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Successful Launch of Integral

Posted by michael on from the up-up-and-away dept.

An anonymous submitter writes "The INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory has successfully launched from Baikonur at 4:41UT this morning. See ESA's launch page. Launch, upper stage, and solar panel deployment (the times when we held our breath) all went without a hitch. The most sensitive gamma-ray observatory yet is now beginning operations. See ESA's Integral pages for more about the mission."

6 of 16 comments (clear)

  1. Nice launch for the Russians... by 0x69 · · Score: 3, Informative

    I bet the folks in Moscow are feeling a lot better now (vs. right after yesterday's rocket-blew-up-29-seconds-after-launch disaster).

    This was a different model of rocket, launched from a different cosmodrome/spaceport/rocket range. Redundancy is next to Godliness.

    --
    It's easy to make up & spread cool- and credible-sounding stuff. Finding & checking hard facts is hard work.
  2. Double-take... by devphil · · Score: 5, Funny
    Science: Successful Launch of Integral

    And of course my first thought was, "Wow, wait 'til they start sending up floating-point numbers!"

    Thank you, thank you, I'm here through Tuesday. Enjoy the steaks and don't forget to tip your servers.

    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
    1. Re:Double-take... by u19925 · · Score: 4, Funny

      You don't need to launch "floating-point numbers". They already float.

  3. We? by Hard_Code · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What a coincidence...I just started reading Yevgeny Zamyatin's _We_. Is the name 'INTEGRAL' inspired by this novel?

    --

    It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
    1. Re:We? by Peter+T+Ermit · · Score: 4, Informative

      INTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysical Laboratory.

  4. Math... heh.... by Transcendent · · Score: 4, Funny

    Successful Launch of Integral

    In other news, the opposing rocket launch named Derivative has seemed to have malfunctioned...