Vela Bursts: From Cold War Detectors to Cosmic Gamma-Ray Explosions
NASA’s Vela satellites, built to monitor nuclear tests, began registering puzzling gamma-ray flashes in the late 1960s. Initially ambiguous, sixteen bursts were later identified as cosmic gamma-ray bursts, not terrestrial or solar events. Distance estimates remained contested until BeppoSAX pinpointed afterglows in 1997, proving GRBs originate billions of light-years away and transforming gamma-ray astronomy.