GLAST has shipped
The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope is NASA's next big mission.
The telescope has passed review and has been shipped to Florida where pieces of a Delta-II launcher are being assembled, for, er, launch, May 16th sometime later this year.
GLAST, if successfully launched and operational, will do some very interesting high energy astrophysics, including a large area telescope and a high energy burst monitor
NASA has announced an open competition to name GLAST, after a successful launch, I hope. Wouldn't want to jinx it, not that I'm superstitious or anything. Deadline for nominations is March 31st.
How many bottles and which way have you bet on finding evidence of dark matter?
They're taking a cue from their Japanese counterparts. Hinode was Solar-B, Akebono was Exos-D, Nozomi was Planet-B, etc. (the last, a Mars mission, was launched successfully but failed en route).
Some people around here have suggested the Bruce Banner Memorial Gamma-Ray Telescope. Go BBMGRT!
Hm, Banner - I like it, subtle.
I don't suppose NASA will go for the "Villard Telescope", eh?
I have not bet on dark matter, but I might be tempted given a suitable target, modulo Scott's advice to always bet on science, not scientists...
Personally, I think the way to go is "there is no gamma-ray annihilation radiation from cold dark matter in galactic halo cusps" - way overrated.
Re. the Japanese, NASA has been doing this for a while. Compton was
the Gamma-Ray Observatory, Chandra was AXAF, Spitzer was SIRTF, etc.
Although I guess they got cocky with Hubble and now with JWST.
I wonder how Marvel Comics would respond if they called it "The Hulk"?
(It would have to be painted green, of course.)