Upper Omni

What Questions Does MAP Seek to Answer? Antenna

1.4x1.6 m Primary
A century of astronomical observation has unveiled a rich structure Reflectors
of galaxies in our present day universe. Recently, NASA's Cosmic Passive
Background Explorer (COBE) satellite discovered subtle features in Focal Plane Thermal
Assembly Radiator
the remarkably uniform early universe that provided clues about the
origin of this structure. In spite of this, there are many questions
that remain unanswered: Secondary
3.8 m Reflector
(150 in)
Will the universe expand forever, or will it eventually collapse? Thermally
Star Tracker Isolating
Is the universe dominated by exotic dark matter? Cylinder
(1 of 2)
What is the shape of the universe?
How and when did the first galaxies form? Reaction Wheel Warm
(1 of 3) Electronics
Is the expansion of the universe accelerating?

The Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) satellite produces a much

more detailed picture of the early universe than COBE did. This
information, which is recorded in the cosmic background radiation, Deployed Solar Array
with Sun Shield
will allow astronomers to address these key cosmological questions.
5.0 m (198 in)

Mission Overview What is the Cosmic Background Radiation?

MAP Launch
Vehicle: Delta II 7425-10 The Big Bang theory is based on Albert Einstein's general theory of
Launch: June 30, 2001, 3:46 pm EDT relativity and the 1929 discovery that the universe is expanding.
Orbit: Lissajous orbit about L2 This expansion implies the universe was denser and hotter in the
Sun-Earth Lagrange point, distant past, thus it was able to produce the lightest chemical
1.5 million km elements such as hydrogen and helium. The Big Bang theory cor-
(1 million miles) from Earth rectly predicts the relative amounts of these light elements. It also
Lifetime: 27 months (3 months transit, predicts that the universe should be bathed in a faint afterglow
24 months observing) radiation. This "cosmic background" radiation was discovered as
Mass/Power: 840 kg/419 W excess microwave static at the Bell Telephone Laboratory in 1965.
The cosmic background radiation appears as a glow that is
Instrument Overview remarkably uniform in all directions in the sky ("isotropic"), though
Radiometer: Differential pseudo- COBE discovered very faint non-uniformities ("anisotropy") in this
correlation with glow in 1992.
polarization
Optics: Dual Gregorian, The early universe was very hot. When the average density of mat-
1.4 x 1.6 m ter in the universe was comparable to air at sea level, its tempera-
primary reflectors ture was 2.73 billion degrees! (The average density today is about
Thermal: Passive radiative one proton per cubic meter.) At these temperatures protons and
cooling to 95 kelvins electrons could not bind together to form neutral atoms. The free
Frequencies (GHz): 22, 30, 40, 60, 90 electrons scattered the cosmic background radiation much as water
drops scatter visible light in clouds, so the early universe would
appear as a dense fog. As the universe expanded, it cooled. Roughly
400,000 years after the Big Bang, it was cool enough for protons and
anisotropy (an-I-sah-tropy) noun - exhibiting electrons to combine into neutral hydrogen. Neutral hydrogen is
properties with different values when measured in transparent, so the cosmic background radiation has traveled freely
different directions. MAP will observe the anisotropy of through the universe since that time. On a cloudy day, we can look
the cosmic background radiation: differences in its tem- through the air to see the surface of the clouds. Similarly, we can
perature in different directions in the sky. see through the universe out to where it was filled with free elec-
trons and see the "dense fog" that filled the early universe. The rea-
isotropic anisotropic
son we can "see" the early universe is that we see objects as they
were in the past due to the time it takes light to travel across space.
For example, we see the Sun as it existed 8 minutes earlier. We see
the "cloud surface" from which the cosmic background radiation was
emitted as it was about 13 billion years ago - a view back to 400,000
years after the Big Bang.
What Will the MAP Results Look Like? Orbit
In 1992 NASA's COBE mission detected tiny variations ("anisotropy") MAP observes from an orbit about the L2 Sun-Earth Lagrange point
in the intensity, or temperature, of the cosmic background radia- 1.5 million km from Earth. The trajectory to the L2 orbit used 3
tion. These temperature variations trace the beginnings of the "phasing loops" that positioned MAP for a lunar swingby and a
large-scale pattern of galaxies we see today. cruise to L2. The journey required 3 months.

COBE Sky Map

The above picture is a projection of the cosmic background radiation

temperature over the full sky. The average temperature is 2.725
kelvins (degrees above absolute zero temperature; equivalent to
about -270 C or -455 F), and the temperature is remarkably uniform Control of Measurement Errors
across the sky. The variations seen are tiny: the red regions are The sensitivity of the cosmic background radiation map will be bet-
0.0002 degrees warmer than the black regions. These temperature ter than 20 microkelvins (0.000020 kelvins) per 0.3 degree square
variations are so small that they are like height variations of only pixel. To realize the full value of these measurements, sources of
4.65 inches on a mile-high plateau. In addition to the cosmic radi- error must be controlled to an extraordinary level. This was the
ation, emission from our Milky Way galaxy is seen as the red hori- most important factor driving the MAP design, and led to the fol-
zontal band across the middle of the map, corresponding to the lowing design choices.
plate-like disk of our galaxy seen edge on.
Differential: MAP measures temperature differences on the sky
using symmetric microwave receivers coupled to back-to-back tele-
Simulated MAP Sky Map
scopes. By measuring temperature differences, rather than absolute
temperatures, most spurious signals will cancel. This is analogous
to measuring the relative height of bumps on a high plateau rather
than each bump's elevation above sea level.

Sky scan pattern: MAP spins and precesses like a top. This allows
an observing pattern that covers a large fraction of the sky (approx
30%) during each one hour precession.

Multifrequency: Five frequency bands from 22 GHz to 90 GHz allows

emission from the Galaxy and environmental disturbances to be
modeled and removed based on their frequency dependence.

Stability: The L2 Lagrange point offers an exceptionally stable envi-

ronment and an unobstructed view of deep space, with the Sun,
As illustrated above, MAP measures fluctuations in the cosmic back- Earth, and Moon always behind MAP's protective shield. MAP's large
ground radiation temperature with much better focus than the COBE distance from Earth protects it from near-Earth emission and other
satellite. The additional information in this highly detailed image disturbances. At L2, MAP maintains a fixed orientation with respect
will shed light on major scientific questions about the origin, con- to the Sun for thermal and power stability.
tent, and fate of the universe.

FS-2002-1-027-GSFC

The flight hardware and software were produced in a partnership between MAP Project Office
the Goddard Space Flight Center and Princeton University, under the Code 685
scientific supervision of a team whose institutions also include UCLA, U. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Chicago, UBC, and Brown. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Charles L. Greenbelt, MD 20771
Bennett of the Goddard Space Flight Center. http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov