LHCb presents evidence of rare B decay

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

13 November 2012

Image above: A beam of protons enters the LHCb detector on the left, creating a B⁰_s particle, which decays into two muons (purple tracks crossing the whole detector). (Image: LHCb/CERN).

Today at the Hadron Collider Physics Symposium in Kyoto, Japan, the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) collaboration presented evidence for one of the rarest particle decays ever observed.

The Standard Model of particle physics predicts that the B⁰_S particle, which is made of a bottom antiquark bound to a strange quark, should decay into a pair of muons (μμ) about 3 times in every billion (10⁹) decays. LHCb's measurement, from an analysis of data from 2011 and part of that from 2012, gives a value of (3.2^+1.5_-1.2) × 10^-9.  LHCb spokesperson Pierluigi Campana told the CERN Bulletin that the value is "in very good agreement with the prediction."

Particle physicists describe the certainty of a result on a scale that goes up to 5 sigma. One sigma could be a random statistical fluctuation in the data, 3 sigma counts as evidence, but only a full 5-sigma result is a discovery. The significance of the LHCb measurement is 3.5 sigma and therefore is classified as the first evidence for the B0s →μμ decay.

 CERN LHC - To discover the secrets of the Universe

Note:

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of Nature.

The instruments used at CERN are particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 20 Member States.

Find out more:

Conference website: http://www.icepp.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/hcp2012/

LHCb: http://lhcb-public.web.cern.ch/lhcb-public/Welcome.html

CERN Bulletin: A rare sight: http://cdsweb.cern.ch/journal/CERNBulletin/2012/46/News%20Articles/1493237?ln=en

Images, Text, Credit: CERN / LHCb.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Completed flight tests ICA FKI Zond-PP

ROSCOSMOS logo.

13/11/2012

In FSUE NPO. SA Lavochkin completes the work to implement the first phase of the flight test program MKA-FKI (PN1) Zond-PP.

Currently, the operation is working off target equipment ICA Zond-PP - two-channel L-band radiometer. On the basis of applications received from regular IRE RAS (Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics. Kotelnikov, Russian Academy of Sciences) recording at the Earth's surface, then reset the target information. For processing is calibrated target equipment and debug software developed by the institute.

Analysis of the data by experts IRE RAS, indicates the high quality targeted information and suitability for further case processing. In the images in pseudocolor by measurements Zond-PP in the period from 24 to 30 September clearly visible characteristics of sea ice. In particular allocated area and multi-year ice near Antarctica, continental multi-year ice and first-year ice.

Along with the radiometric information IRE RAS also transmitted data chetyrehzonalnoy multispectral camera mounted on ICA-FCI (PN1) Zond-PP to match the video and radiometric data.

Multispectral camera (optional Payload), operating in four areas of the visible spectrum - red, green, blue and near infrared range, functioning normally and successfully passes the scientific information that is used to produce research results. In the near future planned camera calibration by the stars.

Photogrammetric block - another additional payload installed on the MCA Zond-PP. With this instrument flight testing is promising star sensors that will be used in subsequent articles.

Giperspektrometr (GSK, 150 spectral channels) - new domestic development, which is also undergoing flight qualification on a small spacecraft Zond-PP.

Confirmed features giperspektrometra help solve a number of problems of remote sensing of the Earth, such as the species and age of forest classification, evaluation of the biological condition of forests, agricultural facilities, the level of hydrocarbon contamination earth's surface, the ecological status of water bodies, pollution of coastline and coastal waters, etc.

Zond-PP spacecraft

Spacecraft MKA-FKI ("Zond-PP") was launched on Soyuz-FG with the upper stage Fregat July 22, 2012. During flight tests with the spacecraft was conducted over 850 sessions.

Zond-PP - the first device in a series of small satellites, based on which it is planned to produce a line of small spacecraft. The satellite is based on the platform "Carat". The main purpose of the ICA-FCI (PN1) - to work to develop radio-physical methods of remote sensing (ERS) from space in perspective decimeter electromagnetic waves to study physical phenomena and processes in the atmosphere-earth surface.

