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NASA's Swift spacecraft will give scientists a tool dedicated to observing gamma-ray bursts "on-the-fly." Click on image for larger view. Image credit: NASA

Mission News

NASA Satellite Detects Record Gamma Ray Burst Explosion Halfway Across Universe

03.20.08 - - A powerful stellar explosion detected March 19 by NASA's Swift satellite has shattered the record for the most distant object that could be seen with the naked eye.
NASA Scientists Catch a Unique Gamma-Ray Burst

05.11.05 - NASA scientists have, for the first time, detected and pinned down the location of a short gamma-ray burst, lasting only 50 milliseconds.
Cosmic Explosion Among the Brightest in Recorded History

02.18.05 - Scientists have detected a flash of light brighter than anything ever detected from beyond our Solar System.
Swift Images the Birth of a Black Hole

01.21.05 - The NASA-led Swift mission has detected and imaged its first gamma-ray burst.
NASA Successfully Launches Swift Satellite →

11.20.04 - The Swift spacecraft was successfully launched on its mission to study gamma ray bursts.
NASA Delays Swift Launch

11.17.04 - Launch of Swift spacecraft has been delayed at least 24 hours.
NASA Schedules Swift Spacecraft Launch

11.08.04
Swift: An International Collaboration

11.01.04 - NASA's new satellite will study the connection between black hole birth and gamma-ray bursts.
Swift Media Briefing

10.25.04 - Monday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. EST a live briefing will be held on NASA TV about the Agency's newest Gamma-ray burst mission.
Swift Satellite to Catch Mysterious Bursts →

08.02.04 - Swift is an awe-inspiring mission - tracking down what are the fastest and most powerful events in the Universe.
Gamma-Ray Bursts, X-Ray Flashes, Supernovae Not As Different As They Appear →

11.12.03 - A study shows that gamma-ray bursts, X-ray flashes and certain supernovae are connected by their common explosive energy, suggesting that a single type of phenomenon -- the explosion of a massive star -- is the culprit.
Biggest Cosmic Explosions May Also Propel Fastest Objects in the Universe →

08.14.03 - Gamma-ray bursts may generate the most energetic particles in the Universe, known as the ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, according to observations from NASA's Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory.
Amateur Astronomer Locates Powerful Stellar Explosion Before the Pros →

08.12.03 - Berto Monard of South Africa became the first amateur astronomer to discover an afterglow of a gamma-ray burst.
Rosetta Stone Decodes Gamma-Ray Burst Mystery →

06.18.03 - Scientists have pieced together the key elements of a gamma-ray burst, from star death to dramatic black hole birth, thanks to a "Rosetta stone" found on March 29, 2003.
Swift Satellite to Catch Mysterious Bursts →

05.28.03 - The RHESSI satellite was snapping X-ray pictures of solar flares when it caught an extremely bright background gamma-ray burst, revealing a novel physical feature of these gamma rays -- their polarization.
NASA Detects One of the Closest and Brightest Gamma-Ray Bursts →

03.31.03 - NASA's High-Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) detects one of the brightest and closest bursts yet, signaling the birth of a black hole in the constellation Leo.
Race to Gamma-Ray Burst Reveals Gigantic Explosion, Death & Birth →

03.19.03 - Moments after a gamma-ray burst, scientists witnessed the death of a gigantic star and the birth of something monstrous in its place -- quite possibly a brand-new, spinning black hole.
Short and Long Gamma-Ray Bursts Different to the Core →

02.20.03 - Analysis of nearly 2,000 gamma-ray bursts -- the mysterious creators of black holes and the most powerful explosions known in the Universe -- has revealed that the two major varieties appear to arise from different types of events.
NASA Gamma-Ray Burst Satellite Team Assembles World's Largest Telescope Mask →

03.13.02 - The team behind the NASA's Swift gamma-ray burst satellite constructed a massive "coded aperture mask," the largest such device ever built.