The data from the
first three years of operation of the
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite provide detailed
full-sky
maps of the cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropy and new
full-sky
maps of the polarization. Together, the data provide a wealth of
cosmological information, including the age of the universe, the epoch
when the
first stars formed, and the overall composition of baryonic matter,
dark
matter, and dark energy. The results also provide constraints on the
period of
inflationary expansion in the very first moments of time. These
and other
aspects of the mission will be discussed.