A new report by the National Research Council identifies the highest-priority research activities for astronomy and astrophysics in the next decade that will "set the nation firmly on the path to answering profound questions about the cosmos."

The decadal survey - the Research Council's sixth - prioritizes activities based on their ability to advance science in key areas, and for the first time also takes into account factors such as risks in technical readiness, schedule, and cost.

The report identifies space- and ground-based research activities in three categories: large, midsize, and small. For large space activities - those exceeding $1 billion - an observatory the report calls the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is the top priority because the space telescope would help settle fundamental questions about the nature of dark energy, determine the likelihood of other Earth-like planets over a wide range of orbital parameters, and survey our galaxy and others.

For large-scale, ground-based research initiatives that exceed $135 million, the first priority is the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a wide-field optical survey telescope that would observe more than half the sky every four nights, and address diverse areas of study such as dark energy, supernovae, and time-variable phenomena.

"Powerful new ways to observe the universe and bold ideas to understand it have created scientific opportunities without precedent," said Roger Blandford, chair of the committee that wrote the report and Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford.

"The program of research that we recommend will optimize the science return for future ground-based projects and space missions in a time of constrained budgets and limited resources."

The recommended research activities are encapsulated by three science objectives: deepening understanding of how the first stars, galaxies, and black holes formed, locating the closest habitable Earth-like planets beyond the solar system for detailed study, and using astronomical measurements to unravel the mysteries of gravity and probe fundamental physics.

Along with WFIRST, other priorities in the large-scale space category recommended in the report are an augmentation to the Explorer program, which supports small- and medium-sized missions that provide high scientific returns; the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which could enable detection of long gravitational waves or "ripples in space-time"; and the International X-Ray Observatory, a large-area X-ray telescope that could transform understanding of hot gas associated with stars, galaxies, and black holes in all evolutionary stages.

Other recommended ground-based research projects include the formation of a Midscale Innovations Program within the National Science Foundation (NSF), which would fill a funding gap for compelling research activities that cost between $4 million and $135 million.

In addition, the report recommends participation in the U.S.-led international Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope, a next generation large optical telescope that is vital for continuing the long record of U.S. leadership in ground-based optical astronomy. The next priority is participation in an international ground-based high-energy gamma-ray telescope array.

For midsize space-based activities, the first priority is the New Worlds Technology Development Program, which lays the scientific groundwork for a future mission to study nearby Earth-like planets. Top priority for ground-based midsize research is the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT), which would provide short wavelength radio surveys of the sky to study dusty material associated with galaxies and stars.

Research priorities were selected through an extensive review that included input from nine expert panels, six study groups, and a broad survey of the astronomy and astrophysics community. With the help of an outside contractor, the committee developed independent appraisals of the technical readiness and schedule and cost risks.

In addition, the survey reassessed projects that were recommended in past surveys but not formally started alongside newly proposed projects.

The research recommendations represent a cohesive plan with realistic budgetary scenarios, the report says, with ranges based on current projected budgets for NASA, NSF, and the U.S. Department of Energy - the agencies largely responsible for funding and implementing the research activities.

It also identifies smaller, unranked research initiatives to augment core fundamental research. An independent standing committee should regularly advise the agencies on strategy and progress of the projects and produce annual reports.

The report notes that astronomical research continues to offer significant benefits to the nation beyond astronomical discoveries by capturing the public's attention and promoting general science literacy and proficiency.

In addition, the research serves as a gateway to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers, and a number of important and often unexpected technological breakthroughs. The report makes several recommendations to improve astronomy and astrophysics education and calls for more U.S. participation in international research projects.

related report
AAS Endorses Astro2010 Decadal Survey
The American Astronomical Society (AAS), the major organization of professional astronomers in North America, has endorsed the decadal survey recommending priorities for the most important scientific and technical activities of the next 10 years in astronomy and astrophysics.

These include a balance of small, medium, and large initiatives, with ground- and space-based telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum. The report of the Astro2010 Survey Committee, more than two years in the making, was released this morning during a briefing and webcast at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, DC.

The Society's endorsement reads as follows:

"The American Astronomical Society enthusiastically endorses the Astro2010 Decadal Survey: 'New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics.' Given recent advances in technology and understanding, this is a time of extraordinary opportunity for research in astronomy and astrophysics. This report is based on a comprehensive community-driven process and presents exciting yet realistic recommendations for the next decade. The AAS urges the astronomical community to support the report and its priorities."

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics is the sixth in a series of surveys produced every 10 years by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. Many of today's most powerful and scientifically productive ground- and space-based telescopes were built following the recommendations of earlier decadal surveys.

The 23-member Astro2010 Survey Committee, chaired by Roger Blandford (Stanford University), surveyed the entire field, from science to infrastructure, and assessed ground- and space-based activities in astronomy and astrophysics, including both new and previously identified concepts.

Their recommendations for the coming decade are addressed to the agencies supporting the field (chiefly NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy), the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public.

"Nothing is more important to our discipline than the release of the decadal survey recommendations," says AAS Executive Officer Kevin B. Marvel. "Congress, the White House, and the funding agencies applaud us for undertaking this effort, and they will use our community priorities to allocate federal resources to astronomy and astrophysics projects."

During its lengthy study, Blandford's committee weighed input from a sizable fraction of the nation's astronomers and space scientists. Nearly 200 served on scientifically or technically themed panels or infrastructure study groups.

More than 300 "white papers" were submitted reviewing our current understanding and future directions in studies of planetary systems, the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies, and cosmology, along with another 100 or so describing new missions, observatories, and projects.

About 150 reports were received concerning the state of the profession, the need for certain types of technology development, and challenges in theory, computation, and laboratory astrophysics. And hundreds of scientists participated in 17 "town hall" meetings that members of the survey committee convened across the country from Hawaii to New England.

John P. Huchra (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), AAS Past-President and Chair of the AAS Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy, is also a member of the Astro2010 Survey Committee. "Every party in the astronomical community had multiple opportunities to provide input," says Huchra.

"I think that's why the AAS was so quick to endorse the Astro2010 report: the Society recognized and admired the inclusivity of the process that led to it."

"This is broadly representative of what U.S. astronomers want to see happen in the coming decade," says AAS President Debra M. Elmegreen (Vassar College), who is also on Blandford's committee.

"The survey report presents many exciting opportunities for our field. In addition to the breakthrough science that would be supported by the recommended projects and missions, there are also many suggestions concerning the astronomical enterprise, including issues such as education and training, diversity, data handling, and benefits to the nation."