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



Satellites by countries



Telemetry is Inexpensive



And the price will fall ….



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”

Documents

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