It may be bitter-sweet to you today, Dan, but I must say CONGRATULATIONS. -Pat N8PK

From: GSFC-Communications Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 9:22 AM To: GSFC-DL-ALL Subject: Center Director Congratulates Nobel Prize Team

Colleagues:

I'm sure most of you heard the news this week that a member of the extended NASA family shared the award for the Nobel Prize in Physics. Dr. Adam Riess, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute and Krieger-Eisenhower professor in physics and astronomy at The Johns Hopkins University, shared the Prize with teammates Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University and Saul Perlmutter, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

They were honored for their groundbreaking work in the detection of the accelerating expansion of the universe, attributed to the mysterious "dark energy" now under vigorous study.

What makes this Prize even more significant to us here at Goddard and to the team at the Institute is that the Hubble Space Telescope played an important role in this discovery and related confirming studies. Certainly, ground-based telescopes were vital to this discovery, but critical parts of the work were done with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

I received a note from the Administrator shortly after the Nobel announcement was made, and he noted the Center, and the entire Hubble Team, should feel justifiably proud of our role in facilitating this incredible recognition, which once again showcases the tremendous value of Hubble to the science community around the world.

For more than 20 years, a dedicated team of people here and at the Institute have worked tirelessly to keep Hubble operating at the peak of its capabilities, and the world has been rewarded with a steady string of pioneering science and breath-taking images. As Senator Mikulski likes to say, it has become the 'Nation's telescope."

I am enormously proud of our contributions to this prestigious honor, and on behalf of the entire Center extend my congratulations to Dr. Reiss and his colleagues, Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Perlmutter, on their award. They, along with our very own Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather, take their places at the summit of the scientific world, but stand on the shoulders of a tremendous NASA team that together continue to rewrite the textbooks and expand our knowledge of the Universe.

Rob Strain Center Director