THE SHAPE OF SPACE
8. Some Previous and Upcoming Space Missions
The Cosmic Microwave Background Explorer
(COBE) mapped the subtle
variations in the CMB in the early 1990's. However, the resolution was
nowhere near as good as required to detect the circles described above.
(From the Cobe webpage [reference 5].)
New missions are planned by both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
On June 30, 2001 NASA launched the
Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) which may
have the resolution to detect the circles.
(From the MAP website [reference 6].)
In addition, ESA will launch
the Planck Explorer
sometime around 2005 and this will produce an even
finer detail map of the CMB.
(From the Planck Explorer wepage [reference 7].)
With these new satellites, it is possible
that we can answer the fundamental question
"What is the topology of the universe?" sometime in the next decade!
Goto Section 9.