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OCR for page R1
SPACE SCIENCE IN THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
IMPERATIVES FOR THE
DECADES 1995 TO 2015
ASTRONOMY AND
ASTROPHYSICS
Task Group on Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space Science Board
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1988
OCR for page R2
National Academv Press · 2101 Constitution Avenue N.W
. Washington, D. C. 20418
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the
Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the
councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering,
and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report
were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to
procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the
National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute
of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society
of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the
furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon
the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has
a mandate that requires it to Odorize the federal government on scientific and technical
matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter
of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers.
It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with
the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government.
The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at
meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior
achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy
of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of
Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the
examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts
under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional
charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to
identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Samuel O. Thier is president
of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences
in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's
purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in
accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the
principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National
Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the
scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both
Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are
chairman and Rice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Support for this project was provided by Contract NASW 3482 between the National
Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 87-43333
ISBN 0-309-03875-8
Printed in the United States of America
OCR for page R3
TASK GROUP ON ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Bernard Burke, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chairman
James Roger Angel, University of Arizona
Jacques Beckers, NOAO Advanced Development Program
Andrea Dupree, Center for Astrophysics
Car! E. Fichtel, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
George Field, Center for Astrophysics
Riccardo Giacconi, Space Telescope Science Institute
Jonathan GrindIay, Center for Astrophysics
Martin Harwit, Cornell University
Frank Low, University of Arizona
Frank McDonald, NASA Headquarters
Dietrich Muller, University of Chicago
Minoru Oda, ISAS
Klaus Pinkau, Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
Kenneth A. Pounds, University of Leicester
Irwin Shapiro, Center for Astrophysics
Susan Wyckoff, Arizona State University
Richard C. Hart, Staff Offlcer
Carmela J. Chamberlain, Secretary
· . .
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STEERING CROUP
Thomas M. Donahue, University of Michigan, Chairman
Don L. Anderson, California Institute of Technology
D. James Baker, Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc.
Robert W. Berliner, Pew Scholars Program, Yale University
Bernard F. Burke, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A. G. W. Cameron, Harvard College Observatory
George B. Field, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University
Herbert Friedman, Naval Research Laboratory
Donald M. Hunten, University of Arizona
Francis S. Johnson, University of Texas at Dallas
Robert Kretsinger, University of Virginia
Stamatios M. Krimigis, Applied Physics Laboratory
Eugene H. Levy, University of Arizona
Frank B. McDonald, NASA Headquarters
John E. Naugle, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Joseph M. Reynolds, The Louisiana State University
Frederick L`. Scarf, TRW Systems Park
Scott N. Swisher, Michigan State University
David A. Usher, Cornell University
James A. Van Allen, University of {owe
Rainer Weiss, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dean P. Kastel, Study Director
Ceres M. Rangos, secretary
1V
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SPACE SCIENCE BOARD
Thomas M. Donahue, University of Michigan, Chairman
Philip H. Abelson, American Association for the Advancement of
Science
Roger D. Blandford, California Institute of Technology
Larry W. Esposito, University of Colorado
Jonathan E. GrindIay, Center for Astrophysics
Donald N. B. Hall, University of Hawaii
Andrew P. Ingersoll, California Institute of Technology
William M. Kaula, NOAA
Harold P. Klein, The University of Santa Clara
John W. Leibacher, National Solar Observatory
Michael Mendillo, Boston University
Robert O. Pepin, University of Minnesota
Roger J. Phillips, Southern Methodist University
David M. Raup, University of Chicago
Christopher T. Russell, University of California, Los Angeles
Blair D. Savage, University of Wisconsin
John A. Simpson, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago
George L. Siscoe. Universitv of California. Los Angeles
.. . ., .
L. Dennis Smith, Purdue University
Darrell F. Strobel, Johns Hopkins University
Byron D. Tapley, University of Texas at Austin
Dean P. Kastel, Stall Director
Ceres M. Rangos, Secretary
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COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS,
AND RESOURCES
Norman Hackerman, Robert A. Welch Foundation, Chairman
George F. Carrier, Harvard University
Dean E. Eastman, IBM Corporation
Marye Anne Fox, University of Texas
Gerhart FriedIander, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Lawrence W. Funkhouser, Chevron Corporation (retired)
Phillip A. Griffiths, Duke University
J. Ross Macdonald, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Charles J. Mankin, Oklahoma Geological Survey
Perry L. McCarty, Stanford University
Jack E. Oliver, Cornell University
Jeremiah P. Ostriker, Princeton University Observatory
William D. Phillips, MallinckroUt, Inc.
Denis J. Prager, MacArthur Foundation
David M. Raup, University of Chicago
Richard J. Reed, University of Washington
Robert E. Sievers, University of Colorado
Larry L. Smarr, National Center for Supercomputing
Applications
Edward C. Stone, Jr., California Institute of Technology
Karl K. Turekian, Yale University
George W. Wetherill, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM Corporation
Raphael G. Kasper, Executive Director
Lawrence E. McCray, Associate Executive Director
V1
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Foreword
Early in 1984, NASA asked the Space Science Board to un-
dertake a study to determine the principal scientific issues that
the disciplines of space science would face cluring the period from
about 1995 to 2015. This request was made partly because NASA
expected the Space Station to become available at the beginning
of this period, and partly because the missions needed to im-
plement research strategies previously developed by the various
committees of the board should have been launched or their de-
velopment under way by that time. A two-year study was called
for. To carry out the study the board put together task groups
in earth sciences, planetary and lunar exploration, solar system
space physics, astronomy and astrophysics, fundamental physics
and chemistry (relativistic gravitation and microgravity sciences),
and life sciences. Responsibility for the study was vested in a steer-
ing group whose members consisted of the task group chairmen
plus other senior representatives of the space science disciplines.
To the board's good fortune, distinguished scientists from many
countries other than the United States participated in this study.
The findings of the study are published in seven volumes: six
task group reports, of which this volume is one, and an overview
report of the steering group. ~ commend this and all the other task
group reports to the reader for an understanding of the challenges
· .
V11
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that confront the space sciences and the insights they promise for
the next century. The official recornrnendations of the study are
those to be found in the steering group's overview.
Thomas M. Donahue, Chairman
Space Science Board
. . .
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Contents
1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
The Importance of Advanced Instrumentation
in Astrophysical Progress, 3
Astrophysical Goals, 4
The Next Generation of Powerful Observatories
in Space, 6
2. SCIENCE OBJECTIVES
Introduction, 8
Basic Astrophysical Questions, 9
Relationship to Other Disciplines of Space Science, 17
3. ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS IN 1995:
EXPECTED STATUS
Overview, 19
Radio Astronomy, 20
Infrared and Submillimeter Astronomy, 22
Ultraviolet and Optical Wavelengths, 24
X-ray Astronomy, 25
Gamma-Ray Astronomy, 27
Cosmic-Ray Astrophysics, 28
Gravitational Physics, 31
NASA Operational Status, 33
International Programs, 33
1X
1
8
19
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4. NEW INITIATIVES
The Way Forward, 36
High-Resolution Interferometry, 38
High-Throughput Instruments, 46
Very High Throughput Facility (VHTF), 56
Hard X-ray Imaging Facility (HXIF), 58
Gamma-Ray Astronomy, 60
Cosrn~c-Ray Research, 62
5. PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Budgetary Requirements, 67
International Collaboration, 68
Cost-to-Weight Ratio, 69
Management and Operations, 69
Coordinated Facilities, 70
Scientific Instruments Technology, 70
x
36
67