posted 05-30-2019 06:45 PM               

Spitzer's Final Voyage

On Jan. 30, 2020, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope will transmit the final science and engineering data to mission control and then be commanded off, ending its amazing and surprising mission.

But even after Spitzer ceases transmissions, scientists will continue making discoveries from its 16 years of data for decades to come. Spitzer enables groundbreaking advances in our understanding of planetary systems around other stars, the evolution of galaxies in the nearby and distant universe, the structure of our Milky Way galaxy, the infinite variety in the lives of stars, and the constituents of our Solar System. Along with other NASA missions, Spitzer has defined the landscape that will be explored and revealed in the future by NASA's next infrared Great Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope.

I've been part of the Spitzer mission since 1999, joining four years before the launch as the Science User Tools Scientist. Spitzer's prime mission lasted more than twice the requirement, and I can assert with confidence that no one expected that the Observatory would still be operating and doing exciting science in 2019, the tenth year of the extended mission. I'm incredibly privileged to have spent almost my entire professional career with this mission. The people who operate the observatory are a family and we are surrounded by our cousins, the science community who have so creatively driven the science of the mission. When I started on this path I could not have imagined how rewarding this journey would be.

Please join us is celebrating Spitzer's Final Voyage in the remaining months of the mission.

Follow the hashtag #spitzerfinalvoyage on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

posted 01-16-2020 10:00 AM               

After 16 years of unveiling the infrared universe, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has left a singular legacy.

As one of NASA's four Great Observatories — a series of powerful telescopes including Hubble, Chandra and Compton that can observe the cosmos in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum — Spitzer quickly became a pioneer in the exploration of the worlds beyond our human vision.

From stars being born to planets beyond our solar system (like the seven Earth-size planets around the star TRAPPIST-1), Spitzer's science discoveries will continue to inspire the world for many years to come.

posted 01-22-2020 05:16 PM               

The Spitzer Space Telescope has been observing the universe in infrared light for over 16 years. As the mission comes to a close, we’ll take a look at some of the amazing highlights and the lasting legacy of this incredible observatory. Speaker(s):

• Varoujan Gorjian, Spitzer Research Scientist, JPL
  
• Robert Hurt, Spitzer Visualization Scientist, Caltech/IPAC
  
• Suzanne Dodd, Former Spitzer Project Manager (2010-2016), JPL
  
• Joseph Hunt, Spitzer Project Manager (Current), JPL

posted 01-30-2020 05:30 PM               

Spitzer Space Telescope retired, revealed exoplanets, galaxies in infrared

NASA has ended the mission of one of its Great Observatories, 16 years after the space telescope began studying the universe in the infrared.

The Spitzer Space Telescope was decommissioned on Thursday (Jan. 30) by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, which sent the signals to shut it down. The telescope returned its last science data on Tuesday.

"We leave behind a powerful scientific and technological legacy," said Spitzer project manager Joseph Hunt, who declared the telescope's end at 5:34 p.m. EST (2234 GMT) after engineers confirmed that the spacecraft was placed in safe mode, ceasing all science operations.