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7/29/2019 Astronet Strategic Plan
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7/29/2019 Astronet Strategic Plan
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This is a golden era or astronomy. The past ew years have brought a number o epochal discover ies, rom the detec-
tion o the rst planets orbiting other stars, to the accelerating Universe dominated by enigmatic dark energy. Europe is
at the oreront in all areas o contemporary astronomy and the challenge now is to consolidate and strengthen this posi-
tion or the uture.
In a world o ever-ercer global competition, European astronomy has reached its current position by learning to cooperate
on both a bi- and a multilateral basis, and especially through the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the European
Space Agency (ESA). However, the scientists and research programmes in universities and research organisations at the
national level remain the backbone o European astronomy. The scientic challenges o the uture will require a compre-
hensive long-term strategy and the coordination o nancial and human resources, underpinned by vibrant, national scien-
tic and technological communities across the whole o Europe. This approach is also needed i Europe is to be a strong
and eective partner in the largest, global projects.
ASTRONET, supported as an ERA-Net by the European Commission, was created by the major European unding agen-
cies and research organisations to prepare long-term scientic and investment plans or European astronomy or the
next 1020 years. The present Infrastructure Roadmap represents the core o this eort and is unique in the history o
European astronomy. Firstly, it considers the whole o astronomy: rom gamma-ray to radio wavelengths as well as par-
ticles, rom the ground and in space, and rom the distant borders o the Universe to in si tu exploration o Solar System
bodies, and includes theory, computing and laboratory studies. Secondly, it involves all o Europe, including the new EU
member states, and explicitly includes the human resources that are crucial to the delivery o the scientic outcome.
We know that astronomy interests peo-
ple o all ages; as well as expanding their
horizons, it can encourage younger people
to consider careers in science or technol-
ogy. Astronomy also drives high technology
in areas such as optics and inormatics.
These are all power ul reasons to support
European astronomy. As this report shows,
astronomy is also a ully international sci-ence whose communities welcome the
establishment o the European Research
Area.
Hubble and Chandra composite o the galaxy clus-
ter MACS J0025.4-1222, showing the hot, diuse gas
trapped in the clusters powerul gravitational eld.Credit: NASA, ESA, CXC, M. Bradac (University o Caliornia, Santa Barbara, USA), and S. Allen (Stanord University, USA)
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Scientic planning must be based on scientic goals.
Accordingly, this process began with the development o
a Science Vision for European Astronomy, published in
October 2007. It reviewed and prioritised the main scientic
questions that European astronomy should address over
the next 1020 years under our broad headings:
Do we understand the extremes o the Universe?
How do galaxies orm and evolve?
What is the origin and evolution o stars and planets?
How do we t in?
In doing so, the Science Vision identied the types oresearch inrastructure that would be needed to answer
the key questions under each heading, but did not address
specic projects. The present Infrastructure Roadmap
builds on the Science Vision. It aims to develop a match-
ing set o priorities or the material and human resources
needed to reach these goals, and a plan or phasing the
corresponding investments so that the bulk o the Science
Vision goals can be reached within realistic budgets. It
extends the ESFRI Roadmap by analysing and comparing
the fagship projects in all areas o astronomy in techni-
cal and nancial detail, and by addressing directly the hard
acts o the implementation phase.
The ASTRONET Roadmap was developed primarily on
scientic grounds by a Working Group appointed by the
ASTRONET Board. Existing and proposed inrastruc-
ture projects across astronomy well over 100 in all
were reviewed by three specialist panels o top-ranking
European scientists. Two other panels considered the con-
comitant needs or theory, computing and data archiving,
and human resources including education, recruitment,
public outreach and industrial involvement. Overall, over
60 European scientists were directly involved in this eort.
Feedback rom the community was invited through both
a web-based orum and a large symposium held in June
2008.
The panels worked by assessing projects requir ing new
unds o 10 million or more rom European sources and
on which spending decisions are required ater 2008. They
examined each project or its potential scientic impact, its
uniqueness, its level o European input, the size o the astro-
nomical community that would benet rom it, and its rele-
vance to advancing European high-technology industr y.
