The cost window: Can we do observatory class sciences with small space missions?
Martin Barstow
University of Leicester
Even before the current financial crisis, it was becoming difficult
to sustain the level of expenditure required to provide the range of
space astronomy missions that the research community would like to
see. The multi-billion pound/dollar observatories that we might hope
would follow the successes of Chandra, XMM-Newton, HST and JWST
continue to slip into the future, while the medium size ESA and
NASA missions provide a small number of opportunities over the next
decade. Much exciting and important science, by default, will not be
done. If satellite mission costs could be reduced significantly, by
a factor of 5-10, we would open up a new parameter space of
opportunity that is not currently offered by any agency. Recently,
significant improvements in instrument technology coupled with
simplification of optical systems has led to the prospect of the
development of some low-cost opportunities. These concepts will
be outlined and the prospects of developing them into real flight
opportunities in the near future discussed.
Date: | Tuesday, 9 August 2011 |
Time: | 11:00 |
Where: | Université de Montréal |
| Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, local D-460 |
Contact: | Pierre Bergeron |
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