Publisher:Pasadena, CA : Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2010
Citation:2010 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 6-13, 2010
Abstract:
The SIM Lite Astrometric Observatory is a mission concept for a space-borne instrument to perform micro-arc-second narrow-angle astrometry to search 60 to 100 nearby stars for Earth-like planets, and to perform global astrometry for a broad astrophysics program. The instrument consists of two Michelson stellar interferometers and a telescope. The first interferometer chops between the target star and a set of reference stars. The second interferometer monitors the attitude of the instrument in the direction of the target star. The telescope monitors the attitude of the instrument in the other two directions.