SWIFT: Catching Gamma-Ray Bursts on the Fly
John Nousek
Swift is a multi-wavelength observatory designed for the autonomous detection
and immediate follow-up of gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows. Its Burst
Alert
Telescope (BAT) will detect 100s of GRBs per year, and the observatory will
autonomously maneuver to point UV/optical and X-ray telescopes toward the burst
within 10 to 75 seconds.
Swift is undergoing final testing at Goddard Space Flight Center, in plans of a
fall 2004 launch. This talk will cover the nature of Swift observations, how
the Swift Mission Operations Center at Penn State will interact with the
community,
and what ancillary science will be done (including Targets of Opportunity
and the
BAT all-sky hard X-ray survey).