Date: February 8th 2008

Feb 7, 2008

Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 grey hautaluoma-1@nasa gov

Lynn Cominsky Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif 707-664-2655 lynnc@universe sonoma edu

RELEASE: 08-036

NASA CALLS FOR SUGGESTIONS TO RE-NAME FUTURE TELESCOPE MISSION

WASHINGTON - NASA announced Thursday that members of the general public from around the world will have a chance to suggest a new name for the cutting edge Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, otherwise known as GLAST, observatory before it launches in mid-2008 The satellite will observe some of the most powerful forces known in the universe

"The idea is to give people a chance to come up with a name that will fully engage the public in the GLAST mission," said Steve Ritz, the mission's project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md

The mission's scientific objectives are to:

Explore the most extreme environments in the universe, where nature harnesses energies far beyond anything possible on Earth
Search for signs of new laws of physics and what composes the mysterious dark matter
Explain how black holes accelerate immense jets of material to nearly light speed
Help crack the mysteries of the stupendously powerful explosions known as gamma-ray bursts
Answer long-standing questions about a broad range of phenomena, including solar flares, pulsars and the origin of cosmic rays

"We're looking for name suggestions that will capture the excitement of GLAST's mission and call attention to gamma-ray and high-energy astronomy We are looking for something memorable to commemorate this spectacular new astronomy mission," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington "We hope someone will come up with a name that is catchy, easy to say and will help make the satellite and its mission a topic of dinner table and classroom discussion "

Suggestions for the mission's new name can be an acronym, but it is not a requirement Any suggestions for naming the telescope after a scientist may only include names of deceased scientists whose names are not already used for other NASA missions All suggestions will be considered The period for accepting names closes on March 31, 2008 Participants must include a statement of 25 words or less about why their suggestion would be a strong name for the mission Multiple suggestions are encouraged

To submit a suggestion for the mission name, visit:

http://glast sonoma edu/glastname

Anyone who drops a name into the "Name That Satellite!" suggestion box on the Web page can choose to receive a "Certificate of Participation" via return e-mail Participants also may choose to receive the NASA press release announcing the new mission name The announcement is expected approximately 60 days after launch of the telescope

NASA's GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U S Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U S

For more information about the GLAST mission, visit:

http://www nasa gov/glast

-end-

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