WISE infrared satellite ready for launch

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is ready roll to its launch pad -- its last stop before going into space to survey the sky in infrared light.

The satellite, known as WISE, is to be moved to its Vandenberg Air Force Base launch pad Friday, in preparation for liftoff Dec. 9 at 9:09 a.m. EST.

NASA scientists said WISE will circle Earth over the poles, scanning the entire sky during nine months to uncover hidden cosmic objects, including the coolest stars, dark asteroids and the most luminous galaxies.

"The eyes of WISE are a vast improvement over those of past infrared surveys," said Edward Wright, principal investigator for the mission. "We will find millions of objects that have never been seen before."

NASA said the mission will map the entire sky at four infrared wavelengths with a sensitivity hundreds of thousands of times greater than its predecessors, cataloging hundreds of millions of objects. The data will serve as navigation charts for other missions, such as NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory and NASA's upcoming Sofia and James Webb space telescope.

"This is an exciting time for space telescopes," said Jon Morse, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division. "Many of the telescopes will work together, each contributing different pieces to some of the most intriguing puzzles in our universe."

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the WISE project.