Location
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/ Enterprise Rooms
Start Date
24-4-1990 2:00 PM
End Date
24-4-1990 5:00 PM
Description
Although astronomy has been practiced since ancient times, the universe remains veiled in mystery. Limited for centuries to observations in the visible band of the electromagnetic spectrum, the ability to place instruments in space above the filtering atmosphere has given scientists access to the Universe at virtually all wavelengths revealing intriguing objects and events. Over the past two decades, NASA has introduced increasingly sensitive telescopes into space to make observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. Each successive telescope has exploited newly developed technologies to extend the limits of sensitivity and provide greater insight into the structure of stars, galaxies, and the cosmos.
A new generation of space observatories now offers significant new gains in sensitivity through the use of state-of-the-art technologies. These observatories include: the Gamma Ray Observatory which will explore the most energetic part of the spectrum across a much greater wavelength range than its predecessors; the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility that will cover the X-ray portion of the spectrum with a hundred-fold improvement in sensitivity; the Hubble Space Telescope which will penetrate deep into the Universe in visible and ultraviolet light, observing objects with at least ten times more clarity than is now possible with ground-based optical telescope; and the Space Infrared Telescope Facility which will span the infrared part of the spectrum with a thousand-fold increase in sensitivity. These new observatories, along with supporting facilities on the ground and in space, will open the Universe to greatly increased scrutiny. While the introduction of new technologies, particularly over the last decade, has led to a dramatic increase in astronomical discoveries, the discoveries to date constitute only a fraction of the total to be made.
Paper Session I-B - The Great Observatories Program
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/ Enterprise Rooms
Although astronomy has been practiced since ancient times, the universe remains veiled in mystery. Limited for centuries to observations in the visible band of the electromagnetic spectrum, the ability to place instruments in space above the filtering atmosphere has given scientists access to the Universe at virtually all wavelengths revealing intriguing objects and events. Over the past two decades, NASA has introduced increasingly sensitive telescopes into space to make observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. Each successive telescope has exploited newly developed technologies to extend the limits of sensitivity and provide greater insight into the structure of stars, galaxies, and the cosmos.
A new generation of space observatories now offers significant new gains in sensitivity through the use of state-of-the-art technologies. These observatories include: the Gamma Ray Observatory which will explore the most energetic part of the spectrum across a much greater wavelength range than its predecessors; the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility that will cover the X-ray portion of the spectrum with a hundred-fold improvement in sensitivity; the Hubble Space Telescope which will penetrate deep into the Universe in visible and ultraviolet light, observing objects with at least ten times more clarity than is now possible with ground-based optical telescope; and the Space Infrared Telescope Facility which will span the infrared part of the spectrum with a thousand-fold increase in sensitivity. These new observatories, along with supporting facilities on the ground and in space, will open the Universe to greatly increased scrutiny. While the introduction of new technologies, particularly over the last decade, has led to a dramatic increase in astronomical discoveries, the discoveries to date constitute only a fraction of the total to be made.
Comments
Science Payloads
Session Chairman: Joe Alexander, NASA Assistant Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, NASA Headquarters
Session Organizer: Lee O’Fallon, NASA, Kennedy Space Center