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Letter Report on Scientific Assessment of the Redesigned Space Interferometry (2002) / Chapter Skim
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Letter Report
Pages 1-4

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From page 1...
... ~ the intervening decade, the discovery of extrasolar planets opened up an entirely new and exciting scientific field, providing the impetus for a more ambitious narrow-angle ashometry capability on SIM that would allow Me detection of planets wad masses as low as a few times that of Earth. As presented to the 2001 AASC by the AL project team during Me AASC's deliberations in 1999, SIM would have had a capability for wide-angle astrome~y (10 m~croarcseconds requirement; 5 t Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, National Research Council.
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From page 2...
... own right, but they are not integral to the core astronomical goals described In the 1991 and 2001 AASC reports, such as, for example, mapping of galactic structure, calibration of Me cosmological distance scale, and detection of exhasolar planets. At the May I, 2002, CAA meeting, the SIM project team Tom JPL reported that content component perfonnance suggests Me project's ability to meet the 2001 WOIR Pane]
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From page 3...
... 5 The CAA was pleased to hear the JPL team's report that excellent progress has been made in meeting SIM's technical goals. The committee concludes that the core astronomical capabilities motivating the original recommendation for SIM in the 1991 AASC report, and the enhanced astronomical and planet-finding capabilities endorsed by the 2001 AASC report, have been preserved in the current rescope.
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From page 4...
... ~ making this assessment, the CAA compared the reported astrometric perfonnance of the redesigned SIM with the performance requirements and goals stated in the report of the 2001 AASC's WOIR Panel, and not with the less exacting wide-angle requirement level stated in the decade-old 1991 AASC report as was apparently expected by Me JPL project team based on its May 2002 presentation to the CAA. This distinction should not matter ~ practice since (~)
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Key Terms

  • uvoir panel
  • project team
  • sim project
  • survey committee
  • scientific capabilities

  • redesigned sim
  • galactic structure
  • space studies
  • estimated mission
  • aasc reports

  • astrophysics survey
  • mission cost
  • jpl project
  • estimated cost
  • astrophysical goals

  • originally envisioned
  • terrestrial planet
  • jpl team
  • redesigned mission
  • planet finder

  • core astronomical
  • mission category
  • infrared astronomy
  • interferometry mission
  • cosmological distance

  • synthesis imaging
  • performance goal
  • performance requirements
  • percent accuracy
  • space interferometry


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