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STS-37 Crew Portrait
| Name of Image |
STS-37 Crew Portrait |
| Date of Image |
1991-01-28 |
| Full Description |
This is the STS-37 Crew portrait. Pictured from left to right are Kenneth D. (Ken) Cameron, pilot, Jay Apt, mission specialist, Steven R. Nagel, commander, and Jerry L. Ross and Linda M. Godwin, mission specialists. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on April 5, 1991 at 9:22:44am (EST), the crew?s major objective was the deployment of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). Included in the observatory were the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET), and the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Telescope (OSSEE). |
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STS-37 Launch
| Name of Image |
STS-37 Launch |
| Date of Image |
1991-04-05 |
| Full Description |
Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on April 5, 1991 at 9:22:44am (EST), the STS-37 mission hurtles toward space. Her crew included Steven R. Nagel, commander, Kenneth D. (Ken) Cameron, pilot, and Jay Apt, Jerry L. Ross, and Linda M. Godwin, all mission specialists. The crew?s major objective was the deployment of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). Included in the observatory were the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET), and the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Telescope (OSSEE). |
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Space Shuttle STS-37 Launch
| Name of Image |
Space Shuttle STS-37 Launch |
| Date of Image |
1991-04-05 |
| Full Description |
Aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the STS-37 mission launched April 5, 1991 from launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and landed back on Earth April 11, 1991. The 39th shuttle mission included crew members: Steven R. Nagel, commander, Kenneth D. Cameron, pilot, Jerry L,. Ross, mission specialist 1, Jay Apt, mission specialist 2, and Linda M. Godwin, mission specialist 3. The primary payload for the mission was the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). The GRO included the Burst and Transient Experiment (BATSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET), and the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSEE). Secondary payloads included Crew and Equipment Translation Aids (CETA), the Ascent Particle Monitor (APM), the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREXII), the Protein Crystal Growth (PCG), the Bioserve Instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus (BIMDA), Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RMEIII), and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS). |
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The Compton Gamma Ray Observ
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| Title |
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory |
| Explanation |
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/cgro.html ] (CGRO) was the most massive instrument ever launched by a NASA Space Shuttle [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html ] in 1991 and continues to revolutionize gamma-ray astronomy [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/gamma/gamma.html ]. Before Compton loses more stabilizing gyroscopes, NASA is considering [ http://cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/01/14/satellite.deorbit/index.html ] firing onboard rockets to bring it on a controlled reentry into the ocean. This orbiting observatory sees the sky in gamma-ray photons [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/espec1.html ] - light so blue humans can't see it. These photons are blocked by the Earth's atmosphere from reaching the Earth's surface. Results from CGRO, pictured above [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS37/10064038.htm ], have shown the entire universe to be a violent and rapidly changing place - when viewed in gamma-rays. Astronomers using CGRO data continue to make monumental discoveries [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-abs_connect?&text=CGRO&query_type=PAPERS ], including identifying mysterious gamma-ray bursts [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/cossc/apod_search?gamma+ray+burst ] that uniquely illuminate the early universe, discovery of a whole new class of QSOs [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/egret_blazars.html ], and discovery of objects so strange [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/egret_src.html ] that astronomers can't yet figure out what they are. |
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The Compton Gamma Ray Observ
…
| Title |
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory |
| Explanation |
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/cgro.html ] (CGRO) was the most massive instrument ever launched [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-37/mission-sts-37.html ] by a NASA Space Shuttle and continues to revolutionize gamma-ray astronomy. This orbiting observatory sees the sky in gamma-ray photons - light so blue humans can't see it. These photons are blocked by the Earth's atmosphere from reaching the Earth's surface. Results from CGRO have shown the entire universe to be a violent and rapidly changing place - when viewed in gamma-rays. Astronomers using CGRO data continue to make monumental discoveries, including showing that mysterious flashes of gamma-rays are much more powerful than previously imagined [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/batse_src.html ], discovery of a whole new class of QSO [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/egret_blazars.html ], and discovery of objects so strange that astronomers can't yet figure out what they are [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cossc/descriptions/egret_src.html ]. Tomorrow's picture: Atlantis Landing |
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Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO)
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| Title |
Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) in ground support structure at TRW |
| Description |
The Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) is positioned in a support structure in TRW's assembly room for checkout and processing prior to shipment to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). GRO is the heaviest NASA science satellite ever to be deployed by the Space Shuttle into low Earth orbit. GRO's trunnions are locked into the support structure. From left to right are three of the four GRO instruments including the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), and the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET). The Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) equipment is located on GRO's corners. GRO, which weighs just over 35,000 pounds (15,876 kilograms), is a space-based observatory scheduled to be put into space by Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, next year. GRO is designed to study the universe in an invisible, high-energy form of light known as gamma rays. Gamma rays, which cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, are of interest to |
| Date Taken |
1990-06-13 |
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Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO)
…
| Title |
Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) inspected by TRW workers at Redondo Beach plant |
| Description |
The Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) is positioned on its end and is inspected by TRW workers prior to shipment to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). GRO is the heaviest NASA science satellite ever to be deployed by the Space Shuttle into low Earth orbit. From bottom to top are three of the four GRO instruments including the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL), and the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET). The Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) equipment is located on GRO's corners. GRO, which weighs just over 35,000 pounds (15,876 kilograms), is a space-based observatory scheduled to be put into space by Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104 during STS-37, next year. GRO is designed to study the universe in an invisible, high-energy form of light known as gamma rays. Gamma rays, which cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, are of interest to scientists because these rays provide a reliable record of cosmic change |
| Date Taken |
1990-06-13 |
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TRW processing and check out
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| Title |
TRW processing and check out of Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) |
| Description |
As they prepare for the shipment of the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) from TRW's assembly room to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), TRW workers and NASA engineers are dwarfed by the heaviest NASA science satellite ever to be deployed by the Space Shuttle into low Earth orbit. GRO is suspended by overhead crane at one end and positioned in rack at the other end. The four GRO instruments include the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) (at bottom), the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL) (center), the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) (at top), and the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) (located on GRO's corners). GRO, which weighs just over 35,000 pounds (15,876 kilograms), is a space-based observatory scheduled to be put into space by Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, next year. GRO is designed to study the universe in an invisible, high-energy form of light known as gamma rays. Gamma rays, which cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, are of i |
| Date Taken |
1990-06-13 |
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