The Working Group and Panels were mindul o existing
national and international strategic plans, including those o
ESFRI, ESO and ESA. They also considered the global con-
text, including the plans o our major international partners.
Close contact was maintained with the inrastructure net-
works OPTICON, RadioNet, EuroPlaNet and ILIAS and the
ERA-Net ASPERA. The Working Group has sole responsi-
bility or the nal report.
Three aspects o the Roadmap are notable. Firstly, it
emphasises the need to include the entire electromag-
netic spectrum and beyond in the study o most cos-
mic phenomena, rom young stars and planets to super-massive black holes in the distant Universe. Secondly, the
priorities o proposed new space missions were reviewed
independently by the ASTRONET and ESA Cosmic Vision
panels. Although they were prepared by dierent groups
o scientists, the conclusions were very similar. Thirdly, the
Roadmap identies a number o gaps, or which technolog-
ical solutions are needed, as well as inconsistencies in cur-
rent policies. It points to the lack o consistency between
the resources devoted to major projects and their scientic
exploitation, and to the need to coordinate space projects
with the matching ground-based eorts that are needed to
secure the ull scientic returns rom the investment.
Arti sts impression o the the extr asolar planet HD 189733b.Credit: ESA/Hubble/M. Kornmesser
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A useul roadmap must include realistic estimates o costs, technological readiness and avai lable resources. Independent
advice as well as inormation provided by the projects have been used to assess their cost and maturity, but the reliabil-
ity o these data varies rom project to project. For uture space missions in particular, projects have been changing and
merging either internally or with other projects internationally while this report was being prepared. Resource estimates,and also scientic capabilities given here should be regarded as a snapshot o the current situation, based on the best
inormation available to date. Known or estimated costs or operations are included throughout.
More surprisingly, the available inormation on present nancial and human resources or European astronomy is itsel
ragmentary and inconsistent, especially when national universities, projects, and bi- or multilateral collaborations are to
be included in addition to ESO, ESA and national unding agencies. The demarcation between astronomy and other natu-
ral sciences such as physics, chemistry or biology is another source o uncertainty. A breakdown o resources into astro-
nomical disciplines such as cosmology or exoplanet research is not possible, and substantial eort will be required to
achieve it. This report can give only approximate totals, but they do represent the best pan-European inormation availa-
ble today.
In the ollowing, ground-based and space-based projects are considered separately, as the unding sources and project
selection procedures or them are oten separate. The recommendations are, however, based on the overall scientic per-
spectives described in the Science Vision.
Arti sts impression o the European Ex tremely Large Telescope (E-ELT)
during observations. In the background the centre o the Milky Way is just
rising above the enclosure o the telescope.
Credit: ESO/H. Zodet
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Among the ground-based inrastructure projects, two
emerged as clear top priorities due to their potential or
undamental breakthroughs in a very wide range o scien-
tic elds, rom the Solar and other planetary systems to
cosmology:
The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), a
40-m-class optical-inrared telescope being developed
by ESO as a European or European-led project. A deci-
sion on construction, based on a detailed design and
cost estimate, is planned or 2010.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a huge radio tele-scope being developed by a global consortium with an
intended European share o 33-40 per cent. The SKA
will be developed in three phases o increasing size, sci-
entic power, and cost. Construction o Phase 1 could
be decided in 2012, ollowed by rst science and a deci-
sion on Phase 2 around 2016, and with Phase 3 envis-
aged ater 2020.
It was concluded that although the E-ELT and SKA are
very ambitious projects requiring large human and nan-
cial resources, they can both be delivered via an appropri-
ately phased plan.
Three other projects were considered scientically out-
standing in areas with European leadership, but in nar-
rower elds and with lower budgets than the E-ELT and
SKA. These have been grouped together in a separate list
which comprises, in descending order o priority:
The European Solar Telescope (EST), an advanced 4-m
solar telescope to be built in the Canary Islands. The EST
will enable breakthroughs in our understanding o the
solar magnetic eld and its relations with the heliosphere
and the Earth; when ready, it will replace the existing
national solar telescopes in the Canary Islands.
