The Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): High- resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the far-infrared

We report results of a recently-completed pre-Formulation Phase study of SPIRIT, a candidate NASA Origins Probe mission. SPIRIT is a spatial and spectral interferometer with an operating wavelength range 25 - 400 µm. SPIRIT will provide sub-arcsecond resolution images and spectra with resolution R = 3000 in a 1 arcmin field of view to accomplish three primary scientific objectives: (1) Learn how planetary systems form from protostellar disks, and how they acquire their inhomogeneous composition; (2) characterize the family of extrasolar planetary systems by imaging the structure in debris disks to understand how and where planets of different types form; and (3) learn how high-redshift galaxies formed and merged to form the present-day population of galaxies. Observations with SPIRIT will be complementary to those of the James Webb Space Telescope and the ground-based Atacama Large Millimeter Array. All three observatories could be operational contemporaneously.

H. Philip Stahl | Jason Budinoff | Dominic Benford | Alan Kogut | Julie Crooke | Phil Chen | University of Wisconsin | Jet Propulsion Laboratory | Jonathan P. Gardner | Cornell University | David Leisawitz | Johannes Staguhn | Martin Harwit | Robert Silverberg | Marc Kuchner | Lee Mundy | Caltech | Amy Mainzer | Andrew Blain | Stephen Rinehart | Michael Femiano | Tupper Hyde | Amy Barger | John Carpenter | Christine Cottingham | Dave DiPietro | Kenny Harris | Lynne Hillenbrand | Bill Lawson | Maria Lecha | Jim Mannion | Anthony Martino | John Mather | Gibran McDonald | Rick Mills | Kirk Rhee | Tim Sauerwine | Gordon Stacey | Steve Tompkins | June Tveekrem | Sheila Wall | University of Maryland | Javier Lecha | Mike DiPirro | Drew Jones | J. Budinoff | J. P. Laboratory | A. Kogut | L. Mundy | U. Maryland | College Park | L. Hillenbrand | M. Harwit | Ssai | R. Silverberg | J. Gardner | J. Mather | N. R. Laboratory | H. Stahl | J. Carpenter | A. Mainzer | U. Wisconsin | C. Baker | D. Benford | M. Kuchner | D. Leisawitz | M. Dipirro | A. Martino | T. Hyde | A. Blain | A. Barger | C. University | J. Staguhn | J. Fischer | G. Stacey | R. Boyle | D. Jones | J. Kellogg | K. Hartman | S. Rinehart | M. S. N. Gsfc | Naval Research Laboratory | D. Quinn | College Park | Jacqueline Fischer | S. Tompkins | Paul Mason | Richard Broderick | R. Caverly | Phil Chen | Steven Cooley | C. Cottingham | J. Crooke | Dave DiPietro | M. Femiano | Art Ferrer | L. Hallock | K. Harris | B. Lawson | J. Lecha | M. Lecha | J. Mannion | P. Mason | G. McDonald | R. Mills | S. Ollendorf | Joseph Pellicciotti | K. Rhee | Tim Sauerwine | Terry Smith | J. Tveekrem | S. Wall | Lockheed Martin Technical Operations | Nasa Msfc | Jim Kellogg | NASA MSFC | SSAI | Charles Baker | Rob Boyle | Richard Broderick | Richard Caverly | Steve Cooley | Art Ferrer | Lou Hallock | Kate Hartman | Stan Ollendorf | Joe Pellicciotti | Dave Quinn | Terry Smith | Mark Wilson NASA GSFC

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