Original text in Russian: http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=19683

Images, Text, Credits: Press service of ROSCOSMOS and NPO. Lavochkin /  Translation: Orbiter.ch.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Ariane 5’s sixth launch of 2012

ESA / Arianespace - Flight VA210 Mission poster.


10 November 2012

This evening, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two telecommunications satellites, Eutelsat-21B and Star One-C3, into their planned transfer orbits.

 Ariane 5 VA210 liftoff

Liftoff of flight VA210, the 66th Ariane 5 mission, came at 21:05 GMT (22:05 CET; 18:05 French Guiana). The target injection orbit had a perigee altitude of 250 km, an apogee altitude at injection of 35 786 km and an inclination of 2°.

The satellites were accurately injected into their transfer orbits about 28 minutes and 33 minutes after liftoff, respectively.

Eutelsat-21B

Eutelsat-21B will be positioned above the equator at 21.5°E. It will deliver telecommunications services, data services for corporate networks and governmental administrations, and IP access in Europe, North and West Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

Star One-C3

Star One-C3, to be positioned at 75°W or 84°W, will provide direct TV broadcast, telephone and long-distance domestic communications services for Brazil and South America.

The payload mass for this launch was 9216 kg; the satellites totalled 8250 kg, with payload adapters and dispensers making up the additional 966 kg. 

Flight VA210 was Ariane 5’s 52nd successful launch in a row since December 2002.

Replay launch Ariane 5 flight VA210

VA210 flight timeline

Ariane 5’s cryogenic, liquid-propellant main engine was ignited first. Seven seconds later, the solid-propellant boosters also fired, and the vehicle lifted off a fraction of a second later.

The solid boosters were jettisoned 2 min 22 sec after main engine ignition, and the fairing protecting the payload during the climb through Earth’s atmosphere was discarded at 3 min 28 sec.

The launcher’s main engine shut down at 8 min 51 sec; six seconds later, the main cryogenic stage separated from the upper stage and its payload.

Four seconds after main stage separation, the engine of the cryogenic upper stage ignited to continue the journey. The engine shut down at 24 min 58 sec into the flight, at which point the vehicle was travelling at 9352 m/s (33 667 km/hr) at an altitude of 654.6 km. The conditions for geostationary transfer orbit injection had been achieved.

At 28 min 03 sec after main engine ignition, Eutelsat-21B separated from the upper stage, followed by Star One-C3 at 33 min 17 sec. Ariane 5’s flight operations were completed 48 min 47 sec after main engine ignition.

Related links:

Ariane 5: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Access_to_Space/SEMEUBRHPOG_0.html

Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA / Arianespace / Eutelsat.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

The Van Allen Probes: Honoring the Origins of Magnetospheric Science

NASA - Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) patch.

Nov. 10, 2012

A broad suite of instruments on the Van Allen Probes will help scientists understand more about the myriad types of particles and waves in the radiation belts that encircle Earth, providing a flood of new data for scientists who study the magnetosphere. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Earth's magnetism has captured human attention since the first innovator noticed that a freely moving piece of magnetized iron would always align itself with Earth's poles. Throughout most of history, the origins and physics of this magnetism remained mysterious, though by the 20th century certain things had been learned by measuring the magnetic field at Earth's surface. These measurements suggested that Earth's magnetic field was consistent with that of a giant bar magnet embedded deep inside Earth. However, the magnetic field observed at the surface of our planet is constantly fluctuating. During the 1930s scientists pioneered explanations that such fluctuations were due to streams of particles from the sun striking and becoming entrapped within Earth’s magnetic field.

