14 DAY TRIAL // Officials from the American space agency announce that experts at the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, will soon assume control of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The university will be in charge of spacecraft operations and data management.
These two objectives will be pursued using private funds. NASA will retain ownership and liability for the spacecraft during the time GALEX is lent to Caltech. The Space Act Agreement that made this move possible was signed between the two parties on May 14.
This is the first time that NASA lends one of its satellites to a university in this manner. Thus far, experts from various universities and institutions had to compete for observation time on spacecraft.
GALEX surveys the Universe in ultraviolet wavelengths, and is extremely good at it. It has been orbiting the planet for 9 years, during which it cataloged hundreds of millions of galaxies located as far as 10 billion light-years away.
“NASA sees this as an opportunity to allow the public to continue reaping the benefits from this space asset that NASA developed using federal funding,” explains the Director of the Astrophysics Division at the NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, Paul Hertz.
“This is an excellent example of a public/private partnership that will help further astronomy in the United States,” he goes on to say. GALEX has been in standby mode since February 7, the expert says.
Once Caltech assumes control of the spacecraft, experts here will work with colleagues from the United States and abroad to survey the evolution of galaxies and stars over time, catalog more objects in ultraviolet wavelengths, and conduct validation studies on exoplanetary targets identified by Kepler.
“This mission was full of surprises, and now more surprises are sure to come. It already has scanned a large fraction of the sky, improving our understanding of how galaxies grow and evolve,” explains the principal investigator of the mission, Caltech scientist Chris Martin.
“The astronomy community will continue those studies, in addition to spending more time on stars closer to home in our own galaxy,” he goes on to say. The mission is conducted by experts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech for the NASA Science Mission Directorate.
“We're thrilled that the mission will continue on its path of discovery. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer is like the 'little engine that could,' forging ahead into unexplored territory,” JPL mission manager, Kerry Erickson, explains.