Nasa’s Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) space mission has concluded its observations of the cosmic microwave background.
The spacecraft had been designed to provide a more detailed look at subtle temperature differences in the cosmic microwave background, first detected in 1992 by Nasa’s cosmic background explorer (COBE).
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WMAP acquired its final science data on 20 August 2010 and on 8 September 2010, the satellite fired its thrusters, left its working orbit and entered into a permanent parking orbit around the sun.
The mission established that the cosmos is 13.75 billion years old, with a degree of error of 1%.
The project also showed that normal atoms make up only 4.6% percent of today’s cosmos.
WMAP was also the first spacecraft to use the gravitational balance point known as Earth-sun L2 as its observing station about 930,000 miles away.
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By GlobalDataThe spacecraft had been launched into space on 30 June 2001.
