Launched aboard a Pegasus XL rocket on December 6. 1998.
from Vandenberg Air Force Base. CA. NASA's Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite.
or SWAS. was a mission designed to enhance our understanding of star formation.
SWAS precisely measured the amount of water and molecular oxygen in interstellar
clouds. and also the amounts of carbon monoxide and atomic carbon.
which are believed to be major reservoirs of carbon in these clouds. SWAS detected
water in almost every dust cloud in space that it observed. a key indicator in the cooling
process that contributes to star formation. SWAS ended observations on July 21. 2004.
In June 2005. after a year of stand-by operation. SWAS was reactivated one last time to
provide support for the Deep Impact Mission. For three months SWAS monitored water
emission from the Tempel-1 comet.