Vandenburg Air Force Base, Calif. -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is ready roll to its launch pad -- its last stop before going into space to survey the sky in infrared light.
The satellite, known as WISE, is to be moved to its Vandenberg Air Force Base launch pad Friday, in preparation for liftoff Dec. 9 at 9:09 a.m. EST.
NASA scientists said WISE will circle Earth over the poles, scanning the entire sky during nine months to uncover hidden cosmic objects, including the coolest stars, dark asteroids and the most luminous galaxies.
"The eyes of WISE are a vast improvement over those of past infrared surveys," said Edward Wright, principal investigator for the mission. "We will find millions of objects that have never been seen before."
