Swift Observatory Launched

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Posted by michael on Saturday November 20, 2004 @11:05AM from the wikiwiki dept.

IndigoSkies writes "NASA today successfully launched the Swift Observatory into Earth orbit for an intense two year study of GRBs (gamma-ray bursts) to determine whether there is a connection between them and the evolution of black holes. Unlike Earth-bound observatories, Swift will be able to detect GRBs occurring in real-time, and swiftly (hence the name) turn and focus on them within seconds -- before the burst fades forever from view. This should hopefully settle once and for all whether GRBs are in fact caused by black hole activity, or merely starships engaging their warp engines."

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I hope.... by keeleysam · 2004-11-20 11:09 · Score: 2, Funny

This should hopefully settle once and for all whether GRBs are in fact caused by black hole activity, or merely starships engaging their warp engines
I'm hoping for the latter... I'm a SETI@home user.

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Well, I'd submitted it a little late by metlin · 2004-11-20 11:32 · Score: 1

Here's what I'd submitted --

"NASA successfully launched its Swift Satellite today at 12:16 PM EST, after weeks of delays due to hurricanes and rocket trouble. The Swift satellite hopes to explore the origin of Gamma ray bursts, long believed to be related to the birth of Black Holes. The Swift project is a joint undertaking between the American, British and Italian space agencies. Kennedy Space Center has a video stream of the launch. "
Swift Song... by geg81 · 2004-11-20 11:34 · Score: 2, Interesting

There's a neat song about it, the Swift Song by Padi Boyd:

We know that gamma ray explosions happen randomly all over the sky
(It's like a lottery: a ticket for each square degree)
You see a FLASH! and then there's not another till about a day has gone by
(But that depends upon detector sensitivity)
In just a moment they spew energy worth (That's pretty fast)
A value we can't even fathom on Earth (It's really vast!)
But just what's giving rise to gamma ray sparked skies?
Is it the death cry of a massive star or black hole birth?
(Or both, or both? or both!)

There are a bunch of MP3's of the song floating around; in the interest of not shutting down some server, please search for it yourself on the web, and don't pick the first link you find.
1. Re:Swift Song... by Satai · 2004-11-20 14:18 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  You may recall the issues having that song on their site has caused for the Penn State Astro Department...
  
  PSU was a major partner in Swift, and the MOC will be in State College, PA. It's a great place to be right now for GRB physics...
Re:How often? by snake_dad · 2004-11-20 12:05 · Score: 4, Informative

I once read that GRBs happen about 300 times a year. Hopefully before long we'll have a better understanding of the universe.
The principal investigator Neil Gehrels says they hope to catch about 100 per year.. there should be a few that get caught in a very early stage, which would indeed give a lot better understanding of GRBs.

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Re:How often? by metlin · 2004-11-20 12:35 · Score: 3, Interesting

That's because we are at a part of the galaxy where such phenomenon does not happen that frequnently. It is theorised that as you approach the center of the galaxy the frequency increases.
unless... by BortQ · 2004-11-20 12:50 · Score: 1

You failed to consider the possibility that starships are powering their warp engines using some sort of black hole technology.

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1. Re:unless... by metlin · 2004-11-20 15:53 · Score: 1
  
  That is not physically possible. It could be used as a tool to draw matter to be used for propulsion, but it can never be a source of power in and of itself. Even that would be a very very destructive way to travel.
Re:How often? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-11-20 16:03 · Score: 1, Insightful

GRBs occur WELL outside the galaxy, typically billions of light years away. Our position in the galaxy is irrelevant.
Re:How often? by arodland · 2004-11-20 16:43 · Score: 2, Insightful

Are you just making this stuff up?

GRBs are, in fact, distributed pretty much evenly around the sky, which means that they're coming from sources outside of our galaxy. They probably do occur at the cores of galaxies, but not ours. Not at the moment, anyway.
Re:How often? by metlin · 2004-11-20 16:51 · Score: 1

No, I'm not - to the best of my knowledge, it is theorised that they can be observed at higher frequency at the center of galaxies.

I could be wrong, though and judging by the responses I probably am.
swifties at it again by commodoresloat · 2004-11-20 19:15 · Score: 2, Funny

Great. Now the Swift Boat Observatory folks, emboldened after GWB won, are going after GRBs, questioning the connection between them and black holes. Karl Rove is behind all of this, I tell you!
Source of the name by devphil · 2004-11-20 23:04 · Score: 1

I can't find anything on the NASA site to describe where "Swift" comes from, but I didn't look very hard.

My pet theory is that it's named after Swift, the planet where all the neutrons have been altered, in Greg Egan's kickass novel Diaspora, which centers on gamma-ray bursters.

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1. Re:Source of the name by IndigoSkies · 2004-11-21 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  Clicking the Swift Brochure link to a PDF (or the text only link right below it) on the main page cited above takes you to texts which state:
  
  "Swift is built to be agile, to swiftly turn and point its instruments at the burst and relay burst locations within seconds. No satellite turns faster. Swift, in fact, is not an acronym; it is named for the small, nimble bird."
  
  The first page of the PDF is actually an artsy image of the satellite superimposed with a swift.
2. Re:Source of the name by devphil · 2004-11-21 12:57 · Score: 1
  
  Ah, cool. Thanks!
  
  --
  You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Re:How often? by Tsalg · 2004-11-21 03:32 · Score: 2, Interesting

If we had to wait for one to go off in our direct neighbourhood chances are we'd be fried. The galaxy is transparent to radiation of that energy so a burst would be seen no matter where. And it better be far since the energies involved are such that one of the theories of dinosaur extinction is that they were wiped out by a gamma-ray burst within our galaxy! Here's the short story on that, and if you like the number crunching version better that's here .
Its a spotter... by dj245 · 2004-11-21 10:27 · Score: 2, Informative

..for the big guns on earth. Since there is much less things to interfere with it out in space, it can detect the gamma ray burst quickly and determine exactly where it is coming from. The point of course is to use the sattelite to do a little bit of science on it, but also to send the coordinates to all the other telescopes so the big iron can take a look too.

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world's first... by bluewolfcv · 2004-11-22 07:09 · Score: 1

Swift is actually the first satellite to choose its own targets on board and slew to them, without any intervention from the ground.

"All the easier to catch GRBs, my dear."