The Stargazer [
http://www.orbital.…], a modified Lockheed L-1011 aircraft, soared into the skies above Kwajalein [
http://www.smdc.arm…] Atoll in the pacific on October 9th. A small satellite observatory known as the High Energy Transient Explorer - 2 (HETE-2 [
http://space.mit.ed…]) was tucked into Stargazer's winged Pegasus rocket [
http://www.orbital.…], slung beneath the large trimotor jet's fuselage. Dropped [
http://science.ksc.…] from its mother ship, the Pegasus then successfully flew HETE-2 into orbit. HETE-2's [
http://space.mit.ed…] mission is to hunt gamma-ray bursts, brief, random flashes of high energy photons from the distant cosmos. Gamma-ray bursts [
http://science.nasa…ast26mar99_1.htm ] are impressive, believed to be the most powerful explosions in the Universe, but so few have been well located and studied that the nature of [
http://xxx.lanl.gov…] the bursters themselves is still shrouded in mystery. HETE-2's x-ray and gamma-ray instruments will be able to rapidly alert ground-based observatories to point toward ongoing, bright gamma-ray bursts. Communications antennae and solar panels neatly folded, HETE-2 is seen [
http://space.mit.ed…] here being carefully enclosed in the Pegasus nose fairing.
Explanation
The Stargazer [
http://www.orbital.…], a modified Lockheed L-1011 aircraft, soared into the skies above Kwajalein [
http://www.smdc.arm…] Atoll in the pacific on October 9th. A small satellite observatory known as the High Energy Transient Explorer - 2 (HETE-2 [
http://space.mit.ed…]) was tucked into Stargazer's winged Pegasus rocket [
http://www.orbital.…], slung beneath the large trimotor jet's fuselage. Dropped [
http://science.ksc.…] from its mother ship, the Pegasus then successfully flew HETE-2 into orbit. HETE-2's [
http://space.mit.ed…] mission is to hunt gamma-ray bursts, brief, random flashes of high energy photons from the distant cosmos. Gamma-ray bursts [
http://science.nasa…ast26mar99_1.htm ] are impressive, believed to be the most powerful explosions in the Universe, but so few have been well located and studied that the nature of [
http://xxx.lanl.gov…] the bursters themselves is still shrouded in mystery. HETE-2's x-ray and gamma-ray instruments will be able to rapidly alert ground-based observatories to point toward ongoing, bright gamma-ray bursts. Communications antennae and solar panels neatly folded, HETE-2 is seen [
http://space.mit.ed…] here being carefully enclosed in the Pegasus nose fairing.
Explanation
