Cosmic Journeys: To the edge of Gravity, Space and Time
Nicholas White
Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA's Structure and Evolution of the Universe "Cosmic Journeys" roadmap is
designed to observe the extremes of gravity throughout the Universe. The
Cosmic Journeys missions will travel through the major epochs of the
Universe, from the era of galaxy and black hole formation to the beginning
of time. These missions will probe the regions surrounding black holes,
ultimately obtaining a direct image of the event horizon. They will trace
the history of the first crucial seconds after the Big Bang in search for
the highest energy processes, where gravity may have been united with the
other fundamental forces. They will map the dark matter and investigate
the nature of the dark energy that make up 95% of the Universe. The key
technologies needed for these challenging endeavors -- sensitive optics,
space interferometry and the ability to fly spacecraft in controlled
formation -- are currently being developed for space missions today.
Cosmic Journeys missions include MAP, which will help determine the shape
and density of the universe; Swift, which will catch and study gamma-ray
bursts on the fly; GLAST, a next-generation gamma-ray observatory; The
Constellation X-ray Observatory, which will use X-ray spectroscopy to map
dark matter and measure the spin of black holes; LISA, which will detect
gravity waves from merging black holes; all leading to the ultimate mission
MAXIM, which in its goal to image a black hole event horizon further
stretches the scientific imagination and technology challenges.