Truly understanding Earth's magnetic environment, however, required traveling to space. In 1958, the first US rocket -- known as Explorer 1 and led by James Van Allen at the University of Iowa -- was launched. By providing observations of a giant swath of magnetized radiation trapped around Earth, now known as the Van Allen Belts, Explorer 1 confirmed that Earth's magnetic environment, the magnetosphere, was not a simple place. We now know that it has a complex shape – compressed on the side facing the sun, but stretched out into a long tail trailing off away from the sun -- affected as much by incoming material from the sun as Earth's own intrinsic magnetism. This magnetic field constantly fluctuates in response to both internal instabilities and events on the sun. It also provides a home for a host of electrified particles spiraling through this complex system.

A Scientific American article in 1963 said: "Conditions in the magnetosphere are so diverse and so variable . . . that millions of observations by scores of satellites and rocket probes have only begun to plot the broad outlines of this extension of the Earth into space." The age of magnetospheric science had begun, and it hasn't stopped yet. In 2012, those observations continue with the latest addition to NASA's heliospheric fleet: twin satellites launched on Aug. 30, 2012, originally named the Radiation Belt Storm Probes.

On Nov. 9, NASA announced that to honor the scientist who helped launched the field, the probes will be renamed the Van Allen Probes. The renaming comes simultaneously with a standard milestone for any NASA mission: the end of commissioning. Commissioning occurs after launch when all the instruments have been turned on and tested. The end of commissioning also marks the beginning of the prime science mission.

"We are excited to be honoring James Van Allen in this way," says David Sibeck, NASA's mission scientist for the Van Allen Probes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "This is an important mission that carries on early magnetospheric work. In the past we have only had one spacecraft at a time looking at the radiation belts. The state-of-the-art instruments we have now are going to be able to comprehensively observe all the types of particles and waves in this part of the magnetosphere."

On Nov. 9, 2012, NASA renamed the Radiation Belt Storm Probes to the Van Allen Probes. The probes, shown here in an artist's rendition, will help scientists study two giant belts of radiation around Earth. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Indeed, the preliminary data returned from the Van Allen Probes' first two months already has scientists very excited. The instruments all meet or exceed mission specifications and some papers and publications are already planned based on just the first few weeks of observations.

The probes have a planned two-year mission, each with a similar orbit that will carry the spacecraft through all parts of the radiation belts. The basic goal of the mission is to understand what causes the belts to swell and shrink in response to incoming radiation from the sun. Such changes in the belts can endanger satellites in space that orbit near the belts.

To distinguish between a host of theories developed over the years on the radiation belts, Van Allen Probe scientists have designed a suite of instruments to answer three main questions. Where do the extra energy and particles come from? Where do they disappear to, and what sends them on their way? How do these changes affect the rest of the magnetosphere? In addition to its broad range of instruments, the mission will make use of its two spacecraft to better map out the full spatial dimensions of a particular event and how it changes over time.

Scientists want to understand not only the origins of electrified particles – possibly from the solar wind constantly streaming off the sun; possibly from an area of Earth's own outer atmosphere, the ionosphere – but also what mechanisms gives the particles their extreme speed and energy.

"We know examples where a storm of incoming particles from the sun can cause the two belts to swell so much that they merge and appear to form a single belt," says Shri Kanekal, the Van Allen Probes' deputy mission scientist at Goddard. "Then there are other examples where a large storm from the sun didn't affect the belts at all, and even cases where the belts shrank. We need to figure out what causes the differences."

Of course, just like Explorer 1, any new spacecraft will provide unexpected observations that can dramatically change the models and theories about a given region of space. The magnetospheric science that James Van Allen helped initiate will surely provide additional surprises as the Van Allen Probes sweep their way through the radiation belts.

For more information about Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), renamed Van Allen Probes, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipce/ipao/home/rbsp_highlight.html

Image (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Karen C. Fox.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

ESA’s IXV reentry vehicle prepares for soft landing

ESA - IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle.

9 November 2012

Europe’s IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is completing a series of descent and landing tests, including a full-scale splashdown planned for early next year, allowing the mission to move ahead towards launch in 2014.

The ambition for a spacecraft to return autonomously from low orbit is a cornerstone for a wide range of space applications, including space transportation, exploration and robotic servicing of space infrastructure.

