Astronomy may be revolutionized more than any other field of science by observations from above the atmosphere. Study of the planets, the Sun, the stars, and the rarefied matter in space should all be profoundly influenced by measurements from balloons, rockets, probes and satellites. In a new adventure of discovery no one can foretell what will be found, and it is probably safe to predict that the most important new discovery that will be made with flying telescopes will be quite unexpected and unforeseen.
– Lyman Spitzer, Jr., 1961
Let’s talk about birthdays! No, not mine – though today is my birthday – but, rather, the Spitzer Space Telescope’s. Yes, spacecraft do celebrate birthdays in a way: shortly after midnight on the morning of August 25, 2003, a Delta II rocket lifted from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, lofting what was then called SIRTF – the Space Infrared Telescope Facility – into the sky and beginning its journey of the exploration of the universe. So, happy belated 13th birthday to you, Spitzer Space Telescope!
