The universe has been a source of fascination for thousands of years, but only in the last few decades have scientists been able to do what once was just imagined discovering planets outside Earth s solar system and galaxies near the edge of the visible universe. The scientific and technical revolution behind these accomplishments continues, promising additional major findings. But setting priorities will be necessary to ensure that resources go to the right places. The report provides a strategy for how astronomy funding should be allocated in the next decade.
Top billing goes to developing the Next Generation Space Telescope.
Designed to detect light from the first stars, the telescope has the potential to revolutionize understanding of how galaxies, stars, and planets form. It will have 100 times the sensitivity of the Hubble telescope and provide images 10 times as sharp. Precedence also should be given to developing a ground-based giant segmented mirror telescope, which could provide the means to trace the evolution of galaxies and study the matter between galaxies about which very little is known. Several other major initiatives also should get high priority, the report says. For example, completion of the Constellation-X Observatory would make it the premier instrument for studying the formation of black holes of all sizes.