NASA considers Penn State satellite proposal

By JENNIFER NEJMAN
Collegian Staff Writer

They come and they go in a flash, mysterious explosions of high energy that randomly pop up in the sky. Lasting a minute at most, gamma ray bursts emit gamma rays, optical light rays and radio waves into the universe.

Studying these elusive flashes is tricky, but Penn State astronomers have a plan -- and if they are selected by NASA to build a $135 million satellite, they also will have the means -- to catch the gamma ray bursts in action and record the data.

"Imagine how difficult it is to study something that you don't know where it's going to happen," said John Nousek, principal investigator at Penn State and senior scientist.

Questions about the origins of these energy bursts remain unanswered, said Nousek, who also is a Penn State professor. But scientists believe these light bursts can be used as flashbulbs in the universe, illuminating the darkness for scientists on Earth.

"It's pretty clear these are explosions," Nousek said, "but what is exploding and why is still unanswered."

Penn State astronomers and scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland were selected as finalists for their proposal to build a satellite to use gamma ray, X-ray and optical telescopes to quickly locate the bursts.

The satellite, Nousek said, would have the ability to measure afterglows from all bursts appearing in the 63-degree field of view of the gamma-ray telescope. In cases when the bursts last longer, scientists will be able to watch them as they unfold.

"These bursts are probably the most energetic things in the universe that we know about," said David Burrows, Penn State senior scientist in charge of building the X-ray telescope. Bursts are an enigma because scientists are unsure of their distance from Earth. So far only a few have been measured, he said.

Operations of the satellite would be run from Penn State, Burrows said, explaining the proposal contains preliminary plans of operating schedules for sky gazing and data collecting.

The final proposal to NASA is due by June 18, Burrows said. NASA is expected to announce the two proposals to be launched by September. Launch spots are open in 2003 and 2004.

"For a long time it was kind of a mystery," he said, explaining scientists realized around 1972 these flashes were not a manmade phenomenon but were coming from somewhere in the universe.

The newly proposed technology would use the gamma-ray telescope to locate bursts, communicate with the X-ray telescope to locate a star and then use the optical telescope to measure the distance of the burst from Earth, Burrows said.

The entire process is predicted to take about six hours, Nousek said. Observing the action quickly is important because the effects of a burst only last between one and two days, he said. However, sometimes bright light can be visible for the duration of a month, Nousek said.

Construction and implementation of the team's ideas hinge on NASA's acceptance.

"We can't build the satellite without the (money)," Nousek said. But if the plan is not selected, it is possible to refine the proposal and resubmit the idea, he said.

"Good ideas never die," he said.