NASA LENDS GALAXY EVOLUTION EXPLORER TO CALTECH

May 16, 2012

J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-5241
j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

Lawren Markle
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
626-395-3226
lmarkle@caltech.edu

RELEASE: 12-155

NASA LENDS GALAXY EVOLUTION EXPLORER TO CALTECH

WASHINGTON -- NASA is lending the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to
the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, where
the spacecraft will continue its exploration of the cosmos. In a
first-of-a-kind move for NASA, a Space Act Agreement was signed May
14 so the university soon can resume spacecraft operations and data
management for the mission using private funds.

"NASA sees this as an opportunity to allow the public to continue
reaping the benefits from this space asset that NASA developed using
federal funding," said Paul Hertz, NASA's Astrophysics Division
director at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "This is an
excellent example of a public/private partnership that will help
further astronomy in the United States."

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer spent about nine years as a NASA
mission, probing the sky with its sharp ultraviolet eyes and
cataloguing hundreds of millions of galaxies spanning 10 billion
years of cosmic time.

"This mission was full of surprises, and now more surprises are sure
to come," said Chris Martin, who will remain the mission's principal
investigator at Caltech. "It already has scanned a large fraction of
the sky, improving our understanding of how galaxies grow and evolve.
The astronomy community will continue those studies, in addition to
spending more time on stars closer to home in our own galaxy."

The spacecraft was placed in standby mode on Feb. 7 of this year.
Soon, Caltech will begin to manage and operate the satellite, working
with several international research groups to continue ultraviolet
studies of the universe. Projects include cataloguing more galaxies
across the entire sky; watching how stars and galaxies change over
time; and making deep observations of the stars being surveyed for
orbiting planets by NASA's Kepler mission. Data will continue to be
made available to the public.

"We're thrilled that the mission will continue on its path of
discovery," said Kerry Erickson, the mission's project manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "The
Galaxy Evolution Explorer is like the 'little engine that could,'
forging ahead into unexplored territory."

During its time at NASA, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer made many
discoveries involving various types of objects that light up our sky
with ultraviolet light. Perhaps the most surprising of these was the
discovery of a gargantuan comet-like tail behind a speeding star
called Mira. Other finds included catching black holes "red-handed"
as they munch away on stars, spying giant rings of new stars around
old, presumed dead galaxies, and independently confirming the nature
of dark energy.

For astronomers, the most profound shift in their understanding of
galaxy evolution came from the mission's findings about a "missing
link" population of galaxies. These missing members helped explain
how the two major types of galaxies in our universe -- the "red and
dead" ellipticals and the blue spirals -- transition from one type to
another.

"We were able to trace the life of a galaxy," Martin said. "With the
Galaxy Evolution Explorer's ultraviolet detectors, we were able to
isolate the small amounts of star formation that are the signatures
of galaxies undergoing an evolutionary change. We found that galaxies
don't have a single personality, but may change types many times over
their lifetime."

The mission also captured a dazzling collection of snapshots, showing
everything from ghostly nebulas to a spiral galaxy with huge, spidery
arms. A slideshow showing some of the top images can be seen here:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/galex/gallery-index.html

Under the new agreement, NASA maintains ownership and liability for
the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft. When Caltech completes
science activities, it will decommission the spacecraft for NASA. The
mission's batteries and solar panels have an expected lifetime of 12
years or more, and the spacecraft will remain in orbit for at least
66 years, after which it will burn-up upon re-entry into Earth's
atmosphere. The agreement can be renegotiated when it expires in
three years.

Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Va., which built the
spacecraft, will continue performing flight control functions for
Caltech associated with monitoring and commanding GALEX and
participating in mission planning. Universal Space Network will
continue providing the ground stations for communicating with the
spacecraft.

For graphics and additional information about the Galaxy Evolution
Explorer, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/galex


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