{"id":9787,"date":"2023-12-18T18:03:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T22:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/nasas-burstcube-passes-milestones-on-journey-to-launch\/"},"modified":"2023-12-18T18:03:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T22:03:55","slug":"nasas-burstcube-passes-milestones-on-journey-to-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/nasas-burstcube-passes-milestones-on-journey-to-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s BurstCube Passes Milestones on Journey to Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s BurstCube Passes Milestones on Journey to Launch<\/h2>\n

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3 min read<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s BurstCube Passes Milestones on Journey to Launch<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Scientists and engineers at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a> in Greenbelt, Maryland, have completed testing for BurstCube<\/a>, a shoebox-sized spacecraft designed to study the universe\u2019s most powerful explosions. Members of the team have also delivered the satellite to their partner Nanoracks (part of Voyager Space) in Houston, Texas, where it will be packed for launch.<\/p>\n

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The BurstCube satellite sits in its flight configuration in this photo. The shoebox-size spacecraft will launch aboard a resupply mission to the International Space Station, where it will be released into orbit and the solar panels on either side will deploy.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Sophia Roberts<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cEven a satellite as tiny as BurstCube requires extensive verification before it can go to space,\u201d said Goddard\u2019s Lucia Tian, the mission\u2019s science instrument lead. \u201cWe characterized its magnetic field, tested it at extreme temperatures, and recreated the shaking it will experience at launch \u2013 just to name a few assessments.\u201d<\/p>\n

BurstCube will search the sky for short gamma-ray bursts<\/a>, brief flashes of the highest-energy form of light. Dense stellar remnants called neutron stars<\/a> create these bursts when they collide with other neutron stars or black holes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Small missions like BurstCube provide valuable opportunities for early career scientists and engineers to see all aspects of a project from start to finish.<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\"Jeremy<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Jeremy Perkins<\/p>\n

BurstCube principal investigator<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Astronomers are interested in learning more about these collisions because they\u2019re an important source of the universe\u2019s heavy elements, like gold and platinum. BurstCube\u2019s goal is to detect and locate bursts and alert other observatories to coordinate detailed follow-up studies. BurstCube will join a growing network of satellites and telescopes working together to witness changes in the universe as they unfold.<\/p>\n

The spacecraft is slated for takeoff in March 2024 from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center<\/a> in Florida aboard a resupply mission to the International Space Station<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Interior components of the BurstCube satellite appear in this photograph. BurstCube, a shoebox-sized satellite that will study some of the universe\u2019s most powerful explosions, was designed and built at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The four circular detectors make up the mission\u2019s gamma-ray detector.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Jeanette Kazmierczak<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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NASA engineer Kate Gasaway goes through a checklist ahead of BurstCube\u2019s magnetic calibration testing at NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Sophia Roberts<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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NASA engineers Julie Cox, Seth Abramczyk, and Franklin Robinson work to adjust the BurstCube spacecraft ahead of thermal vacuum testing at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. <\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Sophia Roberts<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Engineers Benjamin Nold (NASA) and Justin Clavette (SSAI) prepare the BurstCube satellite for testing on a rooftop at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA\/Sophia Roberts<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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