NASA Names Constellation TARDIS

Scientists working on NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have named a Gamma Ray Constellation TARDIS in tribute to The Doctor's Time and Space machine.

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is dedicated to exploring gamma-ray radiation, the most energetic form of radiation, billions of times more energetic than the type of light visible to our eyes. The team is investigating what is happening to produce this much energy and what happens to the surrounding environment near these phenomena?

To celebrate the mission’s 10th year of operations, a new series of constellations, constructed from sources in the gamma-ray sky, have been created, including ones based on the antimatter-powered U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek, the Hulk, the product of a gamma-ray experiment gone awry and the TARDIS, the Doctor's prefered method of transport.

The Femi team is using knowledge gathered from their observations to look for mechanisms that, like the TARDIS, defy the known laws of physics. By searching for cracks in current theories, the scientists hope to expand and improve their understanding of the universe.

Julie McEnery, the Fermi project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland said