AAS 98-154

FIZEAU ASTROMETRIC MAPPING EXPLORER (FAME) SATELLITE

P. K. Seidelmann - U.S. Naval Observatory

Abstract

FAME is a small, inexpensive astrometric satellite that would give a star catalog of 10,000,000 stars of accuracy better than 50 microarcseconds to 9th magnitude and 1 milliarcsecond for stars down to 15th magnitude. The astrometric catalog will provide a precise optical reference frame for navigation, guidance, and autonomous space navigation. The excellent science which can be done with the resulting data includes calibration of the "standard candles" for measuring cosmological distances, calibration of absolute luminosities of hundreds of solar-neighborhood stars, and kinematic studies to assess the abundance of dark matter in the Galactic disk. Also, FAME would be a precursor for future space interferometers. It would identify candidate grid stars for SIM and stars for searches for planetary systems and brown dwarfs.

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