Interactions News Wire #48-07
5 September 2007 http://www.interactions.org
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Source: National Academy of Sciences
Content: Press Release
Date Issued: 5 September 2007
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Contacts: Paul Jackson, Media Relations Associate
Kimberly Berryman, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail <news@nas.edu>
'Beyond Einstein' Research Should Begin With Mission to Study Dark Energy
WASHINGTON -- NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy should pursue the
Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) as the first mission in the "Beyond
Einstein" program, according to a new report from the National Research
Council. Beyond Einstein is NASA's research roadmap for five proposed
mission areas to study the most compelling questions at the intersection
of physics and astronomy. The committee that wrote the report added that
another proposed mission to detect gravitational waves using the Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) should eventually become the flagship
mission of Beyond Einstein, given that it is likely to provide an entirely
new way to observe the universe. However, LISA needs more testing before
a launch can be planned, whereas the Joint Dark Energy Mission is ready
now for a competitive selection of mission concept proposals.
Prompted by Congress and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, NASA
and DOE asked the committee to assess the five proposed mission areas and
recommend one for first development and launch. NASA's Beyond Einstein
program, set to begin in 2009, is comprised of two astronomical
observatories, Constellation-X and LISA, as well as a series of probes:
the Inflation Probe (IP), the Black Hole Finder Probe (BHFP), and JDEM.
"All of the mission areas in the Beyond Einstein program have the
potential to fundamentally alter our understanding of the universe," said
committee co-chair Charles F. Kennel, distinguished professor and director
of the Environment and Sustainability Initiative at the University of
California, San Diego. "But JDEM will provide direct insight into a key
Beyond Einstein science question, and is the most technically feasible
option for immediate development."
Of particular interest to researchers is whether the acceleration of the
expansion of the universe varies over time. So far, three specific
mission plans have been studied in this area: the Supernova Acceleration
Probe (SNAP), the Dark Energy Space Telescope (DESTINY), and the Advanced
Dark Energy Physics Telescope (ADEPT), but the eventual JDEM could be any
one of the three or be based on a different option altogether. The
committee found that the underlying technology for a dark energy mission
is, for the most part, in the prototype phase, and will require less
development than most of the other missions. The potential gains for JDEM
also outweigh its scientific risks, such as the possibility that the
mission may not provide substantial insight beyond that provided by
telescopes on the ground. The report recommends that NASA and DOE proceed
immediately with a competition for mission proposals that will investigate
the nature of dark energy with high precision.
The committee also recommended that NASA invest additional Beyond Einstein
funds in technology development of the LISA program. LISA, which is
funded through a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency
(ESA), is designed to detect gravitational waves arising from, among other
phenomena, the merging of black holes. The committee found that LISA will
open up new ways of observing the universe, but must await results from
ESA's "LISA Pathfinder" mission first. Scheduled for launch in 2009, LISA
Pathfinder will test many of the new technologies required for the LISA
program. Yet, some critical technologies, such as extended use of
micro-Newton thruster technology, will not be tested. The report
recommends that the development of these technologies should be a high
priority for the Beyond Einstein program.
The report indicates that the three elements of Beyond Einstein that are
not being recommended for immediate implementation are still important
endeavors that should receive continued support. The committee found that
because the Constellation-X mission is a general-purpose x-ray observatory
capable of broad contributions to astrophysics, it should be funded and
assessed in a broader context than the Beyond Einstein program. The Black
Hole Finder Probe and Inflation Probe missions will also make important
scientific contributions; however, because of scope and technical
readiness issues, they fell behind JDEM and LISA. The committee
recommended that Constellation-X, Black Hole Finder Probe, and Inflation
Probe receive continued support to prepare them for the next decadal
survey of astronomy and astrophysics.
The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA. The
National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute
of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.
They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science,
technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The
Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy
of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. A committee roster
follows.
Copies of NASA's Beyond Einstein Program: An Architecture for
Implementation are available from the National Academies Press; tel.
202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu.
The cost of the report is $45.00 (prepaid) plus shipping charges of $4.50
for the first copy and $.95 for each additional copy. Reporters may
obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts
listed above). In addition, a podcast of the public briefing held to
release this report is available at http://national-academies.org/podcast.
[ This news release and report are available at
http://national-academies.org ]
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