The Cerenkov Telescope Array(CTA), an array o optical
telescopes to detect high energy gamma rays rom black
holes and other extreme phenomena in the Universe.
Building on existing successul European experiments,
the CTA the rst true observatory at such energies
is expected to bring about a breakthrough in our under-standing o the origin and production o high energy
gamma rays.
The proposed underwater neutrino detector, KM3NeT,
was also considered o great scientic potential, but
ranked lower than the CTA because o the more proven
astrophysical discovery capability o the latter.
A smaller project, but again o high prior ity, is a wide-eld
spectrograph or massive surveys with 810-m telescopes.
A Working Group is to be appointed by ASTRONET to
study this in detail. Finally, the report identies a need to
incorporate and support laboratory astrophysics includ-
ing the curation o Solar System material returned by space
missions more systematically than now.
Arti sts view o the central element o the Square K ilometre Array. The
phased elements will be able to observe the whole sky and study multiple
objects simultaneously with independent beams. Surrounding the central
elements is a widely distributed array o antenna dishes providing added
sensitivity and resolution.
Credit: SKA
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Although important national and multinational space projects are being developed outside the ESA structure and the
Roadmap also encourages the continued development o ast-track smaller missions, ESAs strategic planning, most
recently the Cosmic Vision exercise, dominates the development o major scientic space missions in Europe. Regardless
o scientic merit, only a couple o new L-class (Large scale) and a very ew M-class (Medium scale) missions are likely tobe selected or implemented in the next decade within the Cosmic Vision plan; mission proposals are currently undergo-
ing major changes and transormations beore the nal selection is made. Their overall impact depends on maintaining a
strong science programme at ESA.
The Roadmap Working Group and Panels independently agreed with ESAs initial selection oCosmic Vision missions. All
the proposed missions were judged to be o high scientic value. The nal choice o missions by the standard ESA review
and down-selection procedures, which track changes in mission scope and cost and possible mergers with, or replace-
ment by, other European or international projects, is thereore broadly supported. Within this ramework, our priorities,
including some non-ESA missions, are as ollows:
Among the large-scale missions, the gravitational-wave observatory LISA and the X-ray observatory XEUS/IXO were
ranked together at the top. Next were the TANDEM and LAPLACE missions to the planets Saturn and Jupiter and their
satellites. One is likely to be selected late in 2008 and will then compete with IXO or LISA or the next L-slot. ExoMars
was ranked highly as well, but below TANDEM/LAPLACE and does not compete with the others as it belongs to a di-
erent programme (Aurora). The longer-term missions Darwin (search or lie on other Earths), FIRI (ormation and evo-
lution o planets, stars and galaxies), and PHOIBOS (very close-up study o the solar atmosphere) were also deemed
very important but still require lengthy technological development. It was regarded as premature to assign a detailed
priority ranking to these three missions at this stage.
Among the medium-scale missions, sci-
ence analysis and exploitation or the
astrometric mission Gaia was ranked
highest, ollowed by the dark energy mis-
sion EUCLID and then Solar Orbiter. Next,
with equal rank but dierent maturity, are
Cross-Scale (magnetosphere), Simbol-X(a non-ESA X-ray project), PLATO (exo-
planet transits) and SPICA (ar-inrared
observatory). Below these in priority is
Marco Polo (near-Earth asteroid sample
return).
Let: ESAs Gaia spacecrat: artists impression.
Right: The young, star-orming Tarantula Nebula in
the Large Magellanic Cloud. The colours show the
locations o the many massive, hot young stars and
the heated and ionised regions they have carved out
o their natal gas cloud.
Credit: ESA
Credit: ESO/ J. Alves, B. Vandame, Y. Bialetski, R. Fosbury
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The role o existing and approved acilities is also considered in the Roadmap. In space, several current missions are so
successul that an extension o their operational lietimes beyond those already approved is richly justied on scientic
grounds. In a constrained environment, the selection o the missions that can be extended within available unds should
be based on the scientic productivity o the mission and, or ESA-supported missions, the overall balance in the ESAprogramme.
