NRC Pushes $1.6-Billion Infrared Telescope

By Kristin Majcher
Washington

The National Research Council is urging NASA to develop and launch a $1.6-billion wide-field infrared survey telescope in 2020 that would spend at least five years searching for planets beyond the Solar System and exploring the effect of dark energy on the evolution of the universe.

The 1.5-meter (5-ft.) observatory, dubbed W-First, would take wide-angle measurements to complement targeted ...

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