National Aeronautics and Space Administration

We’re now in the middle of doing vibration tests on the entire satellite. I’ve been through so many of them so far (they do them at just about every stage to make sure that everything will hold up in space), I thought I knew exactly what to expect. Same old thing, right? But it’s actually a very neat experience to do a vibration test now that I’m on the satellite!

Now that I’m on board, they’re shaking everything – me, the telescopes, the other instruments, and all of the framework and coverings around us. It’s like a flight simulation, because these tests are giving me a taste of what it’ll feel like to be launched into space on the rocket. I’m snug and comfortable in here. Things are looking good!

Today they did a slow spin test of the satellite. This is to make sure the satellite doesn’t wobble. They’re testing the location of the center of mass, and they want to make sure it’s along the axis of the satellite. So they put me up on this giant turntable (like a record player), and spin me slowly. It’s like being at an amusement park on the world’s slowest carousel. But it sounds like I’ll get a faster spin test soon, and I’ll be dizzy for a few hours!

I’ve heard that my friends in the United States have chosen the objects that I’ll be looking at after I get into space. Over this past summer, American astronomers wrote proposals for what they wanted me to look at. They have to specify the object and the reasons for looking at it. Sometimes different astronomers want to observe the same object. So in order to get chosen, an astronomer has to write a well-written proposal, and give good reasons why their proposal should be picked to observe the object. There were 160 proposals, so there was lots of competition.

Just yesterday another group of astronomers finished the job of reading those proposals and deciding which objects to look at. That list of objects isn’t available now. That’s because the Japanese astronomers have done the same thing. In December the Americans and Japenese scientists on the Astro-E2 Science Working Group will merge these two lists.

I heard that American students can also propose objects for me to look at. Check this out!