Related papers: Improving science yield for NASA Swift with automa…

We introduce a new capability of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, to provide event data from the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on demand in response to transients detected by other instruments. These event data are not continuously…

Gamma-ray Bursts are the most powerful objects in the Universe. Discovered in the 1960's as brief flashes of gamma-radiation, we now know they emit across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, are located in distant galaxies and comprise two…

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic explosive phenomena in the Universe, and their peak energy ($E_{\rm p}$) is a key physical quantity for understanding the prompt emission mechanism. However, due to the limited energy…

I will review recent advances in the field of blazars, highlighting the contribution of Swift. Together with other operating satellites (most notably Fermi, but also AGILE, WISE, Planck) and ground based facilities such as Cherenkov…

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope is designed to provide an unprecedented optical imaging dataset that will support investigations of our Solar System, Galaxy and Universe, across half the sky and over ten years of repeated observation.…

We present a carefully selected sample of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) observed by the Swift satellite up to June 2013. Inspired by the criteria we used to build a similar sample of bright long GRBs (the BAT6 sample), we selected SGRBs…

The Sonoma State University (SSU) Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) group leads the Swift Education and Public Outreach program. For Swift, we have previously implemented broad efforts that have contributed to NASA's Science Mission…

As the dependence on satellite imaging continues to grow, modern satellites have become increasingly agile, with the new generation, namely super-agile Earth observation satellites (SAEOS), providing unprecedented imaging flexibility. The…

We present a homogeneous X-ray analysis of all 318 Gamma Ray Bursts detected by the X-ray Telescope on the Swift satellite up to 2008 July 23; this represents the largest sample of X-ray GRB data published to date. In Sections 2--3 we…

To draw inferences about gamma-ray burst (GRB) source populations based on Swift observations, it is essential to understand the detection efficiency of the Swift burst alert telescope (BAT). This study considers the problem of modeling the…

The emergence of Agile Earth Observation Satellites (AEOSs) has marked a significant turning point in the field of Earth Observation (EO), offering enhanced flexibility in data acquisition. Concurrently, advancements in onboard satellite…

We present motivations for and study feasibility of a small, rapid optical to IR response gamma ray burst (GRB) space observatory. By analyzing existing GRB data, we give realistic detection rates for X-ray and optical/IR instruments of…

To fulfill the requirements of space object cataloging and enable automated intelligent responses to anomalous events, we designed a novel observation scheduling system named Sky Survey Schedule (SSS). This framework facilitates coordinated…

The WIDeField telescope for Gamma-ray burst Early Timing (WIDGET) is used for a fully automated, ultra-wide-field survey aimed at detecting the prompt optical emission associated with Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs). WIDGET surveys the HETE-2 and…

Earlier classification analyses found three types of gamma-ray bursts (short, long and intermediate in duration) in the BATSE sample. Recent works have shown that these three groups are also present in the RHESSI and the BeppoSAX databases.…

Swift is the only observatory which, due to its unique fast-slewing capability and broad-band energy coverage, can detect outbursts from Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs) from the very beginning and study their evolution…

Automatic scheduling techniques are becoming a crucial tool for the efficient planning of large astronomical surveys. A specific scheduling method is being designed and developed for the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet…

The simultaneous detection of electromagnetic and gravitational waves from the coalescence of two neutron stars (GW170817 and GRB170817A) has ushered in a new era of "multi-messenger" astronomy, with electromagnetic detections spanning from…

Prior to the launch of the Swift mission several X-ray line detections were reported in Gamma Ray Burst afterglow spectra. To date, these pre-Swift era results have not been conclusively confirmed. The most contentious issue in this area is…

Pandora is an upcoming NASA SmallSat mission that will observe transiting exoplanets to study their atmospheres and the variability of their host stars. Efficient mission planning is critical for maximizing the science achieved with the…