Space Science Gallery

2002 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES

Tape Title	Record ID	Date Produced	TRT:	Synopsis
MAP ARRIVES AT L2: ALL SET TO BEGIN CHARTING DEEPEST REGIONS OF THE COSMOS	G01-A028	10/01/01	00:21:02	The Microwave Anisotrophy Probe (Map) will journey into deep space on a voyage to explore some of the deepest mysteries of the cosmos. Scientists hope to determine the content, shape, history, and the ultimate fate of the Universe, by constructing a full-sky picture of the oldest light in the Universe. This resource package contains animation of MAP, animated illustrations of MAP's science objectives, and background footage of the mission.
TAPE CONTENTS:
ITEM (1): MAP Spacecraft Animation - The MAP spacecraft spins like a top to capture light from every part of the sky. The long conical horns on each side are shaped to receive light that has been captured by a set of reflecting mirrors. The MAP hardware and software were produced by Goddard Space Flight Center and Princeton University. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (2): MAP Reaches Second Lagrange Point (L2) - About a month after its launch on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, FL, MAP will swing past the Moon, boosting its orbit to the second Lagrange Point, or L2. This is the first time a spacecraft will be orbit around the L2 point. The Italian-French mathmematician Josef Lagrange discovered five special points in the vicinity of two orbiting masses where a third, smaller mass can orbit at a fixed distance from the larger masses. L2 is four times further than the Moon in the direction away from the Sun and requires very little fuel to maintain orbit. After a three month journey, MAP will begin to chart the faint microwave glow from the Big Bang. It will take about 18 months to build up a full-sky picture and perform the analysis. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (3): MAP Science Objectives - Journey to the Big Bang - MAP is designed to capture the afterglow of the Big Bang. Patterns imprinted within this afterglow carry with them the answers to mysteries such as: What happened during the first instant after the Big Bang? How did the Universe evolve into the complex patterns of galaxies we see today? Will the Universe expand forever or will it collapse? According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe began about 14 billion years ago as an unimaginably hot and dense fog of light and exotic particles. The Universe has since continuously expanded and cooled. The whole Universe is bathed in the afterglow light from the Big Bang. The light that is now reaching us has been traveling for about 14 billion years, thus allowing us a look back through time to see the early Universe. The animation takes the viewer backward through time to the first light in the Universe. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (4): Oldest Light in the Universe - A Baby Picture of the Universe - This image is a simulated view of what MAP might see after it completes its mission. There are tiny patterns in this light. These patterns result ffrom the tiny condensations that were seeds for the eventual growth of galaxies. The patterns in the light hold the key for understanding the history, the content, the shape, and the fate of the Ubiverse. Each cosmic scenario predicts a specific pattern for this light - a cosmic fingerprint. Map will make a full sky picture of this light so we will know the correct fingerprint of our Universe. By comparing fingerprints, MAP will determine which cosmic scenario matches our Universe. Then we will know the age of our Universe, how fast it is expanding, whether the expansion is accelerating, the shape of the Universe, the content of the Universe, and the ultimate fate of the Universe. There is a wealth of information encoded in the patterns of the oldest light. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (5): How MAP Works: Ripples in a Pond - Ripples resulting from tossing pebbles in a pond are affected by the size and number of the pebbles and by the size and shape of the pond. By studying ripples in the early Universe, scientists can gain a wealth of information about the makeup of the early Universe. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (6): Measuring the Shape of the Universe - Like a lens, the shape of the Universe can bend the light that passes through it during its 14 billion yeaar journey. By seeing the pattern today, we can determine the shape of the Universe -- whether it is flat, open or closed. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (7): Wavelengths - Looking for the Earliest Light - The bright band of stars we see in the sky on a clear night is the Milky Way. This band also produces microwave light which shows as a band across the center of this all sky image. Scientists look above and below this band to see the fingerprint of the early Universe. Scientists can view the sky in many wavelengths. The second part of this sequence depicts how dramtically our view of the sky changes as we move through the wavelengths like tuning a radio dial. The microwave sky is astonishingly uniform. Scientists must view the sky with extreme contrast to see the subtle patterns from the earliest light in the Universe. Data Sources: COBE Science Working Group Visible Images: Dr. Axel Mellinger, Potsdam University Super: NASA *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (8): Unraveling the Mysteries of our Universe - MAP will help scientists better understand origin and evolution of the astonishing variety of structures we see in the Universe today. These images were acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (9): MAP Launch - Scenes of the MAP Spacecraft launch from the Kennedy Space Center on June 30, 2001. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (10): Constructing Map - The MAP project is a partnership between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, and Princeton University. These scense show MAP's integration and testing at Goddard. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (11): MAP Launch Processing - Scenes of MAP at the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (12): A Brief History of Background Microwave Radiation - Penzias and Wilson discovered the remnant afterglow from the big bang and were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery. COBE discovered the patterns in the afterglow. MAP will bring the patterns into much better focus to unveil a wealth of information about the history and fate of the Universe. a. Penzias and Wilson microwave receiver - 1965 b. The sky viewed by Penzias and Wilson's microwave receiver - 1965 c. COBE's view of the early Universe - 1992 d. Simulated MAP view of early Universe e. COBE spacecraft animation f. COBE launch - 1989 *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (13): Interview Excerpts With Dr. Charles L. Bennett, MAP Principal Investigator, GSFC *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (14): Interview Excerpts With Dr. Alan J. Kogut, MAP Science Team Member, GSFC *Courtesy: NASA*
ITEM (15): Interview Excerpts With Dr. David T. Wilkinson, Physicist, Princeton University *Courtesy: NASA*

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