Less is More S. R.Kulkarni Director, Caltech Optical Observatories Chairman, SIM-Lite Science Team

Less is More

S. R.Kulkarni

Director, Caltech Optical Observatories

Chairman, SIM-Lite Science Team

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Are we on the verge of a paradigm shift?

Access to Space will get Cheaper

Nearly a dozen space faring countries US, Russia, Europe China, Japan, India, Israel, In development: Iran, S. Korea, Brazil,

Taiwan…Entry of private players

Russia US

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Satellites by countries

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Telemetry is Inexpensive

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And the price will fall ….

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Some Trailblazars

CHIPSAT

“Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer” The only UNEX mission to date

63 kg satelliteEUV spectrometer for diffuse ISM2003-2008 (death due to budget)

MOST (Canada)

60-kg satellite dedicated to precision photometry

Demonstration of lightweight attitude system

Official cost $10M(Launch cost $1M?)

Brite-Constellation

Nano-satellites (20-cm cube)Large FOV CCD camera (24 sq degree)Photometry of bright stars (4 mag)Expected launch date is 2011

In the works: (nano)Jasmine

20 kg satellite5-cm telescope3-axis stabilized1-micron imaging and astrometryLaunch is now August 2011 (Cyclon-4)

Challenge & Opportunity<60 kg in LEO

X-ray monitors (always a winner)An instrument in support of ground facilties

(PTF) UV Photometer NIR Photometer

Precision Photometry on Demand Transit Eclipse

Stare at Galactic Center, LMC, SMC, M31 etc

Sub-orbital Ops: UVA/Drones

Great advance in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, “drones”).

No pilot and so reduced cost (and mass)

“Eclipse-on-Demand”“Fly-to-suit Transit”