* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

Joint Dark Energy Mission

Blobrana · L

Last months surprise cancellation of the competition to develop the Joint Dark Energy Mission left researchers stunned. Now the former competitors have less than two months to come together and redefine what the mission should accomplisha mission that will be developed and overseen not by a single, winning team but by JDEMs government sponsors, NASA and the US Department of Energy.

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Blobrana · L

An independent panel asked to review a major set of NASA missions has given the thumbs up to a satellite designed to probe dark energy. Less lucky was a major X-ray observatory, which the panel recommends be deferred for now.
The report, by the US National Research Council (NRC), prioritises the items of the Beyond Einstein programme, which was set up in 2002 to determine ways of studying exotic forms of matter and energy. The original programme list included five missions, which were meant to be spread out over the subsequent 25 years.
But a budget crunch at NASA, together with President George W. Bush's ambitious and costly plan to return astronauts to the Moon, has forced the delay of the Beyond Einstein programme. Last year, the US Congress asked the independent NRC to rank the projects on the basis of scientific importance and feasibility.

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