Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe: WMAP
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe is NASA's current mission designed
to study the variations in the primordial background radiation
(the Three Degree Background Radiation, or Cosmic Micowave Background)
discovered by Penzias and Wilson
in 1965. WMAP was launched in the spring of 2001 and its results were announced in
2003.
WMAP has allowed us to set very precise limits on the values of the most
important cosmological parameters.
WMAP was originally called MAP, but was renamed after the death of one of
its team leaders, David Wilkinson of Princeton University. Dave was a brilliant
cosmologist and a very nice person, and he is sorely missed.
To learn more about MAP go to its link at NASA (nice pages!):
