NASA trains WISE eye on the sky

On Tuesday, NASA engineers aiming for new images of the stars did what every photographer needs to remember to do before taking snapshots--they removed the lens cap. In this case, they sent signals to the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope to jettison a cover that protected the optical gear during launch and helped to keep it chilled.

WISE will start its infrared survey in January, and the "first light" images will be released to the public about a month from now, NASA said. The Delta II rocket carrying the telescope into Earth orbit lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on December 14.