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Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared: In a composite of images, the Sombrero Galaxy's infrared glow is cut through by the dust of the galactic plane seen edge-on.

Press Releases & Feature Stories

NASA's NuSTAR Ships to Vandenberg Ahead of March 14 Launch

01.25.2012

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Tuesday, to be mated to its Pegasus launch vehicle.

NASA's Hubble Breaks New Ground With Distant Supernova Discovery

01.11.2012

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has looked deep into the distant universe and detected the feeble glow of a star that exploded more than 9 billion years ago.

NASA'S RXTE Helps Pinpoint Launch of 'Bullets' in a Black Hole's Jet

01.10.2012

Using observations from the RXTE satellite and the VLBA radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has identified the moment when a black hole in our galaxy launched super-fast knots of gas into space.

NASA's Fermi Space Telescope Explores New Energy Extremes

01.10.2012

After more than three years in space, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is extending its view of the high-energy sky into a largely unexplored electromagnetic range.

NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Completes Mission Operations

01.09.2012

Over 16 years of operation, he Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) far exceeded its original science goals and has left astronomers with a scientific bounty that will serve them for years to come.

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Division News

Innovators of the Year

12.02.2011

Keith Gendreau and the NICER/SEXTANT team were named this year’s “IRAD Innovators of the Year.” The Goddard Office of the Chief Technologist bestows the award annually on technologists who exemplify the best in R&D. Keith and his team were chosen because of their advanced thinking and sustained effort developing innovative solutions for navigating in deep space using pulsars, transmitting data via X-rays, and gathering first-of-a-kind measurements to better understand the interior composition of neutron stars. The team also includes Zaven Arzoumanian, Michael Blau, David Fickau, John Gaebler, Monther Hasouneh, Clara Hollenhorst, Lalit Jalota, Patrick Jordan, Steven Kenyon, Sridhar Manthripragada, Alissa Mitchell, Jason Mitchell, Michael Moreau, Nicholas Spartana, and Luke Winternitz.

Goddard View

12.01.2011

The James Webb Space Telescope and the Exoplanets Conference are both featured in Volume 7, Issue 8 of the Goddard View.

2011 Robert H. Goddard Honor Award

10.26.2011

Congratulations to Sarah Eyermann and members of the JWST NIRSpec Detector team for winning Robert H Goddard Awards in 2011!

Sarah Eyermann
Award: Exceptional Achievement Award in Outreach
Citation: For outstanding leadership and coordination of the Afterschool Universe program during its development, culminating in a successful train-the-trainer workshop and nationwide dissemination network.

JWST Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec) Instrument Detector System Team
Award: Exceptional Achievement Award in Engineering (Team)
Citation: For outstanding accomplishment in the development and delivery of the JWST NIRSpec flight detector system. Team members from ASD: Bernie Rauscher, Bob Hill (Jr), Meng Chiao, Greg Delo, Don Lindler, Ori Fox

ESB Outfitting Project Team
Award: Customer Service Award
ASD members of the team: Curtis Odell and Larry Olsen

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Overview

The Astrophysics Science Division conducts a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, and fundamental physics. Individual investigations address issues such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which planets outside our solar system may harbor life, and the nature of space, time, and matter at the edges of black holes.

Observing photons, particles, and gravitational waves enables researchers to probe astrophysical objects and processes. Researchers develop theoretical models, design experiments and hardware to test theories, interpret and evaluate the data, archive and disseminate the data, provide expert user support to the scientific community, and publish conclusions drawn from research. The Division also conducts education and public outreach programs about its projects and missions.

About the ASD