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Ohio State proposes 'Kronos' space observatory OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE Posted: January 17, 2002 In the not-too-distant future, an Ohio State-inspired satellite observatory could be orbiting high above the earth, watching black holes feast on far-away galaxies. Bradley Peterson, professor of astronomy, has submitted a proposal to NASA for the Kronos observatory, a satellite that will be able to image material spiraling into black holes with a resolution 10,000 times finer than now possible with the Hubble Space Telescope. Ohio State's partners in this endeavor include NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Space Telescope Science Institute, Battelle Memorial Institute, Penn State University and Rutgers University, as well as a host of national and international universities and observatories. Should NASA choose to fund Kronos, the observatory will turn its eye to some of the brightest objects in the universe. Among galaxies, a special subset known as "active galaxies" have very bright centers, or nuclei. These nuclei are so bright as to outshine all the other stars in those galaxies. When astronomers look to the sky to learn how galaxies form, it's the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that are practically screaming for attention. Current theory holds that very massive black holes may literally be consuming the center of these galaxies. So much gas and dust is being pulled into these black holes, astronomers think, that the material becomes superheated and emits light. Large black holes in the center of galaxies could play a major role in how galaxies are created, and how they change over time. Sometime in May 2002, NASA will announce which four of its 40 received proposals have passed the first cut in its Medium Explorer program. These four will undergo proof-of-concept studies, and six months later a final two projects will be selected for spaceflight. If Kronos is chosen, Ohio State will be the prime contractor for
the observatory, creating data analysis software, calibrating the
satellite's orbit, and managing the mission in general. Until then,
details about the Kronos proposal can be found on the Web.
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The Unbroken Chain Guenter Wendt's autobiography, The Unbroken Chain, is a ground-shaking, fumes in your nostrils account of the glory days of manned spaceflight.Columbia Report A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Panorama DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image. U.S. Apollo 11 Mission Report Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Rocket DVD If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this DVD.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.U.S. Current Shuttle Mission Patch The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to finish building Japanese section of the space station.Hubble Patch The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.Ares Patch The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.![]() Project Orion The Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch Collection The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. |
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