Call for Letters of Interest: ASTRO-1 Requirements Team
Jon Morse BoldlyGo Enterprises, LLC
The strawman concept for the ASTRO-1 space observatory is a 1.8-meter off-axis (unobscured) ultraviolet-visible telescope to be located in a Lagrange point or heliocentric orbit with instrumentation for wide-field, diffraction-limited panchromatic imaging; medium- and high-resolution spectroscopy; and high-contrast imaging. ASTRO-1 is intended for the post-Hubble Space Telescope era in the 2020s, enabling unique measurements of a broad range of celestial targets, while providing vital complementary capabilities to other ground- and space-based facilities.
The ASTRO-1 space telescope is designed to accomplish a wide variety of scientific programs, addressing topics across space astronomy, astrophysics, fundamental physics, and solar-system science, as well as being technologically informative to future large-aperture programs. It will serve a broad national and international community and be a vehicle for impactful public engagement.
Letters of interest are sought from members of the astronomical community who wish to serve a one-year term on the ART, optimizing the ASTRO-1 science case and observatory design and constructing a design reference mission. Approximately 10-12 ART members will be selected from among the applicants, in addition to the ART Chair and Vice/Co-Chair. LOI applications should be submitted no later than 8:59 pm EDT on 2 October 2015, at the ASTRO-1 Requirements Team webpage.
This LOI application website contains a form asking for basic contact information and the opportunity to upload a single PDF file (of size <10 MB) containing the following topical materials (composed in no smaller than 10-point type):
- One-page curriculum vitae summarizing your education, work, and research history, including any recent scientific and/or technical publications you wish to highlight;
- Two pages (including figures, if any) devoted to your research interests and experience relevant to the ASTRO-1 space telescope’s anticipated science programs and capabilities; and
- One page devoted to your capacity for communicating — via personal interaction and electronic means — to a broad scientific/technical community, as well as non-technical audiences, about the ASTRO-1 project, together with an estimate of the level of effort that you can support during the one-year ART appointment.
LOI applications will be evaluated based on: (1) relevant scientific and/or technical expertise and (2) a clear indication of an intent to provide an adequate level of commitment toward advancing the success of ASTRO-1 while a member of the ART. This process is open to all members of the astronomical community, including domestic and international institutions, regardless of career stage. The ART website includes a link to the ART Charter. Questions about ASTRO-1 or the application process can be sent to [email protected].
Reimbursement of travel expenses will be available to ART members by request.
We anticipate forming International Science & Technology Working Groups (ISTWG’s) under the ART through a future mechanism to expand collaboration and awareness of ASTRO-1, and to provide feedback to the ART and BoldlyGo Institute on the planned scientific and technological performance.