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XMT: 20:02 Tue Apr 17
EXP: 20:00 Tue Apr 24

SPACE PROBE PRODUCES "DISTURBING" LACK OF EVIDENCE

WASHINGTON (APRIL 17) UPI - A space probe exploring the evolution of the
universe has produced a "disturbing" lack of evidence to explain the
uneven distribution of galaxies through the cosmos, scientists said
Tuesday.

While preliminary data from the Cosmic Background Explorer, known as
COBE, continues to support the "big bang" theory of the universe's
creation, the information gathered so far has failed to explain its
current "lumpy" formation.

"The smoothness is disturbing us a lot. At this point we're beginning to
expect little warts and dimples to appear," said David Wilkinson, a
professor of physics at Princeton University.

Wilkinson spoke at a news conference at an American Institute of Physics
meeting about the latest results from COBE, an ultra sensitive satellite
launched in November 1989 on a two-year mission.

The $160 million orbiting space probe was designed to answer fundamental
questions about the formation and evolution of the universe by collecting
data about faint radiation left over from the big bang explosion.

Scientists theorize the universe exploded into existence 15 billion years
ago in a hot, dense fireball that instantly began expanding in all
directions.

During the news conference, scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the University of California at Berkeley
said the data collected so far by COBE appears consistent with those
theories.

"It's astonishingly consistent with the big bang theory," Wilkinson said.

The NASA scientists also released a new color photograph of the Earth's
home galaxy, the Milky Way, based on a composite of data collected by
COBE.

"This thing that he gave you is spectacular. I mean that's wonderful,"
said Wilkinson of the image. "My God, it's as though you were in
Andromeda taking a picture of our galaxy."

But COBE has failed to find any traces of significant energy release
after the first huge explosion. That is inconsistent with the current
"lumpy" state of the universe, with its massive clusters of galaxies and
giant dark voids.

The researchers stressed, however, they have barely begun to sift through
the huge amount of data the satellite is collecting. Years of data
collection and analysis will follow and is expected to yield
revolutionary findings, they said.

"One year or two years from now, if those pictures are still looking
smooth at the accuracies we'll have then, then there's real trouble. Then
there's real big trouble," said Wilkinson.

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