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Intro music.

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NASA's unique mission Swift, developed to study gamma-ray bursts, is a study in successful international partnership.

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A well-choreographed melding of worldwide technology and talent brings together many nations and universities for a common purpose.

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For example the University of Leicester provided the key system designs for the X-Ray Telescope and hosts the UK Swift Science Data Centre.

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The University of London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory,

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together with Pennsylvania State University have built the UltraViolet Optical Telescope for Swift.

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"Well, UVOT will provide the ultraviolet, and the optical

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measurements of the energy that's coming  out of the gamma-ray bursts

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so it compliments the measurements from the X-Ray and the gamma-ray instruments on Swift.

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It will also give the very early measurements the first instance of the explosion because

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the Swift satellite will swivel to insure that the instrument can see the burst in the optical

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and ultraviolet and that's been very difficult to do from the ground --

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to capture those very early instances that are important in the understanding of

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how the whole gamma-ray burst explosion takes place."

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Through the Italian Space Agency, Swift has been provided with hardware, software and technical expertise.

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"With all its scientific instruments at work,

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Swift will enter a phase of calibration and scientific verification of its performances.

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This is a crucial phase during which scientists will be, via the instruments,

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learn how the satellite responds to well-known astrophysical sources."

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Penn State's Flight Operation Team will operate the Swift spacecraft and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the Swift mission.

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