New Worlds Observer is funded!

Today the good news arrived from NASA Headquarters that our proposal for the New Worlds Observer has been funded for a concept study.  The Principle Investigator of this project is Web Cash at CU-Boulder.  As a member of the science team, I'll be working with the engineers to map out what it'll take, in terms of technical specifications, for a dedicated "starshade" space telescope to discover planets like the Earth orbiting nearby stars.  A starshade design (also called an external coronagraph for optics buffs) basically involves flying a big piece of flower-shaped canvas in front of the telescope to block out the light of a bright star, so that we can see an tiny planets orbiting around it.  My job will involve looking at the layout of the stars in the Solar Neighborhood and asking (1) which stars are the most interesting from a "life" perspective and (2) which stars are the easiest to search for Earths (often these are two totally different samples) and how precise these measurements will have to be to find these potential homes away from home.  Our science team will also have a major focus on what _else_ we can learn from a mission like this.  In addition to finding habitable planets, New Worlds may make great inroads into learning how planetary systems like our own evolve from a cloud of dust and gas, to a symphony of giant planets, terrestrial planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

The answer to Monday's "name that Woodpecker" challenge?  It turns out our innocent-looking suet-eating "bird" is actually a small alien spybot, designed to the exact specifications of a Hairy Woodpecker.  Even the other birds were fooled.  Congratulations to those who guessed right!