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Astronomy and Astrophysics is an observational science dealing with celestial objects. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) is one of the premier institutions in astronomy and astrophysics and has contributed…
All sciences, including astronomy, are now entering the era of information abundance. The exponentially increasing volume and complexity of modern data sets promises to transform the scientific practice, but also poses a number of common…
The capability of maintaining two satellites in precise relative position, stable in a celestial coordinate system, would enable major advances in a number of scientific disciplines and with a variety of types of instrumentation. The common…
Cosmic shear offers a remarkbly clean way to measure the equation of state of the Universe and its evolution. Resolution over a wide field is paramount, and Antarctica offers unique possibilities in this respect. There is an order of…
As autonomous systems are being developed in multiple industries it has been recognized that a phased approach is needed both for technical development and user acceptance. Partially in response, the automotive and aircraft industries have…
The miniaturization of electronic and mechanical components has allowed for an unprecedented downscaling of spacecraft size and mass. Today, spacecraft with a mass between 1 to 10 grams, AttoSats, have been developed and operated in space.…
The advent of experimental science facilities-instruments and observatories, such as the Large Hadron Collider, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, and the upcoming Large Synoptic Survey Telescope-has brought about…
The rapid launch of hundreds of thousands of satellites into Low Earth Orbit will significantly alter our view of the sky and raise concerns about the sustainability of Earth's orbital space. A new framework for sustainable space…
This white paper presents an analysis of Astro2020 science priorities and NASA's future astrophysics mission architecture, advocating for a coordinated fleet of \$1--2B missions, smaller than typical Flagship observatories, but…
Small Solar system Objects (SSOs) preserve the physical, chemical, and dynamical signatures of the Sun's protoplanetary disk. Upcoming surveys will discover vast numbers of new objects, yet their scientific value will depend on follow-up…
Laboratory astrophysics and complementary theoretical calculations are the foundations of astronomy and astrophysics and will remain so into the foreseeable future. The mission enabling impact of laboratory astrophysics ranges from the…
This is a (very) personal attempt to summarize the status of neutrino astronomy: its scientific motivations, our understanding of natural water and ice as particle detectors and, finally, the detector technology.
Astronomy at or below the 'survey threshold' has expanded significantly since the publication of the original 'Science with the Square Kilometer Array' in 1999 and its update in 2004. The techniques in this regime may be broadly (but far…
Large-scale research infrastructures (LSRIs) are central to contemporary science policy, combining massive capital investments with international access regimes. Yet whether open access to these infrastructures translates into more…
This white paper is submitted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Decadal Survey (Astro2010)1 Committee on the State of the Profession to emphasize the potential of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to…
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with LiDAR, electro-optical and infrared cameras, SAR and atmospheric sensors have transformed the way we acquire high spatio-temporal resolution data. For example, UAVs equipped with these sensors…
The Haystack Telescope is an antenna with a diameter of 37~m and an elevation-dependent surface accuracy of $\le{}100~\mu{}\rm{}m$ that is capable of millimeter-wave observations. The radome-enclosed instrument serves as a radar sensor for…
We advocate for a mission concept study for a space telescope dedicated to solar system science in Earth orbit. Such a study was recommended by the Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS) report "Getting Ready for the Next…
Observatories, Institutes and Centers that support major astronomical facilities have, for decades, played a key role in maximizing the scientific return from their facilities and telescopes. It is crucial to realize that an "observatory"…
The survey speed of ASKAP makes it a prime instrument with which to survey the HI universe, enabling it to carry out both wide surveys of the entire sky, as well as deep surveys covering cosmologically representative volumes. Here, the use…