[meteorite-list] NASA Introduces New, Wider Set of Eyes on the Universe (WFIRST)

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=5371

NASA Introduces New, Wider Set of Eyes on the Universe
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
February 18, 2016

After years of preparatory studies, NASA is formally starting an astrophysics 
mission designed to help unlock the secrets of the universe -- the Wide 
Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).

With a view 100 times bigger than that of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, 
WFIRST will aid researchers in their efforts to unravel the secrets of 
dark energy and dark matter, and explore the evolution of the cosmos. 
It also will discover new worlds outside our solar system and advance 
the search for worlds that could be suitable for life.

NASA's Agency Program Management Council, which evaluates the agency's 
programs and projects on content, risk management and performance, made 
the decision to move forward with the mission on Wednesday.

The mission is led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, 
Maryland. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, will 
manage the mission's 7.8-foot (2.4-meter) telescope and deliver the coronagraph, 
an instrument to help image and characterize planets around other stars. 
The Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at the California Institute 
of Technology in Pasadena will share science center activities with the 
Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, under Goddard leadership.

"WFIRST has the potential to open our eyes to the wonders of the universe, 
much the same way Hubble has," said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate 
administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in 
Washington. "This mission uniquely combines the ability to discover and 
characterize planets beyond our own solar system with the sensitivity 
and optics to look wide and deep into the universe in a quest to unravel 
the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter."

WFIRST is the agency's next major astrophysics observatory, following 
the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018. The WFIRST observatory 
will survey large regions of the sky in near-infrared light to answer 
fundamental questions about the structure and evolution of the universe, 
and expand our knowledge of planets beyond our solar system - known as 
exoplanets.

It will carry a Wide Field Instrument for surveys, and a Coronagraph Instrument 
designed to block the glare of individual stars and reveal the faint light 
of planets orbiting around them. By blocking the light of the host star, 
the Coronagraph Instrument will enable detailed measurements of the chemical 
makeup of planetary atmospheres. Comparing these data across many worlds 
will allow scientists to better understand the origin and physics of these 
atmospheres, and search for chemical signs of environments suitable for 
life.

"WFIRST is designed to address science areas identified as top priorities 
by the astronomical community," said Paul Hertz, director of NASA's Astrophysics 
Division in Washington. "The Wide-Field Instrument will give the telescope 
the ability to capture a single image with the depth and quality of Hubble, 
but covering 100 times the area. The coronagraph will provide revolutionary 
science, capturing the faint, but direct images of distant gaseous worlds 
and super-Earths."

The telescope's sensitivity and wide view will enable a large-scale search 
for exoplanets by monitoring the brightness of millions of stars in the 
crowded central region of our galaxy. The survey will net thousands of 
new exoplanets similar in size and distance from their star as those in 
our own solar system, complementing the work started by NASA's Kepler 
mission and the upcoming work of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Employing multiple techniques, astronomers also will use WFIRST to track 
how dark energy and dark matter have affected the evolution of our universe. 
Dark energy is a mysterious, negative pressure that has been speeding 
up the expansion of the universe. Dark matter is invisible material that 
makes up most of the matter in our universe.

By measuring the distances of thousands of supernovae, astronomers can 
map in detail how cosmic expansion has increased with time. WFIRST also 
can precisely measure the shapes, positions and distances of millions 
of galaxies to track the distribution and growth of cosmic structures, 
including galaxy clusters and the dark matter accompanying them.

"In addition to its exciting capabilities for dark energy and exoplanets, 
WFIRST will provide a treasure trove of exquisite data for all astronomers," 
said Neil Gehrels, WFIRST project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight 
Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "This mission will survey the universe 
to find the most interesting objects out there."

Twelve science investigation teams were recently selected by NASA to help 
optimize science returns for the mission. Olivier Doré of JPL leads one 
of the teams. His group will focus on cosmology and the best methods for 
WFIRST to measure and test the nature of dark energy.

WFIRST is slated to launch in the mid-2020s. The observatory will begin 
operations after travelling to a gravitational balance point known as 
Earth-sun L2, which is located about one million miles from Earth in a 
direction directly opposite the sun.

For more information about NASA's WFIRST mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/wfirst


Media Contact

Whitney Clavin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
818-354-4673
whitney.clavin at jpl.nasa.gov

Felicia Chou 
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0257
felicia.chou at nasa.gov 

Lynn Chandler
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-2806
lynn.chandler-1 at nasa.gov

2016-043