The Fermi mission is a large-area gamma-ray space telescope that was launched by NASA from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 11, 2008. The telescope is named in honor of Enrico Fermi (1901–1954), who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1938 for his many contributions to nuclear and high-energy physics. It is capable of viewing one-fifth of the sky at once, yet able to pinpoint the positions of gamma-ray sources to within one arcminute—less than the apparent size of Abraham Lincoln’s eye on a penny held at arm’s length. It can also detect gamma-ray bursts highly effectively.