Intro music.
Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is preparing for the launch of a new-generation spacecraft called Swift, that will accurately locate the position
of gamma-ray bursts or GRBs for observation.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center established the gamma-ray burst Coordinates Network or GCN, which will receive
and distribute burst information to scientists around the world.
The GCN automatically transmits the coordinates of gamma-ray bursts to the international
GRB community within seconds after they're received; even while they're still bursting.
With connections to 30 follow-up teams and major space and Earth-bound observatories, no burst will go unstudied.
The Network also provides reports to schools, science museums and anyone with an Internet connection by email.
Professional and amateur astronomers around the globe are able to instantly turn their telescopes
in the direction of these unpredictable events the moment they happen, thanks to the efforts of NASA's GRB Coordinates Network.