NASA Mission to MAP the Universe
Explanation:
What is our universe made of? How rapidly is our universe expanding? When
did galaxies form? These questions, among the most important and baffling
to astronomers since the beginning of the modern astronomical era, might
well be answered by a new space satellite mission. The
Microwave
Anisotropy Probe (MAP) is being designed inspect the universe's
microwave background radiation in more
detail then ever before. MAP will record the
frequency, size and temperature of
bumps 20 times smaller than
COBE.
Astronomers have computed what bumps would be expected from several models
of our universe, and comparing these results to
MAP's data
may yield a new understanding of the
composition and
structure of our
universe. MAP has just won approval as a NASA
MIDEX
class satellite, and is
currently
scheduled to launch in the year 2000.
Information:
The
Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
