NASA: Latest Space Telescope Almost Ready

[Khephra]

NASA: Latest Space Telescope Almost Ready
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: October 13, 2003


Filed at 8:41 p.m. ET

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- NASA said Monday it has successfully focused a $1.2 billion telescope that was recently launched into space with the goal of viewing faraway celestial objects and the formation of distant solar systems.

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility should begin its science work in about six weeks following a series of delicate adjustments that were made to its secondary mirror, NASA said.

more..........

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-BRF-Infrared-Telescope.html

[papau]

1. Cool - When I don't go to the MofS lectures for a year they sneak a

new toy past me!

I knew it was going up - but I missed the launch - and I do not recall the cost being anything like $1.2 B - They must have factored the launch cost into that and added a cut for Halliburton and "Iraq reconstruction"!

:-)

[Ivory_Tower]

2. SIRTF has already been impressive

Apparently they got "first light" from the instrument VERY quickly, and impressed the hell out of the scientists.

http://sirtf.caltech.edu/picturegallery/imageweek.shtml