A Performance Assessment of NASA's Astrophysics Program (2007) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Astrophysics Program Plans and Progress
3 Astrophysics Program Plans and Progress
Pages 12-27
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 12... ...
RECENT ASTROPHYSICS ACHIEvEMENTS Recent NASA missions have delivered a scientific program in astrophysics that can only be described as spectacular.1 If anything, scientific progress has 1All of the missions mentioned in this section were recommended in previous NRC decadal sur veys of astronomy and astrophysics: the Hubble Space Telescope in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 0's, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 0's; the rest of the missions discussed are part of the Explorer line. Although
|
From page 13... ...
. These successful missions have given rise to an enormous breadth of scientific discoveries ranging from new information for studies of protoplanetary disks around nearby stars to measurements of supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei and images of vast reservoirs of hot gas in clusters of galaxies.
|
From page 14... ...
Clowe et al. Lensing map: NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute; European Southern Observatory Wide Field Imager; Magellan/University of Arizona/D.
|
From page 15... ...
The combined image provides unprecedented detail on galaxies across cosmic time, especially the first generation of galaxies that formed within the first billion years after the big bang. SOURCE: NASA, European Space Agency, S
|
From page 16... ...
Understanding the evolutionary relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies, and characterizing the conditions under which galactic nuclei are active, are fundamental objectives discussed in both the AANM survey and the Q2C report. Exploring these related questions requires diverse information gleaned from both ground- and space-based observations, FIGURE 3.3 The "grand design" spiral galaxy pair NGC 5194 and NGC 5195, also known as M51, viewed in ultraviolet light by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)
|
From page 17... ...
Origins of Black Holes and the Gamma-Ray Burst Mystery Great progress has been made in solving the mystery of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) , now thought to be the birthing signals of stellar-mass black holes.
|
From page 18... ...
Such images allow researchers to understand the nature and behavior of supermassive black holes in galaxies. SOURCE: X-ray image: NASA/Chandra X-Ray Center/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/W.
|
From page 19... ...
The star's outer layers, still expanding away from the core, make up the extended glowing nebula seen in this image. The extent of the x-ray emission is smaller than that of the optical light because the higher-energy x-ray-emitting electrons radiate energy more rapidly as they move than do the electrons associated with the optical emission.
|
From page 20... ...
The Beyond Einstein program was also an integral component of the interagency plan led by the Office of Science and Technology Policy for responding to the science opportunities identified in the Q2C report.5 In the 2006 draft science plan produced by NASA's Science Mission Directorate6 and reviewed by the NRC,7 the outlook for astrophysics missions differs 2The Solar Dynamics Observatory mission recommended in the AANM survey is part of NASA's Heliophysics Division and therefore not discussed in the present report. 3National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Origins Roadmap, Washington, D.C., January 2003.
|
From page 21... ...
Nevertheless, the committee believes that NASA has generally done well in crafting program plans that are responsive to the science goals and opportunities outlined in the AANM survey and the QC report. Providing Missions for New Science Although NASA's Astrophysics program plans address the NRC's recommendations, progress toward achieving the recommended missions has not matched the anticipated pace.8 As mentioned above, NASA's currently operating missions have begun to address the scientific goals of the AANM survey report, but to continue to make progress (as well as to address the scientific opportunities identified in the Q2C report)
|
From page 22... ...
AANMd 2007 2008 James Webb Space Telescope AANM 2005-2010 2013 Constellation-Xe AANM, Q2C NET 2011 NET 2016 Terrestrial Planet Finder AANM (td) 2010-2015 NET 2018 Laser Interferometer Space Antennae AANM, Q2C NET 2011 NET 2016 Black Hole Finder Probee AANM NET 2012 Deferred Single Aperture Far Infra-Red Observatory AANM (td)
|
From page 23... ...
At the same time, its past cost growth and schedule slippage cause the committee to be concerned about its continued success in meeting technical milestones and cost estimates. As the highest-priority large mission, JWST remains critical to realization of the goals set forth in the AANM survey report.
|
From page 24... ...
Since the release of the AANM survey report, cost estimates for both Con-X and LISA have grown, and as a result LISA is now also classified as a flagship mission -- an Einstein Great Observatory. To this point both missions have received technology development support from NASA, but the investment has been unsteady and far less than that envisioned in the AANM decadal survey ($1,050 million combined)
|
From page 25... ...
Unprioritized Recommended Missions The AANM survey report recommended that NASA implement or participate in a number of missions that were not included in the report's priority list. These missions were either missions recommended in previous NRC decadal surveys (HST, SOFIA, SIM)
|
From page 26... ...
When the COBE mission discovered anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation from the infant universe, it was possible to deploy the WMAP mission quickly to exploit the discovery. As noted above, small-scale missions in the current decade have been very productive, with HETE-2, WMAP, RHESSI, CHIPS, GALEX, and Swift launched in the years 2000 to 2004.
|
From page 27... ...
Ensuring the Diversity of NASA Missions The AANM survey report stated that both flagship and Explorer missions are important, noting that, at the time the report was written, opportunities for moderate-scale missions were less readily available. The AANM report recommended that NASA encourage a diverse range of mission sizes in order to produce the most effective science return from the program.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.