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The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
Fermi ASI Scientific Page (italian)
Fermi,formerly GLAST, is a powerful space observatory that is opening a wide window on the universe through the undestanding of gamma rays.
Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light, and the gamma-ray sky is spectacularly different from the one we perceive with our own eyes.
With a huge leap in all key capabilities, Fermi data are helping scientists to answer persistent questions across a broad range of topics, including supermassive black-hole systems, pulsars, the origin of cosmic rays, and searches for signals of new physics.
Mission Objectives:
The mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed by NASA in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. ASDC contributes to the mission providing:
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is an international and multi-agency space mission that will study the cosmos in the energy range 10 keV - 300 GeV. To explore this energy band, Fermi employs two instruments: The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope was launched from Kennedy Space Center on June 11, 2008. The observatory checkout phase completed on August 11, 2008, and Fermi is now in its second year of nominal science operations. Fermi resides in a low-earth circular orbit (550 km altitude), at a 28.5 degree inclination. The mission was designed for a lifetime of 5 years, with a goal of 10 years of operations. Several successful exploratory missions in gamma-ray astronomy led to the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). Launched in 1991, EGRET made the first complete survey of the sky in the 30 MeV - 10 GeV range.EGRET showed the high-energy gamma-ray sky to be surprisingly dynamic and diverse, with sources ranging from the sun and moon to massive black holes at large redshifts. Most of the gamma-ray sources detected by EGRET remain unidentified. In light of the discoveries with EGRET, the great potential of the next generation gamma-ray telescope can be appreciated.
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