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G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R 2 New Budget Initiatives for NASA in FY04

G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R FY04 President’s budget calls for accelerated “development and launch of an advanced polarimeter to increase our understanding of black carbon soot and other aerosols as causes of climate change”. Science objectives of the CCRI APS (CAPS): –Determine the global distribution of natural and anthropogenic aerosols with accuracy and coverage sufficient for a reliable quantification of the aerosol effect on climate. Measurement approach: –Retrieval of aerosol particle microphysical properties by inverting radiance and polarization measurements. –The CAPS polarimeter weighs approximately 25 kg and uses approximately 25 watts of power, while being 10 times more accurate than present instruments. Aerosols provide the largest uncertainty in the determination of the Climate Forcing Function

G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R 4 Optical Communications Building Blocks Enable New Capabilities Using laser light instead of radio waves will dramatically increase our ability to transmit information across the solar system First demonstration from Mars Earth-based terminals – Space or airborne or ground – 24/7 coverage

WHAT POWERED THE BIG BANG? WHAT HAPPENS AT THE EDGE OF A BLACK HOLE? WHAT IS DARK ENERGY? National Aeronautics and Space Administration

G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R 6 Completing Einstein’s Legacy 1.Einstein Great Observatories providing breakthrough increases in capabilities to address all Beyond Einstein science: LISA: Gravitational waves from merging black holes and the early Universe Constellation-X: Spectroscopy close to the event horizon of black holes and place constraints on dark side of the Universe 2.Einstein Probes to address focused science objectives: Determine the nature of the Dark Energy Search for the signature of inflation in the microwave background Take a census of Black Holes of all sizes in the local Universe 3.A technology program, theoretical studies and an education program to inspire future generations of scientists and engineers towards the vision: –Directly detect the gravitational waves emitted during the Big Bang –Image and resolve the event horizon of a Black Hole Beyond Einstein will employ a series of missions linked by powerful new technologies and common science goals to answer these questions … … and launch the revolution of the 21 st century!

G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R 7 Beyond Einstein LISA uses a laser based Michelson interferometer to monitor the separation between proof masses in separate spacecraft –Three spacecraft separated by 5 million km –Each spacecraft includes two freely falling test masses with drag free operation –Distance changes measured with precision of 4 ppm RMS over 100 seconds Constellation-X will use X-ray spectroscopy to observe Black holes: –Probe close to the event horizon –Evolution with redshift Dark side of the Universe: –Clusters of galaxies and large-scale structure Production and recycling of the elements: –Supernovae and interstellar medium – times sensitivity gain for high resolution spectroscopy in the 0.25 to 10 keV band –Four satellites at L2 operating as one with advanced X-ray spectrometers Enable high resolution spectroscopy of faint X-ray sources

G O D D A R D S P A C E F L I G H T C E N T E R 8 To Inspire the Next Generation of Explorers Education Initiative Educator Astronaut Program fully qualified members of NASA’s Astronaut Corps who have expertise in K-12 education. Educator Astronauts will lead the Agency in the development of new ways to connect space exploration with the classroom more information, applications, or submit a teacher, go to: Explorer Schools 50 Middle Schools – 5 per Center to be selected Commit to 3-year MOU – improve math and science instruction in low performing / urban schools 6-member teams from each school / 6-day training session during the summer Pipeline – Building A Pathway to NASA-related Careers engage Public and Parents as well as teachers and students emphasis on Informal (museums, science centers) as well as Formal education community increased partnerships with Dept. of Education on “No Child Left Behind” initiatives