First close-up picture of GLAST in space! June 15, 2008
Posted by dorigo in astronomy, games, humor, personal, science.Tags: glast
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This just in:
The GLAST detector is flying over Europe in this remarkable close-up picture. You can clearly see that all the main antennas have deployed correctly, and the spacecraft is ready to take data!
One little problem — it’s upside-down.
Wouldn’t get many gamma rays with the telescope pointing down. Or much data with the antennas pointing up…
Better call NASA!
Anon, please define “up” and “down” a) with respect to an extra-galactic gamma ray – b) with respect to the sun – c) with respect to my daugther’s bed
Cheers,
T.
Actually, you’d get a lot of gamma rays pointing down, where down is defined as “towards the Earth.” They would be a whole bunch of low-energy albedo and limb gammas that swamp the instrument. It’s like when you are out looking at stars and someone turns on the porch light. Ow! Plus, to a gamma-ray astronomer, they are boring.
I think GLAST would be better off pointing to the curtains, to try to resolve the inverse-Compton coming from Tigger. He moves fast enough, I’d say.
Hi bbjones,
sure, you’d get more gammas from albedo, but it would make a much worse showing if looked from my daughter’s bed
Cheers,
T.
Funny
But is it my impression or there is some kind of space monkey dangerously approching GLAST from behind and a horde of flying Winnie-the-poohs (and friends) acting as background noise :-O
Uau… Muito interessante… Muito legal… De mais… rsrsrs! I’m Brazilian.
Hi Federico,
there’s all sorts of objects and creatures around GLAST threatening its very existence – kids, objects thrown across, heads of regular-size human beings. We could really say it is hanging by a thread.
Cheers,
T.
Hi Tommaso!
Big dangers for GLAST indeed… I was always doubtful of it’s low orbit operations, but now I’m really scared!
Ciao!
Hope the craft doesn’t get struck from too much debris in that orbit. That is too funny. Thanks