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4/7: Aprille Ericsson

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NASA'S MAP PROJECT

Mission Overview

Primary mission: To probe conditions in the early universe by measuring the properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation over the full sky Planned launch: Fall 2000 Launch vehicle: Med-Lite Delta II 7425-10 Orbit: Halo orbit about L2 Sun-Earth Lagrange point, 1.5 million km (1 million miles) from Earth Trajectory: Earth-Moon phasing loops with lunar assist to L2 Mission duration: 27 months (3 months transit to L2, 24 months observing) Payload mass: 800 kg Lead institutions: Goddard Space Flight Center in partnership with Princeton University Instrument: Passively cooled differential microwave radiometers with dual Gregorian 1.4 x 1.6 meter primary reflectors.

Diagram of the Microwave System Subassembly

Content and Images Courtesy of NASA/GSFC and the GSFC's Microwave Anisotrophy Home Page