IXV parachute drop test

IXV will achieve this goal. More manoeuvrable and able to make precise landings, it is the ‘intermediate’ element of Europe’s path to future developments with limited risks.

Launched into a suborbital trajectory on ESA’s small Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the vehicle will return to Earth as though from a low-orbit mission.

For the first time, it will test and qualify European critical reentry technologies in hypersonic flight, a requirement for all future applications that include a return from orbit.

The experimental nature of the mission means that the vehicle’s trajectory is designed to avoid inhabited regions – it will fly the experimental hypersonic phase over the Pacific Ocean, descend by parachute and land in the ocean to await recovery and analysis.

The descent and landing are key because they will allow the recovery of the vehicle and its precious recorded data for inspection, and serve as a backup in the event of a telemetry failure with ground stations.

Multiple failures during these phases in past national and international test flights have prompted ESA to ensure the recovery of the vehicle and data by using a robust design and rigorous verification.

Specific tests at system and subsystems level have been added to the standard qualification approach, including splashdown attitude verification tests in Rome, Italy, at the INSEAN research institute, a parachute subsystem qualification test at the US Yuma Proving Ground, and a descent and landing system test in Sardinia, Italy, at Poligono Interforze Salto di Quirra (PISQ).

Water splashdown

Attitude verification tests during splashdown were concluded in September 2011 with a prototype. They verified several vehicle splashdown scenarios at different angles, ranging from –35° to +71°, and wind conditions, in longitudinal and lateral directions.

This has revealed the ideal water impact angle to minimise loads and preserve the vehicle’s structure to be +35°.

Parachute

The parachute qualification test was completed in June 2012, verifying the behaviour of the complex subsystem, including its multiple stages.

A second prototype integrating the subsystem was dropped from a plane at an altitude of 5.7 km and landed safely in the Arizona desert.

Descent and landing

Flight testing of the descent and landing system is planned for the first quarter of 2013. It aims to verify the behaviour of the complete descent and landing system chain, ensuring the recovery of the vehicle.

A third full-scale prototype is undergoing integration at Italy’s CIRA research centre, including flight hardware and software. It will be dropped from a helicopter at an altitude of 3 km, splashing down in the Mediterranean Sea in the PISQ test range off the coast of Sardinia.

Third full-scale prototype undergoing integration

In parallel, industry is moving ahead with building and qualifying all flight elements, including the vehicle and the ground support equipment, and ground elements such as the mission control centre and tracking stations.

“In addition to the retrieval of flight data in real time via telemetry, securing the descent and landing phases of the IXV mission for the recovery of the vehicle intact is the requirement of utmost importance for the project,” says Giorgio Tumino, IXV Project Manager.

“Following past national and international experimentation failures, a lot of pressure is on industry to strengthen the failure tolerance in the design and verification approach of such critical flight phases."

“The IXV mission into space is now becoming a concrete reality. It will provide Europe with credible and unique knowhow on atmospheric reentry system aspects and unknowns and flight-proven technologies essential to support the realisation of the Agency’s future ambitions in the field.”

Related link:

Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV): http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Technology/SEMDPQ2PGQD_0.html

Images, Videos, Text, Credits: ESA / Pioneer Aerospace / CIRA.

Cheers, Orbiter.ch

Happy Little Crater on Mercury

NASA - MESSENGER Mission to Mercury patch.

Nov. 9, 2012

It looks like even the craters on Mercury have heard of Bob Ross! The central peaks of this complex crater have formed in such a way that it resembles a smiling face. This image taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft is oriented so north is toward the bottom.

Artist's concept of the NASA's MESSENGER spaceraft at Mercury. (Credit: NASA)

The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. Visit the Why Mercury? section of this website to learn more about the key science questions that the MESSENGER mission is addressing. During the one-year primary mission, MESSENGER acquired 88,746 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is now in a yearlong extended mission, during which plans call for the acquisition of more than 80,000 additional images to support MESSENGER's science goals.

