TPF-I SWG Report - Exoplanet Exploration Program - NASA

C HAPTER 3
3.3 Conclusions
Darwin/TPF-I will open a gateway to future space-based interferometry to deliver ever increasing angular
resolution throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The baseline design will provide order-of-magnitude
improvements in angular resolution over any other instrument. Combined with sensitivity to objects as
faint as magnitude 20, Darwin/TPF-I capabilities have the potential for revolutionary advances in all areas
of astrophysics and planetary science. This mission will transform our understanding of galaxy formation
and evolution, stellar and planetary system origins, the cycles of matter and energy in the cosmos; and it
will enable the detailed mapping of surfaces and weather patterns in Solar System objects. The utility of
this instrument for general astrophysics and planetary science will only be limited by the lack of available
observing time.
Acknowledgements: We thank Marc Kuchner for providing selected material from the NASA / JPL
Publication 05-01, General Astrophysics and Comparative Planetology with the Terrestrial Planet Finder
Missions.
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