
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft is moved to a rotation stand in preparation for mating with the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The GALEX, set to launch April 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, will carry into space an orbiting telescope that will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and elements we see today had their origins. From its orbit high above Earth, the spacecraft will sweep the skies for 28 months using state-of-the-art ultraviolet detectors. Looking in the ultraviolet will single out galaxies dominated by young, hot, short-lived stars that give off a great deal of energy at that wavelength. These galaxies are actively creating stars, and therefore provide a window into the history and causes of star formation in galaxies.
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NASA ID
KSC-03pd0621
Date Created
March 3, 2003
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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