SIM, a micro-arcsecond astrometry space mission, has been impacted by significant changes in NASA priorities over the last two years, resulting in the mission being indefinitely delayed. The project team has responded by investigating alternative mission concepts based upon completed SIM technology. Several alternative mission concepts have been identified, ranging from a planets-only concept, to versions of SIM, called SIM-Lite, that still address the full breadth of science envisioned by two previous National Academy Astrophysics Decadal Surveys but with lower precision and reduced throughput. These mission concepts are significantly more affordable and may fit into a nearer-term future scenario than the full SIM PlanetQuest¹⁷ would. This paper describes the current state of the project, including its design and technology, and the alternative mission concepts for the use of these designs and technology.

Date Published: 28 July 2008
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 7013, Optical and Infrared Interferometry, 70132M (28 July 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.790273

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7013:
Optical and Infrared Interferometry
Markus Schöller; William C. Danchi; Françoise Delplancke, Editor(s)