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SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT 2019 SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE 1 Contents Expanding Our View with WFIRST Hubble in the News 6 As the newly appointed Science Operations 44 An interstellar comet, a black hole, and Center, the institute will help ensure the a ‘heavy metal’ exoplanet made scientific success of NASA’s upcoming Wide headlines in 2019. Field Infrared Survey Telescope. Discovery, Shared Designing the Future of Astronomy 56 Public engagement that makes 12 Staff at the institute are active in all aspects of astronomy exciting, engaging, and the Astro2020 Decadal Review, which advises relevant to a diverse audience. our national science agencies on the priorities for new astronomy initiatives and observatories. Empowering Ourselves 62 Each of us has a responsibility to help Preparation and Anticipation create safer environments for the 18 We are preparing for the science and mission people around us. operations of the James Webb Space Telescope. Stronger Than Ever 24 Learn how staff at the institute launched groundbreaking science programs with the Hubble Space Telescope. Meet Our Staff Advancing Scientific Research Full Speed Ahead 30 A look at how the papers published by our staff 17 Julia Roman-Duval shares what in 2019 contribute to the field of astronomy. it means to lead a major Hubble observing program. Manipulating Starlight 32 STScI’s Russell B. Makidon Optics ‘Sonifying Data’ Laboratory continues to advance state- 23 Scott Fleming is part of a team helping of-the-art tools for future flagship missions. to make astronomical data more acces- sible to people who are blind or are visually impaired. Making Big Data Collabrative and 38 Accessible The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes Creating New Avenues continues to develop as a place of active research 55 Jules Fowler’s multi-faceted career prom- and collaboration. ises endless opportunities for projects that combine software and astronomy. On the cover: Learn more about Hubble's 29th anniversary image, the Southern Crab Nebula, on page 60. Rehearsing for Launch 42 Explore the Webb Mission Operations Center to learn Building a Network of Support On this page: The Sunburst Arc, which is almost 11 billion light-years from how our engineers are preparing for the communi- 61 Rickell Sheppard explains why she’s Earth, has been lensed into multiple images by a massive foreground cations and collaborations for successful launch and committed to ensuring our employees cluster of galaxies 4.6 billion light-years away. commissioning. stay happy and healthy. 2 EXPANDING THE FRONTIERS OF SPACE ASTRONOMY SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE 3 LETTER FROM DIRECTOR Expanding the Frontiers of We help humanity explore the universe with Space Astronomy advanced telescopes and archives. As 2019 comes to a close, we are looking forward to a future in which STScI serves the astronomical community and the public in new and innovative ways. We are on a remarkable journey with the astronomical community, one that merges observations, numerical simulations, theory, laboratory work, and data science into scientific knowledge. Astronomy is changing before our eyes, and we intend I to change along with it so that we can help humanity unlock the secrets of the universe with advanced tools, techniques, and data. Whether it is conducting cutting-edge research, tackling complex mission support work, or sharing astronomical discoveries with the world, we are committed to promoting an inclusive, equitable workplace and cultivating a diverse, engaged workforce. The pace of our work picked up this year and will continue to accelerate as we approach the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021. Launch rehears- als and commissioning preparations are in full swing, and our teams are busily preparing for the first cycle of observations with this amazing machine. While the prospects of what is to come with Webb are an obvious source of motivation, there are many exciting things to look forward to in the near term—the 30th anniversary of Hubble observations this coming spring, the maturation of WFIRST as a Great Observatory, the results of the 2020 Decadal Survey, and greater attention to efforts to enhance the scientific potential of the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. In this year’s report, you’ll find some wonderful examples of the ways in which we are striking out in new directions. Whether it is pushing Hubble to its limits, finding ways to “hear” the universe, manipulating starlight to make it possible to study Earth-analogs orbiting nearby stars, or any other of the numerous activities described herein, I am certain you’ll find something that piques your interest. We do not yet know what the new year will bring, but if it is anything like this one I am sure it will