Dear GAMCIT Supporter,

Thanks to the efforts of all of the people who volunteered their time, money, and equipment, the student-designed and student-built Caltech SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) GAMCIT (Gamma-ray Astrophysics Mission, California Institute of Technology) experiment flew on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in May of 1996.

GAMCIT was designed to study gamma-ray bursts -- mysterious flashes of invisible high-energy radiation that come from seemingly random directions in space about twice a day. An explanation for these gamma-ray bursts has eluded astronomers for nearly three decades despite intensive work. What made the GAMCIT experiment unique was that it was to be the first experiment to simultaneously search for gamma-ray bursts and flashes of visible light. Some theories suggested that gamma-ray bursts might be accompanied by such flashes, but no observations had ever been made to test these theories.

On the whole, the project was extremely successful. As is often the case with space payloads, there were some software and hardware problems with the payload. In this case, the camera which was to search for optical flashes was rendered inoperable due to the harsh vibrations encountered during launch. However, the experiment otherwise operated generally as expected and gathered nearly 2 gigabytes (three CD-ROMs) of gamma-ray data, including one gamma-ray burst! Perhaps the most successful aspect of the project was the educational experience for all of the students involved -- we learned more about science, engineering, experimental design, and project management than we ever could have learned in the traditional classroom environment.

While GAMCIT was not successful in detecting an optical flash coincident with a gamma ray burst, it is worth noting that this goal has just recently been achieved. Earlier this year, astronomers detected a ninth-magnitude flash of visible light coming from the same direction as a gamma-ray burst. This discovery suggests that the GAMCIT mission really was on the right track...had the film not been dislodged by launch vibrations, we might have made this discovery over two years ago!

Enclosed please find a copy of the GAMCIT final report -- along with a GAMCIT patch that flew on the Space Shuttle with the payload, as a token of our appreciation for your help in making this truly unique program possible. If you have any further questions about the project, please do not hesitate to contact us at gas@its.caltech.edu or (626) 395-2902.

Thanks again for your support,

Ben McCall

GAMCIT Project Coordinator