Artist's concept of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.
A new NASA mission will scan the entire sky in infrared light in search of
nearby cool stars, planetary construction zones and the brightest galaxies
in the universe.
Called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the mission has been
approved to proceed into the preliminary design phase as the next in
NASA's Medium-class Explorer program of lower cost, highly focused,
rapid-development scientific spacecraft. It is scheduled to launch in
2008.
