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It's a pretty big to-do list.
Over the next decade, scientists aim to uncover the secrets of the universe and identify Earth-like planets outside our solar system to find other habitable worlds.
Ultimately, this research could reveal if we really are alone.
These are the top priorities outlined in the highly anticipated 10-year Astro2020 survey, released Thursday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
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More about what happened right after the birth of the universe, the nature of black holes and neutron stars, and understanding how galaxies originated and evolved are also on the survey's agenda.
The last 10 years have been filled with pioneering scientific discoveries, including the finding of gravitational waves, direct imaging of exoplanets and a black hole, and even the detection of heavy elements created when two neutron stars collided.
Much of the 2010 10-year survey has been completed, so scientists agree that it is time to look ahead and see what is possible to find using space and terrestrial astronomy to study the universe.
"Many of the questions at the forefront of the survey topics could not have been asked even a decade ago," the authors wrote in the report.
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More than 4,000 exoplanets have been found in our galaxy, but it is less obvious which of those worlds are potentially habitable.
The search continues to find worlds similar to Earth.
The authors reinforce the idea of being able to better image and characterize these potentially habitable planets.
Multi-messenger astronomy, or the combination of observations from space and ground-based telescopes at multiple wavelengths of light, was a key factor in some of the biggest discoveries of the last decade.
To better understand black holes and neutron stars, including the explosive events that create them, the report suggests digging deeper into the study of gravitational waves.
These ripples in space-time could reveal what happened just after the Big Bang, or Big Bang, that created the universe.
Our universe is full of galaxies, but how did they form and evolve over time?
The authors suggest that the answers could lie within the cosmic gas networks that act as the foundation of galaxies and eventually lead to the birth of stars that fill each galaxy.
Answering these big questions means investing in key missions.
The report's authors recommend that NASA create a way to develop large strategic missions that contribute to the survey's objectives.
These missions would be developed under a new Grand Observatories mission and a Technology Maturation Program (TMP).
The first mission after this program is developed would be a large, high-contrast telescope that can observe in infrared, optical, and ultraviolet light.
In scale, it would be comparable to the Hubble space telescope or the James Webb space telescope and could be launched in the 2040s to aid in the search for life forms on some 25 potentially habitable exoplanets.
The estimated cost of this mission is US $ 11,000 million.
"If we discover the biological signature in another planetary system, it will change our place in the universe in a way not seen since the days of Copernicus, placing Earth between a community and a continuum of worlds," the authors wrote.
"The next few decades will set humanity on a path to determine if we are alone."
The future of discovery
Due to the pandemic, the report called Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s, was delayed in publication last year. Agencies such as NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) rely on these recommendations when making decisions regarding funding for research, missions, and programs for the next 10 years. It is the result of years of work by the astronomical community and acts as a landscape for the years 2023 to 2032.
"This report sets out an ambitious, inspiring, and ambitious vision for the next decade of astronomy and astrophysics," said Fiona Harrison, president of the physics, mathematics and astronomy division of the California Institute of Technology and co-chair of the National Academies steering committee. for the survey, in a statement.
"By changing the way we plan the most ambitious strategic space projects, we can develop a broad portfolio of missions to pursue visionary goals, such as searching for life on planets orbiting stars in our galactic neighborhood, while simultaneously exploiting the wealth of astrophysics. of the 21st century through a panchromatic fleet ".
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But the report is not just a future vision of science that has been made possible in this golden age of discovery and technology.
The authors also focus on how to improve program funding and conditions for people working in these fields, conducting research, and making these groundbreaking discoveries possible.
"We are on the threshold of new scientific endeavors and capabilities that could transform our understanding of how galaxies form and how our universe began," said Robert Kennicutt, professor at the University of Arizona, professor of physics and astronomy at Texas A&M University. and co-chair of the steering committee, in a statement.
"But our report says that a lot of attention must also be paid to investing in the foundation of this research, including in the people who carry it out, and to ensure that the US community is well equipped to capitalize on the great The amount of information it will maintain is at the forefront of the global effort to understand the cosmos. "
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What needs to change
The report noted the need to diversify the scientific workforce and ensure that policies are in place at NASA, NSF and the US Department of Energy to ensure that harassment and discrimination are treated as forms of "scientific misconduct."
Fostering interest and access to STEM education (an acronym for the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), providing more funding, and creating stepping stones could allow for greater diversity.
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While more women have joined these fields, they still need to occupy senior leadership positions.
Racial and ethnic diversity remains low among astronomy teachers, with the black population at just 1% and the Hispanic population at 3%.
Some observatories have also been built on lands where indigenous communities maintain a cultural interest.
The authors suggest respecting, empowering, and benefiting local communities by creating partnerships and creating pathways for Native Americans to begin their scientific careers.
The report also noted the impact of travel on climate change, saying that "the astronomical community should increase the use of remote observing, hybrid conferencing, and remote conferencing."
The inspection committee agreed with NASA that the agency should discontinue operations of SOFIA, or the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, in 2023. The modified Boeing 747 carries a 2.7-meter reflecting telescope and flies into the stratosphere.
While the plane has led to some interesting scientific discoveries, the authors did not think the mission was worth the cost of continuing.
The report also addresses the growing concern about frequent mega-constellation satellite launches.
"Scientifically, the greatest impact occurs in searches for near-Earth objects," the authors wrote.
"The National Science Foundation should work with the appropriate federal regulatory agencies to develop and implement a regulatory framework to control the impacts of satellite constellations on astronomy and the human experience of the night sky."
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