Stanford/SLAC satellite launch to be broadcast live on the web

Saturday, June 7, is the scheduled launch date for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), an orbiting observatory designed with important participation from scientists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and the main campus.

A Stanford delegation has gathered in Florida for the launch, which can be viewed live on the NASA website.

Fifteen years in the making, GLAST will look at the heavens for gamma rays emitted by a number of the universe's wonders, including blazers, active galaxies, gamma ray bursts and neutron stars. The NASA mission may offer up key information about the early universe and even the mystery of dark matter. Physics Professor Peter Michelson is the principal investigator for the telescope.

The launch from Cape Canaveral is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, but delays are possible.

To check the launch schedule visit http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html. To watch the launch go to http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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