New NASA Mission Will Look Back at Billions of Years of Cosmic History

Gizmodo --------- A newly approved NASA mission, called SPHEREx, will use a space-based observatory to study the early conditions of the Universe and hunt for the celestial ingredients required for life. Proposed in 2016, the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer mission, or SPHEREx for short, was chosen by NASA from eight other proposed missions because it “offered the best science potential and most feasible development plan,” in the words of the space agency. The orbital observatory will survey space in both visible and near-infrared light, providing a “treasure trove of unique data for astronomers,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in an agency statement. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.