Combining Swift and GLAST to Explore GRBs

A golden age of GRB astronomy will be upon us when GLAST launches in late 2007 and Swift continues its mission. The Swift NASA MIDEX launched in November 2004 and is detecting ∼100 gamma‐ray bursts (GRBs) each year. For almost every burst there is a prompt (within ∼90 s) spacecraft repointing to give X‐ray and UV/optical observations of the afterglow. Swift has already collected an impressive database, including prompt emission to higher sensitivities than BATSE, uniform monitoring of afterglows, and rapid follow‐up by other observatories notified through the GCN. With the launch of GLAST, there will be the opportunity to combine the powers of Swift and GLAST to make tremendous progress in the study of GRBs. GRBs detected by either mission will trigger observation by the other to give multiwavelength data on prompt and afterglow emission from optical through GeV gamma rays. This paper summarizes scientific results from Swift and CGRO/EGRET and discusses the ways that Swift and GLAST can work together on GRB observations.