WFIRST: The Best of Both Worlds NASA officially is beginning work on 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.
NASA | WFIRST: Uncovering the Mysteries of the Universe The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is an upcoming space telescope designed to perform wide-field imaging and spectroscopy of the infrared sky. One of WFIRST's objectives will be looking for clues about dark energy--the mysterious force that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.
NASA’s next big astronomy mission after the James Webb Space Telescope will become a formal project in February thanks to increased funding from Congress.
// www.space.com
The WFIRST/AFTA astrophysics mission: bigger and better for exoplanets Tom Greene, NASA Ames Abstract: The Wide Field InfRared Survey Telescope mission is the highest priority large space project recommended by the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, and it is expected to begin development in 2017 when the James Webb Space Telescope is nearing launch. WFIRST was conceived to conduct wide field, near-infrared surveys for dark energy, exoplanet gravitational microlensing, and general astrophysics using a moderate aperture (~1.3-m) telescope.
Лекция довольно длинная, любопытных моментов всего ничего. Оставлю просто в качестве источника - оказывается рассматривается возможность роботизированной заправки и обслуживания. Раньше натыкался в каком-то совсем махровом научпопе, на этот раз решил зафиксировать.
Все это техника прошлого тысячелетия, я могу сделать телескоп диаметром в сотни метров и увеличением порядка миллиона и больше, за относительно недорого,
Вот только хрен кто денег даст,
можно было бы звезды с мелкими подробностями фоткать, и планеты наблюдать визуально.
The WIETR concludes therefore that although the scope is understood, as designed, the risks to the
primary mission of WFIRST are significant and therefore the mission is not executable without
adjustments and/or additional resources.