This is the first programme in a new series of five on Integral, ESA's new gamma ray observatory that is scheduled for launch on the 17 Ocotober 2002. The first in the series focuses on the history of studying gamma's rays emitted from cosmic particles to help scientists answer questions about the origin and composition of the universe.
The programme comprises of an A-roll with split track and English commentary and is complemented by a B-Roll with clean international sound.

A SHORT HISTORY OF GAMMA RAY ASTRONOMY
00:40
Long before scientists could detect gamma-rays from cosmic sources, they knew that the Universe should be producing plenty of these highly energetic light particles.
Theoretical calculations from the 1950s led astrophysicists to believe that several processes occurring in the Universe would result in the emission of gamma rays. These processes included the collision of the even higher energetic cosmic rays with interstellar gas, the explosion of supernovae and the interaction of energetic electrons with strong magnetic fields.
01:16
However, it was not until the 1960s that experiments to actually detect cosmic gamma rays came to pass. Gamma-rays from space are practically completely absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. So gamma-ray astronomy could not develop until it was possible to place gamma ray detectors above most of the atmosphere, initially on board balloons or spacecraft. Balloons are of course cheaper to build and launch than satellites but their li