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NASA TO
"MAP" BIG BANG REMNANT TO
SOLVE UNIVERSAL MYSTERIES
The Microwave Anisotropy 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.
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How MAP Moves
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 photons that have been captured by a set of reflecting
mirrors. The MAP hardware and software were produced by Goddard
Space Flight Center and Princeton University.
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JPEG
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TIFF Oldest Light in the Universe - A Baby Picture of the Universe
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The image on the
right is a simulated view of what MAP might see after it completes its mission.
(The image on the left is COBE's view of the early universe
from 1992.) There are tiny patterns in this light. These
patterns result from the tiny condensations that were the 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 Universe. Each cosmic scenario predicts a specific
pattern for this light - a cosmic fingerprint. MAP will make a full
sky picture of this light so 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 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.
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.
MAP Reaches Second Lagrange Point (L2)
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TIFF 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 in orbit around the L2 point. The Italian-French
mathematician 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.
Scientific Objectives of MAP - 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 that 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.
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