Articles from STScI newsletters and annual reports, featuring the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, formerly known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), are available below.
To significantly further advance our knowledge of galaxy formation and evolution in the future, we need to expand our observations to exploit wide-field capabilities beyond Hubble's relatively narrow sky coverage.
The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) will have staff members attending the Virtual 237th AAS, which will be held 11–15 January, 2021. An exhibit booth and several associated events highlighting the missions we support for the science community will be available throughout the week.
A survey of the astronomical community reveals extensive interest in using observations with the Roman Space Telescope for investigations across a wide range of scientific themes. Roman's science program will reflect diverse interests, and will benefit from community participation in designing the observations, with open access to all data. As the Science Operations Center, the Institute has a key role in ensuring community participation in defining the overall observing program and supporting the broad array of science investigations.
The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, targeted for launch in 2025–2026, will have a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble's with comparable sensitivity and resolution.
The primary task for the Observation Planning Branch (OPB) is to implement and assist in the planning of observing programs for HST and JWST. Each of the members of OPB are assigned to this task for either or both missions, in their role as Program Coordinators (PCs).
Ranked as the highest scientific priority for a large space-based mission in the Astro2010 Decadal Survey, WFIRST will play a pivotal role in astrophysics in the 2020s. Advances in all areas of astrophysics will be possible, either through targeted General Observer programs, or through archival Guest Investigator analysis of data from core surveys optimized for studies of dark energy or exoplanets.
WFIRST is designed to have a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble's with comparable sensitivity and resolution, providing survey-sized data sets with space-based resolution. Its surveys will explore the nature of dark energy, discover and characterize exoplanets, and will revolutionize a large number of topics in general astrophysics. The WFIRST Project has been in Formulation since February of 2016, and recently completed a major mission review.
WFIRST will provide fundamental new constraints on our understanding of dark energy and extra-solar planets, as well as many topics in general astrophysics.
The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) got its formal start in February 2016, when NASA advanced it into the mission Formulation Phase, with launch aimed for the mid 2020s. This marked the completion of several years of pre-formulation work, capped by a successful Mission Concept Review in December 2015.
Many questions exist regarding the births of supermassive black holes. Numerical simulations are under development to answer some these questions, but others may need to wait for the next generation of near-infrared telescopes. Webb and WFIRST may soon detect the births of supermassive black holes, and in some cases the most powerful explosions in the universe that herald them.
Our community of astronomers, despite competing priorities and a challenging budget environment, have the exceptional ability to remain focused on exploiting the facilities we have built or are building, or are planning in order to undertake forefront science. When we scientists let science—not our perceptions of the limitations of technology, policy, or even politics—drive our decision-making, remarkable outcomes are possible.
The scientific prospects of large surveys are enormous, as reflected in the top facilities recommended by Astro2010—the space-based Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope and the ground-based Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Are we ready? How must we prepare? The goal of this conference was to promote awareness of the issues and opportunities of the coming era of upcoming very wide-area surveys.
As the newly appointed Science Operations Center, the institute will help ensure the scientific success of NASA’s upcoming Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope scheduled for launch in the mid-2020s.
WFIRST passed a major mission review, allowing staff to begin the next phase of development.