"Explorer missions continue to efficiently address NASA's objectives,
because of the competitive character of the Explorer Program.

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Dr.
Funded by NASA, up to $450,000 each, these studies focus on cost,
management , and technical plans, including small business involvement and
educational outreach. These new images are among the largest and sharpest Hubble has ever
taken. The Eagle Nebula image reveals a tall ,
dense tower of gas being sculpted by ultraviolet light from a group of
massive, hot stars.

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under contract with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md.

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The missions
include the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI)
launched in February 2002, and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer launched in April
2003. For the first time, a large
telescope that viewed in visible light orbited above Earth's distorting
atmosphere, which blurs light, making images appear fuzzy.gov/

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Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
NASA released new views today of two of the most well-known objects Hubble
has ever observed: the Eagle Nebula and the Whirlpool Galaxy (spiral galaxy
M51).
The mural-sized celestial images of the Eagle Nebula and Whirlpool Galaxy
were unveiled today at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in
Washington. More than 100 museums, planetariums, and science centers will
also unveil these same images today.
Hubble has compiled a long list of scientific achievements since its
launch.stsci.

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IBEX contains two neutral
atom imagers designed to detect particles from the termination shock at the
boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space. It is the first telescope
capable of detecting black holes in the local universe with 1,000 times more
sensitivity than previous missions sensitive to energetic X-rays.

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IBEX is the first mission designed to detect the edge of the Solar System.
It will cost approximately $134 million.
For the 15th anniversary , scientists used the ACS to record a new region
of the eerie-looking Eagle Nebula.

This category lists sites specifically for chats and forums on all facets of amateur astronomy.

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NASA Selects Small Explorer Mission

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It had sufficient
details to convince other independent scientists, engineers, technologists ,
cost analysts, and program managers this is an exciting and breakthrough
experiment for NASA to sponsor," said NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator
for the Science Mission Directorate, Dr.

edu/

NuSTAR: http://www. The images are so incredibly sharp, they could be enlarged to
billboard size and still retain stunning details.nasa.

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The next SMEX mission is the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)
mission, scheduled to launch in September 2006.xraysmex.
The Space Shuttle Discovery placed the Hubble into Earth orbit on April
25, 1990, opening a new era in astronomy. Hubble has:

-- Helped astronomers calculate the precise age of the universe (13.

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The Small Explorer program (SMEX)
consists of rapid, small, and focused science exploration missions. Ghassem Asrar. They were in response to an Explorer
Program Announcement of Opportunity issued in February 2003.nasa. WASHINGTON, During the 15 years NASA's Hubble
Space Telescope has orbited the Earth, it has taken more than 750,000 photos
of the cosmos; images that have awed, astounded and even confounded
astronomers and the public.

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WASHINGTON, A satellite that will make the first
map of the boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space has been
selected as part of NASA's Small Explorer program.

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The new Whirlpool Galaxy image showcases the spiral
galaxy's classic features, from its curving arms, where newborn stars reside,
to its yellowish central core that serves as home for older stars. A feature
of considerable interest is the companion galaxy located at the end of one of
the spiral arms.

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IBEX will make these observations from a highly elliptical
orbit that takes it beyond the interference of the Earth's magnetosphere. A decision
on proceeding to flight development with NuSTAR will be made by early 2006.
is the Principal Investigator for NuSTAR.ibex.swri.
For a list of the museums and other locations displaying the new 4-by-6-
foot image of the Whirlpool Galaxy and the 3-by-6-foot image of the Eagle
Nebula, visit:

http://www.

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As the solar wind from the sun flows out beyond Pluto, it collides with the
material between the stars, forming a shock front.edu/outreach

Electronic image files and additional 15th anniversary information are
available at:

http://hubblesite.

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After installation of a new camera and a device that compensated for an
improperly ground mirror, images of planets , stars, galaxies, and nebula began
pouring in -- most up to 10 times sharper than delivered by any previous
telescope. It
is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in
Astronomy, Inc.

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Dr.
NASA has decided to continue studying another proposed mission, the
Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR).
Dr.
The selected proposals were among 29 SMEX and eight mission-of-opportunity
proposals submitted to NASA in May 2003.gsfc.

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The Interstellar Boundary
Explorer (IBEX) mission will be launched in 2008.gov/

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org/

For information about NASA's Explorer Program on the Internet, visit:

http://explorers .

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NASA has successfully launched six SMEX missions since 1992.
For information and artist's concepts of these missions on the Internet,
visit:

IBEX: http://www . They were made with Hubble's newest camera, the Advanced Camera for
Surveys (ACS). The Hubble Space Telescope is an international cooperative
activity between NASA and the European Space Agency .

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AIM will study the Earth's
highest clouds for clues to climate change. NASA selected six
proposals in November 2003 for detailed feasibility studies.org/news/2005/12

http://www.

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David McComas of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio will lead IBEX.
"The mission will continue the NASA Explorer Program's successful record
of scientific exploration of space over the past four decades, and it supports
the Vision for Space Exploration," Asrar added .

Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary With Spectacular New Images

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IBEX also will study galactic cosmic rays, energetic particles from beyond
the Solar System that pose a health and safety hazard for humans exploring
beyond Earth orbit. McComas and
his co-investigators submitted a compelling proposal.
The Explorer Program is designed to provide frequent, low-cost access to
space for physics and astronomy missions with small to mid-sized spacecraft.,
manages the Explorer Program for the Science Mission Directorate.

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7
billion years old)

-- Helped confirm the existence of a strange form of energy called dark
energy

-- Detected small proto -galaxies that emitted their light when the
universe was less than a billion years old

-- Proved the existence of super-massive black holes

-- Provided sharp views of a comet hitting Jupiter

-- Showed the process of forming planetary systems is common throughout
the galaxy

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) manages Hubble imagery .