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P.R. Lawson, P.J. Dumont, M.M. Colavita (JPL)
The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) is a space-based infrared interferometer that will combine high sensitivity and spatial resolution to detect and characterize planetary systems within 15 pc of our sun. TPF is a key element in NASA's Origins Program and is presently being considered by NASA for a new start in 2007 after the successful completion of key technological milestones during the development of the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) and the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST).
We review some of the interferometer designs that have been considered for starlight nulling, with particular attention to the architecture and subsystems of the central beam-combiner.
If the author provided an email address or URL for general inquiries, it is a
s follows:
http://tpf.jpl.nasa.gov/