Workshop Overview:
The lunar surface is a compelling opportunity for large, distributed optical facilities, with advantages over orbital facilities for high-spatial-resolution scientific applications. Serious development of mission concepts is timely because of the confluence of two compelling factors: first, lunar access technology is maturing rapidly, in the form of both uncrewed and crewed landers of the Artemis program. Second, there has been a definitive maturation of astronomical optical interferometry technologies at Earth-based facilities over the past decade - opening windows on the universe previously inaccessible but limited by the Earth’s atmosphere.
This KISS Study program will establish the feasibility of mission concepts that can be realistically developed in the near term, within existing funding lines. The compelling nature of milli- to micro-arcsecond resolution science in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared will also be documented in the study report. Additionally, the workshop report will puncture myths about the lunar surface as a platform for astronomy.
By bringing together experts in the necessary, yet disparate, disciplines the specific opportunities afforded by lunar siting of interferometric telescopes can be highlighted. This convergence of expertise is necessary to achieve the interdisciplinary focus required for demonstrating the realistic, immediate achievability of pioneering facilities. The study program will highlight advances in the understanding of, and technology for, the lunar environment. This includes surface access, dust and thermal management, power and communication systems, and other issues. Specifically, the significant advantages for interferometer baseline management and simplification of input stations on the lunar surface will be demonstrated. Within this framework, the already demonstrated capabilities of Earth-based interferometric facilities can be realized on the lunar surface, amplifying those capabilities for significant gains against the goals of the Astrophysics Decadal Survey.
The principal objective of this workshop will be to assess the potential for lunar astronomical interferometry in the context of current flight opportunities and mission funding lines. A sober, wide-ranging assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of future lunar observatories will be an important focus of this workshop.
Some notional 'Big Questions' to consider for this workshop will include:
- What are key milestones on the way towards an interferometric lunar observatory?
- What has changed in the last 5 to 10 years to make this a possibility? What forthcoming developments will further enable this?
- What can be done within the scope of each of the NASA Astrophysics funding lines - Pioneers, SMEX, MIDEX, Probe, Flagship?
- Are robotic or crewed missions best for implementation of these ideas?
- Are there implications that significantly impact the past Astrophysics Decadal, or the next one?
- What are the greatest challenges for - or misunderstandings about - about astronomy from the lunar surface?
- How do the cost, risk profiles, and science return of interferometric lunar observatories compare to orbital facilities?
A key outcome of this workshop will be to collect and document our findings in a comprehensive report for leaders and decision makers in the field. Our intention is that the widest range of possible mission opportunities be available to competitive proposals, for uniquely addressing scientific questions of interest to the astrophysics community.