NASA Space Telescope Launches Into Orbit
NASA launches new space telescope that will help international researchers study gamma rays
The NASA space telescope GLAST today successfully launched into space aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Flight engineers in Florida were concerned over possible thunderstorms and clouds in the area, but the clouds held off long enough for the launch.
The GLAST (Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope), which endured multiple delays before launch, will help scientists measure energy in gamma rays and will take high-resolution images. NASA also expects GLAST to help study dark matter, a phenomenon that scientists believe makes up 25 percent of mass in Earth’s universe. In addition, it will search for thousands of gamma-ray sources found in numerous galaxies.