On the ground, the existing set o small to medium-size optical telescopes is a heterogeneous mix o national and com-
mon instruments, equipped and operated without overall coordination. This is inecient and is an impediment to eec-
tive ground-based support or space missions. ASTRONET has appointed a committee to review the uture role, organi-
sation and unding o the European 24-m optical telescopes within the context o the Roadmap, to report by September
2009. Reviews o Europes existing mm-submm and radio telescopes will be under taken shortly a ter, ollowed later by a
review ocusing on the optimum exploitation o our access to 810-m optical telescopes as we enter the era o the E-ELT.
Together, these reviews will enable Europe to establ ish a coherent, cost-e ective complement o mid-size acilit ies.
Credit: ESO/H. H. Heyer
The our 8-m telescopes o the ESO Ver y Large Telescope ( VLT), on Cerro
Paranal in Chile.
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In the end, the deployment o skilled humans determines
what scientic acilities can be built and operated, as
well as the scientic returns that are derived rom them.
Conversely, astronomy is a proven and eective vehicle
or attracting young people into scientic and technical
careers, or the benet o society as a whole. The Roadmap
identies several initiatives to stimulate European scientic
literacy and provide our science with the human resources
it needs or a healthy uture.
The development o theory and computing capacity
must go hand-in-hand with that o observational acilities.
Systematic archiving o properly calibrated observational
data in standardised, internationally recognised ormats
will preserve precious inormation obtained with public
unds or uture use by other researchers. It will also cre-
ate a Virtual Observatory that enables new kinds o multi-
wavelength science and presents new challenges to the
way that results o theoretical models are presented and
compared with real data. The Roadmap proposes that a
European Astrophysical Sotware Laboratory, a centre
without walls, be created to promote and coordinate this
development, along with a number o other initiatives.
Credit: Kevin Govender
Schoolchildren observing the Sun
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Technological readiness, along with unding, is a signicant limiting actor or many o the proposed projects, in space
or on the ground. Key areas or development are identied in each case. Maintaining a vigorous technological R&D pro-
gramme to prepare or the uture, in concert with industry to ensure technology transer, is an important priority across all
areas o the Roadmap.
10
Credit: Ball Aerospace, NASA, ESA and CSA
1/6 scale model o the main optical subsystem o the James Webb Space
Telescope undergoing unctional tests. Europe is making substantial
contributions to this project, including important parts o the advanced
instrumentation.
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The Roadmap can be airly represented as a commu-
nity-based comprehensive plan that addresses the great
majority o the Science Vision goals while maintaining
and strengthening the role o Europe in global astronomywithin realistic budget limitations. In order to implement it
in a timely manner, given the sti international competi-
tion, a modest budget increase over the next decade will
be required. However, the coherent plan proposed here
will make or a very cost-eective investment or Europe.
Moreover, such a p lan, with its overview and awareness o
the global context, will also be a strong asset in negotiating
international partnerships or the largest projects.
Plans become useless, but planning is essential! The
context or the Roadmap kept evolving while it was being
developed, and will continue to do so. ASTRONET, in con-
cert with ESFRI, will monitor progress on implementing theproposals o the Roadmap over the next 23 years, whether
small or large in nancial terms. The entire European astro-
nomical community awaits the outcome with keen antic-
ipation. We oresee that a ully updated Roadmap will be
needed on a timescale o 510 years. Whether the Science
Vision then needs to be updated as well, will depend on
scientic and nancial developments on the international
scene in the meantime.
The nal version o the present Roadmap will become avail-
able athttp://www.astronet-eu.org.
Arti sts view o the brightest gamma-ray burst ever obser ved. The detailed
observations obtained or this event have provided a wealth o inormation
on how massive stars explode and interact with their environment.
Credit: ESO and Guido Chincarini, Steano Covino, Cristiano Guidorzi, University o Miliano Bicocca and INAF-Brera, Italy. Illustration by Luis Calada
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Designed and produced by ESO September 2008 www.astronet-eu.org