For more information about MESSENGER Mission to Mercury, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/main/index.html

Images, Text,  Credit: NASA.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Astronomers develop new method to determine neutron star mass

ESA - Integral Mission patch / ESA - XMM-Newton Mission patch.

09 Nov 2012

Astronomers have used INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton to look into the neutron star in IGR J17252-3616, a highly obscured X-ray binary system. The data show how the neutron star, which is being fuelled by the stellar wind from its companion, is substantially deflecting the flow of the accreted material. Comparison with numerical simulations provides an estimate of the neutron star's mass, suggesting a new method to determine the mass of these extremely dense, exotic objects.

Neutron stars are created at the end of a massive star's life from the gravitational collapse of the stellar core. They are among the most dense objects in the Universe and provide astronomers with marvellous laboratories to explore the physics of matter at extremely high densities.

Artist's impression of a neutron star in a highly obscured high-mass X-ray binary system. Credit: ESA/AOES Medialab.

An important factor to constrain the properties of matter in such exotic environments, which are still largely unclear, is the mass of neutron stars. Astronomers have determined the mass of about 60 neutron stars so far, and most of them seem to have masses around 1.4 times the mass of the Sun. Only a handful neutron stars are known with masses around two solar masses, well below the upper limit prescribed by the theory, which is 3.2 solar masses. Astrophysicists are keen to find massive neutron stars.

 A study based on observations from two ESA missions – INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton – as well as on numerical simulations, has now provided a new method to determine the mass of neutron stars that may have the potential to unveil a few massive ones in the future.

"To estimate neutron star masses, we look at the ones that are part of binary stellar systems because, in a binary system, the relative motions of the two components are determined by their masses," explains Antonios Manousakis, who led this study.

 "To estimate neutron star masses, we look at the ones that are part of binary stellar systems because, in a binary system, the relative motions of the two components are determined by their masses," explains Antonios Manousakis, who led this study.

"In this case, we looked at a special type of binary system: an X-ray binary, where the neutron star is accreting mass from its companion star. In these systems, the accreted material is heated up to millions of degrees and emits large amounts of X-rays," he adds.

Manousakis undertook this research as a PhD student under the supervision of Roland Walter at the ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He is currently a researcher at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center in Warsaw, Poland.

The binary system investigated in this study, known as IGR J17252-3616, belongs to a special class of sources named highly obscured high-mass X-ray binaries. In a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) system, the companion star fuelling the accreting neutron star is a bright, massive star. Highly obscured HMXBs are a subset of these systems that exhibit very faint emission at soft X-ray energies: as a result had eluded all searches in this portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. They were discovered via hard X-ray observations with INTEGRAL in 2003.

"We believe that soft X-rays from highly obscured high-mass X-ray binaries are absorbed by the wind released by the neutron star's companion, a supergiant star," notes Chris Winkler, INTEGRAL project scientist at ESA. "On the other hand, hard X-rays are not affected by the stellar wind, making these sources easier to spot in hard X-rays," he adds.

Manousakis and his collaborators made use of extensive observations of the hard X-ray emission from IGR J17252-3616 obtained with INTEGRAL, which monitored this source frequently over the past decade. In addition, XMM-Newton was also used to obtain dedicated observations of the soft X-ray emission from this source.

"Although highly obscured HMXBs are intrinsically fainter at soft X-rays, they can still be detected with XMM-Newton. In particular, the observations of the soft X-ray emission from this binary system were crucial to reveal variations in this absorbed component," comments Norbert Schartel, XMM-Newton project scientist at ESA.

Image above: Variations in the absorption of the soft X-ray emission from an eclipsing, highly obscured high-mass X-ray binary as a function of its orbital phase. Credit: ESA/AOES Medialab.

 The astronomers were able to gather more information about the dynamics of this system because IGR J17252-3616 is an eclipsing binary: the inclination of the orbital plane with respect to our line of sight is such that the two components are seen to periodically transit in front of one another.

