Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 166-179
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From page 166... ...
While none of these new telescopes individually will replace all the capabilities of Arecibo, the combination of the radio cameras and ngVLA will be much more powerful for broadly advancing astrophysics in this frequency range. The survey steering committee assessed the impact of Arecibo's loss on the key science questions and program elements forwarded by the Astro2020 panels, while noting that these topics are largely outside the planetary and solar system science fields where Arecibo has had tremendous impact.
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From page 167... ...
The PTA reveals gravitational waves with ~year periods through slight alterations in the arrival times of the emission from a catalog of millisecond pulsars. To date, over a quarter of these pulsars have been discovered with Arecibo and timed with telescopes including Arecibo, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT)
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From page 168... ...
This report also finds that senior review is the best mechanism for advising NASA about budgetary levels or advising when a mission should be terminated because its scientific return is not commensurate with the requisite investment. As such, decadal surveys do not typically weigh in on individual operating missions.
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From page 169... ...
To assess SOFIA's potential impact going forward, the committee determined the role that SOFIA could play in Astro2020 science priorities. The committee also found that SOFIA directly addresses 3 of the 30 priority science questions (Question 4 of the Panel on Galaxies; Question 2 of the Panel on the Interstellar Medium and Star and Planet Formation [ISM]
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From page 170... ...
Explorer mission, which was able to quickly capitalize and expand on the transit detection breakthroughs of Kepler to execute an all-sky census to identify potential James Webb Space Telescope targets. On the ground, the Deep Synoptic Array (DSA)
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From page 171... ...
6.1 THE TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATIONS New technologies for astronomical instrumentation are crucial building blocks without which observational capabilities would stagnate. It is hard to imagine modern astronomy without large-format chargecoupled devices (CCDs)
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From page 172... ...
graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who work with experienced engineers. Many of these young scientists are now in faculty or NASA staff Connections from the Ground to Space positions establishing their own efforts.
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From page 173... ...
Jovanovic et al., 2019, arXiv:1909.04541, reproduced with permission. Instrument: Courtesy of Bond et al., 2020, "Adaptive Optics with an Infrared Pyramid Wavefront Sensor at Keck," Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 6(3)
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From page 174... ...
In addition to general technology development, APRA funds a wide range of activities, from suborbital payload development and science to laboratory astrophysics. It is therefore difficult to determine the exact amount supporting new technology; the Enabling Foundation for Research panel report estimates that 40 percent of APRA funding, or ~$8 million a year, goes into the Detector Development and Supporting Technologies components of the program (see Section H.2.7.1)
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From page 175... ...
There will, however, still be the need to mature technologies for the probe-class missions, as well as for strategic missions prior to their funding through the Great Observatories Mission and Technology Maturation Program. Recommendation: NASA should continue funding for the Strategic Astrophysics Technology Program, and should expand proposal calls to include intermediate-level technology maturation targeted in strategic areas identified for the competed probe-class missions.
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From page 176... ...
This risk can be mitigated by advancing technology through the ATI program. Past decadal surveys have recommended increased investment in developing basic technology.
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From page 177... ...
and sounding rockets to reach beyond the stratosphere for flight durations measured in minutes. Unlike orbital missions, suborbital programs allow rapid revision and reuse of payloads, speeding the technology development cycle.
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From page 178... ...
instrument, showing the thermal emission at 500 microns with the direction of the magnetic field superimposed. The data provide new insights into the properties of dust and the role of magnetic fields in the interstellar medium through a wide range of densities.
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From page 179... ...
6.2.1.1.2 The Sounding Rocket Program Sounding rockets complement balloons by providing quick access to near-space conditions. This is a unique capability for some investigations, especially in wavebands where the residual atmosphere at balloon altitudes is limiting, such as soft X-ray, UV, and some infrared bands.
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