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Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-A , Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Boeing technicians remove the lower portion of the transport canister from the Swift spacecraft. A first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science, Swifts three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet and optical wavebands. It is expected to observe more than 200 gamma- ray bursts the most comprehensive study of GRB afterglows to date during its 2-year mission. Gamma-ray bursts are distant, yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. Swift is scheduled to launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket at the opening of a one-hour launch window beginning at 12:09 p.m. EST Nov. 17.