Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and W. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)
A new report by the National Research Council identifies the highest-priority research activities for astronomy and astrophysics in the next decade that will “set the nation firmly on the path to answering profound questions about the cosmos.”
It’s called a decadal survey, a way to prioritize activities based on their ability to advance science in key areas. For the first time, the new report also takes into account factors such as risks in technical readiness, schedule, and cost.
The just-issued report is titled New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The report stems from input from nine expert panels, six study groups, and a broad survey of the astronomy and astrophysics community.
The research recommendations are intended to represent a cohesive plan with realistic budgetary scenarios, with ranges based on current projected budgets for NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy — the agencies largely responsible for funding and implementing the research activities.
The report identifies space- and ground-based research activities in several categories, that is, large, midsize, and small undertakings. The report makes several recommendations to improve astronomy and astrophysics education and calls for more U.S. participation in international research projects, such as:
— Large space activities — those exceeding $1 billion — an observatory the report calls the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is the top priority. That space telescope would help settle fundamental questions about the nature of dark energy, determine the likelihood of other Earth-like planets over a wide range of orbital parameters, and survey our galaxy and others.
— Large-scale, ground-based research – initiatives that exceed $135 million, the report sets as the first priority the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a wide-field optical survey telescope that would observe more than half the sky every four nights, and address diverse areas of study such as dark energy, supernovae, and time-variable phenomena.
— Midsize space-based activities, the first priority is the New Worlds Technology Development Program, which lays the scientific groundwork for a future mission to study nearby Earth-like planets.
New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed.
Cast your own eye on the report by going to:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12951
By LD/CSE