Explorer 66

E1036261

Explorer 66, better known as the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), is a NASA satellite launched in 1989 that made landmark measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, providing key evidence for the Big Bang theory.

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Explorer 66 canonical 1

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Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA spacecraft
artificial satellite
cosmic microwave background observatory
space observatory
abbreviation DIRBE
DMR
FIRAS
alsoKnownAs COBE
Cosmic Background Explorer
apoapsis ~900 km
awardsAssociated 1992 Nobel Prize in Physics (to John C. Mather and George F. Smoot, based on COBE results)
catalogDesignation COBE
CMBTemperatureMeasured ~2.725 K
countryOfOperator United States
deactivationDate 1993-12-23
inclination ~99 degrees
instrument Differential Microwave Radiometers
Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment
Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer
keyDiscovery confirmation that the CMB spectrum is a near-perfect blackbody
detection of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background
launchContractor McDonnell Douglas
launchDate 1989-11-18
launchSite Space Launch Complex 2W
Vandenberg Air Force Base
launchVehicle Delta 5920-8
launchYear 1989
manufacturer NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
massAtLaunch ~2227 kg
missionDuration ~4 years
missionType astrophysics
cosmology
observatory
notableResult first detailed full-sky map of the cosmic microwave background
measurement of CMB temperature to high precision
operator NASA
orbitalPeriod ~103 minutes
orbitRegime Sun-synchronous orbit
orbitType low Earth orbit
partOf NASA Explorer series
periapsis ~900 km
primaryObjective measure the cosmic microwave background radiation
test predictions of the Big Bang theory
principalInvestigator George F. Smoot
program Explorer program
projectScientist John C. Mather
providedEvidenceFor Big Bang theory
linked to: Big Bang
scientificDiscipline cosmology
observational astronomy
physical cosmology
spaceAgency NASA
spacecraftBus custom design

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