WEBVTT

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Intro music.

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With three eyes in the sky, the Swift orbiting observatory will

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attempt to unravel mysteries about the most powerful explosions in the Universe -- gamma-ray bursts.

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But before such a complex set of instruments can be launched on its seven-year mission,

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all of the components must be carefully checked in an environment free of contamination.

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The testing of Swift's three "eyes" -- the telescopes that will spot and record the bursts --

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was completed in a "clean room" before they were assembled and integrated with the rest of the hardware.

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In addition to the telescopes, small cameras called Star Trackers

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were installed to help position the observatory by pinpointing known stars in images of the sky.

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The check-out included the observatory's solar arrays,

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which will collect sun light and turn it into power for the spacecraft.

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The lower part of Swift supports the optical instruments and houses the control systems.

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The spacecraft had to pass various checks, including acoustic and thermal vacuum testing.

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Once all the hardware was checked, tested and assembled,

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the Swift observatory was ready for its November launch aboard a Delta II rocket.

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