USA: NASA GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY PRESS CONFERENCE скачать в хорошем качестве

USA: NASA GAMMA RAY OBSERVATORY PRESS CONFERENCE

(24 Mar 2000) English/Nat NASA has announced it has decided to crash land its Crompton Gamma Ray Observatory, after the orbiting space platform failed. It's the latest headache for the American space agency, which has been hit by a string of technical difficulties. NASA has also been fending off allegations that officials pressed ahead with an ill-fated landing on Mars by an unmanned space probe last December, eventhough they knew it would fail. NASA says the Compton Observatory mission has fundamentally changed ideas on some of the most important unsolved puzzles in astrophysics - gamma-rays. But the space agency has been forced to abandon the Gamma-Ray Observatory - or G-R-O - after one of the ageing satellite's gyroscopes, which help maintain its orbit, failed. SOUNDBITE: (English) "This was a difficult decision due to the loss of potential science from the GRO over the next few years. But the safest option clearly is to bring it down in June. We will lose science, there is no question about it." SUPER CAPTION: Edward Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator of Space Science Using images from the Crompton Observatory, scientists discovered a new class of gamma ray sources in the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists could have let the observatory remain in space and fall to earth naturally within ten years, but doing so would have increased the chance of parts from the structure hitting populated areas on earth. NASA decided not to take any chances and will instead crash the observatory into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. SOUNDBITE: (English) "It's not a pleasant day when you have to make a conscious decision to stop doing world-class, forefront research. But the bottom line is that there can be no trade-off between lost science and even the slightest increased chance of loss of human life." SUPER CAPTION: Edward Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator of Space Science Though invisible to the human eye, gamma rays are in fact the most powerful form of light in the universe - far more energetic than visible light, ultraviolet radiation and X-rays. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...