FUSE satellite during testing.
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Courtesy of NASA
NASA Ready to Launch New Satellite
News story originally written on June 11, 1999
NASA has announced its newest mission! The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) is scheduled for launch on June 23, 1999. FUSE will be the latest satellite to investigate the origin of our Universe. Specifically, it will help scientists research a special type of hydrogen made right after the Big Bang.
Scientists hope that by looking at this ancient gas, we will find more clues about the actual formation of the Universe. In a way, scientists will be able to look back in time using FUSE.
FUSE is a combination of the spacecraft and the actual instrument. Each will be run by their own computer. The satellite will complete one orbit of the Earth every 100 minutes at an altitude of 477 miles (768 kilometers) above the surface. The instrument was created at Johns Hopkins University. The goals of the mission include discovering new information about the Big Bang.
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