SWIFT Undergoes Testing at Goddard

The SWIFT spacecraft in Goddard clean room

Swift recently arrived at Goddard for various stages of testing in preparation for its launch in September 2003. The Swift bus has finished environmental testing and is now being integrated with the instruments. The integration will continue through January. In the spring, the whole observatory (spacecraft and instruments) will go through another batch of testing in preparation for launch.

The Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) instrument is in final fabrication and will undergo a series of tests including environmental, thermal vacuum, vibration, and electromagnetic interference later this year. The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) instrument has finished all of its testing and is being calibrated this week in Germany. Finally, the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is currently undergoing thermal vacuum testing at Goddard.

The Swift spacecraft is a three-telescope observatory that will study the position, brightness and physical properties of gamma ray bursts. Although gamma ray bursts are the largest known explosions in the universe, their underlying nature and cause are true mysteries of astrophysics.

Swift will use its gamma ray telescope, X-ray telescope, and ultraviolet/optical telescope to determine the nature of gamma ray bursts by probing distant regions of the universe. BAT will enable scientists to determine and accurately position these mysterious gamma ray bursts. A rapid or "swift" response is the only way to track down these elusive bursts. The XRT and the UVOT will zoom in on BAT detection location and provide arc-second positioning.

Goddard's own Dr. Neil Gehrels is the principal investigator for this Medium class Explorer mission. Goddard manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science.

More information on Swift can be found at: http://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov