An image of the AXAF Observatory
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of AXAF Science Center (ASC) operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Contest to Name X-ray Observatory
News story originally written on April 22, 1998
AXAF (Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility) is the most powerful x-ray observatory ever constructed. It is scheduled for launch on December 3, 1998. Once in orbit it will explore the origin of
cosmic rays.
NASA is looking for a new name for the AXAF. Here are the details straight from a NASA news release!
Entries should contain the name of a person (not living),
place, or thing from history, mythology, or fiction. Contestants should describe in a few sentences why this choice would be a good name for AXAF. The name must not have been used before on space missions by NASA or other organizations or countries.
The grand prize will be a trip to NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Cape Canaveral, FL, to see the launch of the satellite
aboard the Space Shuttle. Ten runner-up prizes will be awarded
and all entrants will receive an AXAF poster.
Contest rules, electronic entry forms, and additional
information can be found on the Internet.
Entries also can be mailed to: AXAF Contest, AXAF Science
Center, Office of Education and Public Outreach, 60 Garden Street,
MS 83, Cambridge, MA 02138. Mailed entries must be postmarked no
later than June 30, 1998. All entries must state a name for the
mission, along with the reason the name would make a good choice. Good Luck!
You might also be interested in:
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,
...moreThe Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:19 p.m. EST, October 29th. The sky was clear and the weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit for the Unitied
...more A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon
...more Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials are demanding an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting
...moreDuring a period of about two days in early May, 1998, the ACE spacecraft was immersed in plasma associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). The SWICS instrument on ACE, which determines unambiguously
...moreJ.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service has referred to forests as the "heart and lungs of the world." Forests reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, contribute to atmospheric humidity and cloud
...moreIn late April through mid-May 2002, all five naked-eye planets are visible simultaneously in the night sky! This is includes Mercury which is generally very hard to see because of its proximity to the
...more