The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have established a partnership for exoplanet research in response to the recommendation of the Astro2010 Decadal Survey that "NASA and NSF should support an aggressive program of ground-based high-precision radial velocity surveys of nearby stars in order to validate and characterize exoplanet candidates."
The NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research Program (NN-EXPLORE) comprises four main components:
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The NEID spectrograph is commissioned on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona with opportunities for guest observing on WIYN.
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Radial velocity observing time in the southern hemisphere is available for US institutions on SMARTS/Chiron and MINERVA-Australis.
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NASA and NSF are pursuing continued improvements in Extreme-Precision Radial Velocity (EPRV).
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Three high resolution speckle imaging instruments (NESSI at WIYN, ‘Alopeke in Gemini North, and Zorro in Gemini South) are available for US institutions.
NN-EXPLORE Points of Contact
Dr. David R. Ardila
NN-EXPLORE Program Manager
NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program Office
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109
Tel: 626-658-0693
Email: david.r.ardila@jpl.nasa.gov
Dr. Douglas Hudgins
Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist
Astrophysics Division
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546-0001
Tel: 202-358-0988
Email: douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov
Dr. James Neff
Program Director Division of Astronomical Sciences National Science Foundation
201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1045
Arlington, VA 22230
Tel: 703-292-2475
Email: jneff@nsf.gov