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Team to develop proposed railway space observatory BOEING NEWS RELEASE Posted: November 21, 2004 Boeing is part of a NASA-led team of university and industry partners developing a preliminary design for the Space Infrared Inteferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), with components that will move along a structural beam in space like railcars on a track. SPIRIT will consist of two telescopes at opposite ends of a 40-meter beam and will provide views of planet, star and galaxy formations in unprecedented detail while examining the atmospheric chemistry of giant planets around other stars. The telescopes will combine their images using interferometry techniques to achieve the power of a single, giant 40-meter telescope. SPIRIT will examine the universe in far-infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths of light. Boeing will assist the SPIRIT team with a concept for transporting the telescopes along the structure and determining if approaches developed for the International Space Station are relevant and adaptable. Boeing also will assist the team with building and maintaining a roadmap for the project and providing concepts for possible in-space testing and servicing of the observatory. This past summer, Boeing joined two university-led NASA Vision Missions teams to provide robotic and human in-space assembly and servicing options for two other proposed space-based observatories: the Single Aperture Far Infrared (SAFIR) and the Far-Infrared and Sub-millimeter Interferometer (FIR/SMM). SAFIR would be used to study the formation of planetary systems inside our Milky Way galaxy, and the wide-field imaging FIR/SMM observatory would search for the first stars to form in the universe. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis , Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense and Department of Homeland Security; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services. |
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The Boeing Delta rocket launches from Cape Canaveral carrying the Swift gamma-ray observatory. This extended clip follows the mission through second stage ignition and includes onboard video of the nose cone separation. (5min 45sec file)
The Delta rocket's upward-facing video camera captures the nose cone covering Swift being jettisoned about five minutes into flight. (1min 06sec file)
A video camera mounted on the Delta rocket's second stage shows maneuvers to the proper orientation for release of Swift high above Earth and the observatory's successful deployment. (8min 00sec file)
A powerful tracking camera located at Cocoa Beach south of the pad provides this spectacular view from liftoff through the early minutes of flight by the Delta rocket and Swift. (2min 54sec file)
The mobile service tower is rolled back from the Boeing Delta 2 rocket, exposing the vehicle at launch pad 17A just before daybreak. (3min 14sec file)