomers believe
represent the birth screams of black holes.
NASA launched the observatory - named Swift for its speedy
pivoting and pointing - following weeks of delays caused by
hurricanes and a three-day postponement due to rocket trouble. The
unmanned rocket climbed smoothly through a cloud-flecked midday sky,
and delighted flight controllers wished the spacecraft a successful
mission.
Swift, a $250 million collaboration by NASA, Italy and Britain,
should begin its hunt for gamma ray bursts by January and erase ...