"The occurrence of eclipses allows us to tackle the dynamics of this binary system by studying how much the soft X-ray emission is absorbed by the stellar wind as the neutron star and its companion move around one another," notes Roland Walter of the Data Centre for Astrophysics (ISDC) at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

"The variations we observed in the XMM-Newton data exhibit a regular pattern that shows us how the stellar wind is being deflected by the neutron star's gravity," Walter adds.

Video above: The stellar wind is deflected by the neutron star's gravity in a numerical simulation of highly obscured HMXB. Courtesy of Antonios Manousakis, ISDC, Geneva, Switzerland.

The team of astronomers tried to reproduce this behaviour using numerical simulations. In particular, they looked at how the density and shape of the accreted material evolve in highly obscured HMXBs with different values for the velocity of the stellar wind and the mass of the neutron star.

"The simulations we ran show that binary systems with slower stellar winds are more likely to develop streams and trailing tails in the proximity of the neutron star. These features could cause absorption variations such as those seen in IGR J17252-3616," explains co-author John Blondin from North Carolina State University at Raleigh, USA. "This seems to suggest that slow stellar winds and highly obscured HMXB are somehow correlated."

The simulations also showed that the mass of the neutron star plays an important role in shaping the observed variations in the absorption. More massive neutron stars induce a more pronounced deflection on the flow of accreted matter. This results into a thicker and denser tail that trails the neutron star, causing stronger absorption.

"The dependence of the absorption variations on the neutron star's mass in the simulations suggests that we can use this approach to estimate the mass of neutron stars in this type of system. In the case of IGR J17252-3616, the comparison between simulations and observations suggests that the neutron star hosted in this binary system is a rather massive one, with a mass of about 1.9 solar masses," says Manousakis.

Graphic above: Absorption variations and neutron-star masses in highly obscured high-mass X-ray binaries. Credit: From Manousakis et al, 2012.

This value, determined by using the flow of accreted matter as a test particle to trace the neutron star's gravitational field, is in agreement with previous estimates of this object mass based on independent measurements.

The method proposed in this study provides an independent and robust alternative to currently used techniques to assess the mass of these exotic objects, proving a fruitful synergy between two missions in ESA's Science Programme.

Notes for editors:

The study presented here is based on observations of the highly obscured high-mass X-ray binary IGR J17252-3616, an eclipsing binary system where a neutron star is accreting matter from a supergiant blue star.

The hard X-ray emission from IGR J17252-3616 was monitored extensively with ESA's INTEGRAL space observatory, yielding a regular survey of the source's variability over the past decade. These data were combined with additional observations from NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer to constrain the orbital parameters of the binary system. Besides, 10 dedicated observations of the soft X-ray emission from IGR J17252-3616 were obtained with ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray space observatory. The XMM-Newton data were used to study in great detail how much the soft X-rays are absorbed by the stellar wind as a function of the binary system's orbital phase.

The data have then been compared with the predictions from numerical simulations performed using the freely-available hydrodynamical code VH-1, which is maintained at North Carolina State University by Prof. John Blondin.

INTEGRAL is an ESA project with instruments and science data centre funded by ESA Member States (especially the Principal Investigator countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland) and Poland, and with the participation of Russia and the USA.

The European Space Agency's X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission, XMM-Newton, was launched in December 1999. It is the biggest scientific satellite to have been built in Europe and uses over 170 wafer-thin cylindrical mirrors spread over three high throughput X-ray telescopes. Its mirrors are among the most powerful ever developed. XMM-Newton's orbit takes it almost a third of the way to the Moon, allowing for long, uninterrupted views of celestial objects. The scientific community can apply for observing time on XMM-Newton on a competitive basis.

Related Links:

The hydrodynamical code VH-1: http://wonka.physics.ncsu.edu/pub/VH-1/

For more information about Integral & XMM-Newton, visit: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Integral/index.html and http://xmm.esac.esa.int/

Greetings, Orbiter.ch