CMA Presents "The Spitzer Space Telescope: Exploring the Veiled Poetry of the Sky"

Launched in August 2003, the Spitzer Space Telescope is peering into distant reaches of the universe, capturing objects never seen before. Spitzer (formerly called the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, or SIRTF) is the largest infrared telescope in space and the final mission in NASA's Great Observatories Program. During the telescope's development, launch, and operation, the project team faced some interesting organizational and management challenges. Join us as George Helou discusses these challenges as well as shares some of the latest cosmic discoveries enabled by Spitzer's state-of-the-art technology. As he puts it, "Above the atmosphere the sky is cold, the galaxies infrared-bright, and the soft glow of the distant universe mesmerizing."

Dr. Helou designed the Spitzer science operations, which included organizing the science center and its interactions with other parts of the project and with researchers worldwide. Since 1999, he has served as the Executive Director of the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) in addition to his duties as Deputy Director of the Spitzer Science Center and as a Senior Research Associate in physics at Caltech. He received his B.S. degree in physics from the American University of Beirut in 1975 and his Ph.D. degree in astrophysics from Cornell University in 1980.

Admission is free. All JPL and Campus personnel and retirees are welcome.