News from 2004
- December 24, 2004 - GRB041219: Swift-BAT Light Curves in 4 bands
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The INTEGRAL-Swift Burst of 041219 (GCN 2866, Gotz et al, GCN 2874,
Barthelmy et al.) had a time history that is rather rare: a precursor was
followed by 200 sec of mostly quiet emission before a huge spiky outburst
that lasted an additional 300 sec. This is one of the few events for which
there have been simultaneous ground observations.
- + Read More.
- December 17, 2004 - GRB041217: The First GRB Located On-Board Swift!
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On Dec 17 2004, 7:28:30 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT)
triggered and located on-board an apparent gamma-ray burst. The
spacecraft did not autonomously slew to the burst since automated slewing
is not yet enabled.
- + Read More
- December 01, 2004 - Swift Software, Calibration Files, and Documentation Available
- The first public version of the Swift software has been released by the HEASARC (Swift 1.0). This release includes the tools run in the Swift analysis pipeline to generate the Swift data products. Interested users can install the software either from source code or binaries. A collection of flight-like test data will be made available shortly so users can familiarize themselves with the software before Swift data become public.
- + Read More
- November 22, 2004 - NASA Succesfully Launches Swift Satellite
- NASA's Swift satellite was successfully launched Saturday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The satellite will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes.
- + Read More
- November 20, 2004 - NASA Launches Cosmic Blast Hunter
- BBC News article on the Swift launch and mission.
- + Read More
- November 18, 2004 - NASA Delays Swift Launch
- NASA has set the launch of the Swift spacecraft for no earlier than Saturday. The one-hour launch window opens at 12:10 p.m. EST.
- + Read More
- November 17, 2004 - NASA Delays Swift Launch
- Launch of NASA's Swift spacecraft has been delayed at least 24 hours due to a concern with Range Command-Receiver Decoder equipment on the launch vehicle.
- + Read More
- November 9, 2004 - Last Gasp of a Dying Star? Spacecraft to Find Out
- New York Times article about Swift. They ask that you register in order to view articles, but registration is free.
- + Read More
- November 8, 2004 - NASA Schedules Swift Spacecraft Launch
- NASA's Swift observatory is scheduled for launch Wednesday, Nov. 17. Liftoff aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is targeted at 12:09 p.m., EST, the opening of a one-hour launch window. Liftoff is from Pad 17-A on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Fla. If postponed the next launch opportunity is 12:09 p.m. EST, Nov. 18.
- + Read More
- November 2, 2004 - Swift Press Kit
- Press representatives may obtain the Swift press kit here. (PDF file)
- + Download It
- November 1, 2004 - New NASA Satellite To Study Black Hole Birth And Gamma Ray Bursts
- By the end of this day, somewhere in the visible universe a new black hole will have formed. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most distant and powerful explosions known, are likely the birth cries of these new black holes.
- + Read More
- October 25, 2004 - Media Briefing On NASA's Newest Gamma-Ray Burst Mission Scheduled
- NASA's Swift satellite, which will pinpoint the location of gamma-ray burst explosions in the Universe, will be the subject of a news briefing Monday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. EST. The briefing will originate from the James Webb auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, and will be broadcast live on NASA TV.
- + Read More
- September 29, 2004 - Swift Missions Pages Added to the NASA Website
- The NASA website just recently added several Swift Mission pages to its website.
- + Visit the Site
- August 19, 2004 - Quest for the Virtually Invisible
- Guardian Unlimited article about Swift.
- + Guardian Article
- August 19, 2004 - Swift Education & Public Info Pages Moved
- The Education & Public Info section of the Swift website has been moved to Sonoma State University, which leads our EPO efforts. Please update your bookmarks.
- + Visit the Site
- August 12, 2004 - Swift Workshop to be held at the HEAD Meeting
- There will be a 1-day workshop on GRB observations and science related to the Swift mission on Tuesday, September 7, the day before the HEAD meeting.
- + Read the Announcement
- August 8, 2004 - Photos of Swift at the Kennedy Space Center
- The Swift spacecraft arrives at the Kennedy Space Center in preparation for launch.
- + View the Pictures
- July 29, 2004 - Swift Satellite to Catch Mysterious Bursts from Deep in the Cosmos
- The Swift satellite, which will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes, arrived at Kennedy Space Center today in preparation for an October launch.
- + Read More
- June 02, 2004 - Smoking Gun Found for Gamma-Ray Burst in Milky Way
- Combined data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and infrared observations with the Palomar 200-inch telescope have uncovered evidence that a gamma-ray burst, one of nature's most catastrophic explosions, occurred in our Galaxy a few thousand years ago. The supernova remnant, W49B, may also be the first remnant of a gamma-ray burst discovered in the Milky Way. W49B is a barrel-shaped nebula located about 35,000 light years from Earth. The new data reveal bright infrared rings, like hoops around a barrel, and intense X-radiation from iron and nickel along the axis of the barrel.
- + Read More
- + Chandra Release
- March 19, 2004 - New Pictures of the BAT on the Swift Spacecraft
- The Burst Alert Telescope has been integrated onto the Swift spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently going through intensive testing to insure it is fully prepared for launch (currently scheduled for October 2004).
- + View the Pictures
- February 19, 2004 - Swift Cycle 1 Review Complete
- The Swift SC and NASA Peer Review Services have recently completed the Swift Cycle 1 proposal review. A slate of 35 excellent gamma-ray-burst and afterglow projects were selected for support during Swift's first year of operations. Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in the Swift mission through submitting proposals to this program. The proposed science was exciting, timely and thought-provoking.
