Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
NamesGamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope
Mission typeGamma-ray astronomy
OperatorNASA · U.S. Department of Energy
COSPAR ID2008-029A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.33053
WebsiteFermi.GSFC.NASA.gov
Mission durationPlanned: 5-10 years
Elapsed: 16 years, 5 months, 10 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerGeneral Dynamics[1]
Launch mass4,303 kg (9,487 lb)[1]
DimensionsStowed: 2.8 × 2.5 m (9.2 × 8.2 ft)[1]
Power1,500 W average[1]
Start of mission
Launch date11 June 2008, 16:05 (2008-06-11UTC16:05) UTC
RocketDelta II 7920-H #333
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-17B
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Semi-major axis6,912.9 km (4,295.5 mi)
Eccentricity0.001282
Perigee altitude525.9 km (326.8 mi)
Apogee altitude543.6 km (337.8 mi)
Inclination25.58°
Period95.33 min
RAAN29.29°
Argument of perigee131.16°
Mean anomaly229.00°
Mean motion15.10 rev/day
Velocity7.59 km/s (4.72 mi/s)
Epoch23 February 2016, 04:46:22 UTC[2]

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST,[3] also FGRST), formerly called the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), is a space observatory being used to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. Its main instrument is the Large Area Telescope (LAT), with which astronomers mostly intend to perform an all-sky survey studying astrophysical and cosmological phenomena such as active galactic nuclei, pulsars, other high-energy sources and dark matter. Another instrument aboard Fermi, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM; formerly GLAST Burst Monitor), is being used to study gamma-ray bursts[4] and solar flares.[5]

Fermi, named for high-energy physics pioneer Enrico Fermi, was launched on 11 June 2008 at 16:05 UTC aboard a Delta II 7920-H rocket. The mission is a joint venture of NASA, the United States Department of Energy, and government agencies in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sweden,[6] becoming the most sensitive gamma-ray telescope on orbit, succeeding INTEGRAL. The project is a recognized CERN experiment (RE7).[7][8]

  1. ^ a b c d "GLAST Science Writer's Guide" (PDF). NASA. February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Fermi - Orbit". Heavens Above. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  3. ^ "FGST: Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope". Stanford. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  4. ^ "NASA's GLAST Burst Monitor Team Hard at Work Fine-Tuning Instrument and Operations". NASA. 28 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Fermi Solar Flare Observations".
  6. ^ "An Astro-Particle Physics Partnership Exploring the High Energy Universe - List of funders". SLAC. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
  7. ^ "Recognized Experiments at CERN". The CERN Scientific Committees. CERN. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  8. ^ "RE7/FERMI : The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope". The CERN Experimental Programme. CERN. Retrieved 21 January 2020.

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