be both rewarding and full of surprises. Looking forward! Excel in the science operations of NASA’s current and future astrophysics OUR STRATEGIC flagship missions. Advance state-of-the-art astronomical data, archives, and tools for : scientific discovery. GOALS Make the world’s astronomical information accessible to all. Promote an inclusive, equitable workplace and cultivate a diverse, engaged workforce. Irregular galaxy NGC 4485 Join Our Community / www.STScI.edu @STScI Space_Telescopes @ SpaceTelescope 4 EXPANDING THE FRONTIERS OF SPACE ASTRONOMY SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE 5 Expanding Our View with WFIRST As the newly appointed Science Operations Center, the institute will help ensure the scientific success of NASA’s upcoming Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope scheduled for launch in the mid-2020s. n 2019, the institute was contracted by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to be the Science Operations Center for the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). The work builds on the pre-formulation, formulation, and de- sign activities that our teams have performed for the WFIRST mission since 2014, and supports continued systems engineer- ing and design, instrument and science support activities, and ioutreach through September 2021. 6 EXPANDING THE FRONTIERS OF SPACE ASTRONOMY SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE 7 operations for NASA flagship missions, as well 100 Hubbles for the 2020s as the experience and expertise of numer- ous teams across the institute. The WFIRST Ranked as the highest scientific priority for a Science Operations Center now comprises large space astrophysics mission in the 2010 a dedicated WFIRST Mission Office along Decadal Survey conducted by the National Acad- with WFIRST-focused teams in engineering, emies, WFIRST is designed to collect the big science support, integration and testing, data needed to tackle essential questions across data management and archives, and public a wide range of topics, touching upon virtually outreach. It involves over 100 individuals every class of astronomical object, environment, at STScI, many of whom also continue to and distance. actively support Hubble and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and proposed future With its 2.4-meter mirror, 300-megapixel Wide missions. Field Instrument, and near-infrared sensitivity, WFIRST will be able to capture the equivalent Building on existing relationships, STScI of 100 high-resolution near-infrared Hubble will collaborate closely with NASA’s God- Space Telescope images in a single pointing. Its dard Space Flight Center, which manages expansive field of view, combined with its stable the mission; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory observing position 1 million miles from Earth (JPL), which is developing the Coronagraphic and its ability to rapidly change targets, will Instrument; IPAC/Caltech, which provides enable WFIRST to survey the sky up to thou- science support for the Coronagraphic Instru- sands of times faster than Hubble with the same ment and elements of the Wide Field Instru- fine detail, quickly gathering enormous amounts ment as the observatory’s Science Support of imaging and spectroscopic data from mil- Center; and with researchers from institu- lions of galaxies and billions of individual stars. tions across the country, as well as various WFIRST will also have a Coronagraphic Instru- industrial and international partners. ment, a technology demonstration designed to pave the way for high-contrast direct imaging and spectroscopy of Earth-sized exoplanets by future large space-based missions that are being Planning for Big Data considered for the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2020. One of the most exciting and challenging aspects of the WFIRST mission will be the enormous amounts of data that it will yield: an archive with an estimated 20 petabytes— Leveraging Experience and the equivalent of a 40,000-year-long song Expertise in mp3 format—over its five-year planned mission. The institute’s role as the Science In its official capacity as the Science Operations Operations Center includes designing Center, STScI has the privilege and responsi- systems to process and archive the data in a bility of ensuring WFIRST’s scientific success, timely manner so it is easily accessible to the just as we do for Hubble. Our teams are charged astronomical community and the public as A composite figure of our neighboring Andromeda galaxy with developing methods to cost-effectively and quickly as possible. highlights the extremely large field of view of WFIRST’s efficiently plan, schedule, and carry out obser- Wide Field Instrument (outlined in white) compared to vations; calibrate, process, and archive mission All of the WFIRST imaging and spectroscopic Hubble’s infrared
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