What is the Herschel Space Observatory?
The Herschel Space Observatory is the fourth ‘Cornerstone Mission’ of the European Space Agency (ESA) designed to observe the ‘cool universe’ of forming and evolving galaxies, stars, and planetary systems between 57 and 670 microns. NASA is making significant contributions to this ESA mission, funding critical elements of two of the science instruments and supporting U.S. investigators on Herschel with data analysis funds and technical support through the NASA Herschel Science Center. The Observatory will be launched, with Planck Surveyor, on an Ariane-5 from Guiana Space Center in 2008. Science operations, expected to last three years, will be supported from a handful of facilities: a Herschel Science Center, a Mission Operation Center, an Instrument Control Center for each of the three science instruments, and for U.S. observers, a NASA Herschel Science Center. Herschel contains a 3.5 meter passively cooled Cassegrain telescope. Approximately four months after launch Herschel will ar
