NASA's Newest Telescope Returns Stunning Views of Space
December 18 2003 - 1:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
NASA's Newest Telescope Returns Stunning Views of Space WASHINGTON,
Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The first infrared images taken by NASA's
Space Infrared Telescope Facility, or SIRTF, were presented today
at a press conference at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
SIRTF's ability to see through thick space dust is enabling the
telescope to return unprecedented views of our universe, including
photos presented today of a glowing stellar nursery and the swirls
of a spiral galaxy. The observatory, launched August 25, 2003, uses
a unique cryogenically cooled telescope built at Ball Aerospace
& Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. to provide the images.
Ball Aerospace played a significant role in all four of NASA's
Great Observatories by building science instruments, optical
systems, cryogenic systems, mechanisms and electronics. NASA also
announced the new name of the powerful telescope at the press
conference. The new name, the Spitzer Space Telescope, was chosen
to honor Dr. Lyman Spitzer, Jr., a pioneer in astronomy whose
efforts to put telescopes in space ultimately led to the creation
of SIRTF, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope. The name was
selected as part of a contest that drew 7,000 entries from around
the world. The winning entry was submitted by Jay Stidolph, 28, of
Fort Nelson, British Columbia. "NASA's investment in the Great
Observatories is creating a legacy of science that will be used for
generations," says Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
President and CEO David L. Taylor. "The magnificent views into deep
space are the product of many teams working toward a single goal --
to open our eyes to the vastness of our universe. We are proud and
honored to have played a significant role in this great
achievement." The Cryogenic Telescope Assembly, or CTA, built at
Ball Aerospace, is the "eyes" of the Spitzer Space Telescope, with
a lightweight telescope and cooling technology that allow it to see
the faint infrared light produced by cosmic objects. The unique
cooling system aboard the CTA allowed the Spitzer Space Telescope
to be launched "warm." Once in space, the telescope was cooled to
its operating temperature of 5 degrees above absolute zero (about
450 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit). This warm launch technique had
never before been used. It greatly reduced the amount of liquid
helium coolant needed to enable a mission length of between two and
one half years to five years in duration. Ball Aerospace was also
responsible for building two of the Spitzer Space Telescope's three
scientific instruments. The Infrared Spectrograph will provide the
telescope with low and moderate spectral-resolution spectroscopic
capabilities. The Multiband Imaging Photometer is a far-infrared
instrument capable of imaging photometry and scan mapping. The
detectors used in these instruments are up to 1,000 times more
sensitive than those used in any previous space infrared mission. A
part of NASA's Origins program, the Spitzer Space Telescope is the
fourth component of NASA's family of Great Observatories, which
study a wide variety of astronomical phenomena. The long-wave
infrared capability of the Spitzer Space Telescope provides a
unique scientific complement to the Hubble Space Telescope, which
provides images and data from ultraviolet, visible and short-wave
infrared light, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The Compton
Gamma Ray Observatory was removed from orbit by NASA in 2000 after
a successful nine-year mission that provided data on the
high-energy gamma rays. The Spitzer Space Telescope mission is
managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Information about the Spitzer Space Telescope is available online
at: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/ Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is
one of the world's leading suppliers of metal and plastic packaging
to the beverage and food industries. The company also owns Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corp. With the addition of Ball
Packaging Europe, acquired in December 2002, Ball expects to report
2003 sales of approximately $4.9 billion, of which approximately
$4.4 billion will come from its two packaging segments and $500
million from its aerospace and technologies segment.
Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release
contains "forward-looking" statements. Actual results or outcomes
may differ materially from those expressed or implied. As time
passes, the relevance and accuracy of forward- looking statements
contained in this release may change. The company currently does
not intend to update any particular forward-looking statement
except as it deems necessary at quarterly or annual release of
earnings. Please refer to the Form 10-Q filed by Ball Corporation
on November 10, 2003, for a summary of key risk factors that could
affect actual results or outcomes. Factors that might affect the
packaging segments of the company are: fluctuation in consumer and
customer demand; competitive packaging material availability,
pricing and substitution; the weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing
yields; company and industry productive capacity and competitive
activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost
reductions; regulatory action or laws, including the German
mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws and
environmental and workplace safety regulations; availability and
cost of raw materials, energy and transportation; the ability or
inability to pass on to customers changes in these costs,
particularly resin, steel and aluminum; pricing and ability or
inability to sell scrap; international business risks (including
foreign exchange rates and tax rates) particularly in the United
States, Europe and in developing countries such as China and
Brazil; and the effect of LIFO accounting on earnings. Factors that
may affect the aerospace segment are: funding, authorization and
availability of government contracts and the nature and
continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty
associated with aerospace segment contracts. Factors that could
affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: successful
and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures and
the integration activities associated therewith including the
integration and operation of the business of Schmalbach-Lubeca AG,
now known as Ball Packaging Europe; the inability to purchase the
company's common stock; insufficient or reduced cash flow;
regulatory action or laws including those related to corporate
governance and financial reporting, regulations and standards;
actual and estimated business consolidation and investment costs
and the net realizable value of assets associated with these
activities; goodwill impairment; changes in generally accepted
accounting principles or their interpretation; litigation;
antitrust, intellectual property, consumer and other issues;
strikes; boycotts; increases in various employee benefits and labor
costs, specifically pension, medical and health care costs incurred
in the countries in which Ball has operations; rates of return
projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit
retirement plans; interest rates and level of company debt,
including floating rate debt; terrorist activities, war or
catastrophic events that disrupt or impact production, supply or
pricing of the company's goods and services, including raw
materials and energy costs, or disrupt or impact the credit and
financing of the company's businesses; and U.S. and foreign
economic conditions. DATASOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies
Corp. CONTACT: Emilia Reed, +1-303-939-6551, or Rachelle Wood,
+1-303-939-6606, both of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.,
Web site: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/ Web site:
http://www.ballaerospace.com/
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