This document discusses the partnership between science and NASA's human space flight program over the years. It notes how NASA has contributed to scientific discoveries and technological advancements through missions and projects like Hubble Space Telescope, Mars rovers, Galileo, and Apollo. The document argues that continuing this partnership can enable the construction of increasingly larger space-based telescopes to further scientific knowledge in areas like exoplanet detection, astrophysics, Earth observation, and national security.

1. Science and NASA’s Human
Space Flight Program
Matt Mountain
Space Telescope Science Institute

2. Planetary nebula NGC 6203 ■ WFC3/UVIS

3. “Davidson” metric, NASA contributions to worldwide
scientific discovery and technological achievement
SM 3b
SM 3a
70.0
SM 2
52.5
SM 1
35.0
17.5
1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
Hubble Chandra SST GRO Voyager
Viking MGS Galileo Cassini Apollo
STS Rockets/Balloons ISTP

4. Hubble images first planets
b 13 November 2008, 13 November 2008, Kalas et al.
Marois et al.
HR 8799 b hidden in Hubble’s
data archive since 1998
extracted by Lafreniere et al. 2009

5. Hubble images first galaxies?
Hubble Ultra Deep Field
courtesy of the
HUDF09 Team
galaxies from when the Universe was less than 600 Myr old
PI: Garth Illingworth

6. This is only possible with new camera technologies

7. New instruments and technologies
sustains demand for HST
normalized demand
= demand averaged over
first 5 years of operation

8. The partnership between science and human space flight:
HST has sustained media impact
News Coverage of Select Space Observatory & Planetary Missions (1994‐2008)
4000
Mars Rovers Cassini Chandra Spitzer Hubble
number of news stories (source Lexis‐Nexis)
3000
2000
1000
0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

9. Longevity Effect Change
Hubble Education Program
is used in all 50 states
Reaches:
506,000 pre- and in-service
teachers
6.3 million students per year Undergraduate Summer School

10. The changing nature
of 21 st Century space science
x 10,000
Space Science has always made enormous gains through
enabling technologies - and broad participation by the
community ensures there is no “low-hanging fruit”

11. The changing nature
of 21 st Century space science

12. aperture growth driven by science, technological innovation
but also by philanthropy, science and/or industrial policy....
100
Ground-based Telescopes E-ELT
TMT
ATLAST
Space-based Telescopes LBT 16-m
Effective Primary Aperture (meters)
10 Keck
JWST
HST
1
0.1 Herschel
Galileo
Newton Courtesy Marc Postman
0.01
1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Year
Primary Telescope Aperture vs. Time

13. 13

14. 14

15. 2020
The Challenge
2000
16m ~ $4.5B (FY07)
1980 6.5m ~ $4B (FY07)
Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy.
2.4m ~ $4.5B (FY07) We don’t want continuous improvement,
we want radical change. - Sam Walton

16. Future space based technologies rely on, and can enable
innovation and multidisciplinary partnerships
136 most favorable nearby stars
for habitable planets
Solar collectors in space
Geostationary orbit
"I would like to see a
reconnaissance of the
planetary systems around the
nearest 100 stars.”
Carl Sagan, 1994
(paraphrase)
National & Environmental
Security Energy Are we alone?

17. Pathway to a continued partnership
Deep Space Observatory
between science and human space flight Delivery & Servicing
•Life in the Galaxy
•Event Horizon Physics
Deep Space Observatory
ConstrucSon
•Earthlike Exoplanet Spectra
•First Black Holes
•VIS/IR Astrophysics
30m
Earth Observing
Increasing Science Value
Observatory Assembly
Increasing Complexity
•Greenhouse Gas Monitoring,
AYribuSon & Compliance
SE‐L2
LEO Telescope Assembly •Persistent ISR*
•Human/RoboSc InteracSon •Earth Science 20m
•On‐board Metrology
•Autonomous Alignment/Control
•ContaminaSon Control
EM‐L1 Low Thrust
TransportaSon for
Delivery to SE‐L2 &
10m Servicing
3m
GEO
ISS *ISR= Intelligence, Surveillance &
Reconnaissance
Time & Increasing Distance From Earth
EVA
System ContaminaSon
CapabiliSes
Habitat
1
Modular Observatory 2 3
Needed: Low Thrust Propulsion

18. Constructing Extremely Large Telescopes in Space
through progressive development of the partnership
between science and 21st Century human space flight
EVA
TOOLS HUMAN/ROBOTIC INTERACTIONS
MANIPULATORS
MODULAR ASSEMBLY & INTERFACES
ROBOTIC ASSIST
METROLOGY LOW THRUST DELIVERY & SERVICING
SEGMENTED MIRRORS SCALABLE ARCHITECTURES
HABITATS
UVOIR OBSERVATORIES
AIRLOCKS
MOBILITY BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE
HEAVY LIFT NATIONAL SECURITY
LOW THRUST PROPULSION
INPUT CAPABILITIES OUTCOMES

19. Human and Robotic Construction of
Extremely Large Telescopes in Space
We need …the right balance between manned space exploration and
robotic space exploration.We need to manage the balance between
looking up and looking down… Dr. John Holdren
• Extend our reach – move humans beyond low Earth orbit
• Explore our Earth, our Galaxy and our Universe
– Assemble increasingly larger telescopes in space
• Expand our knowledge
• Persistent surveillance and reconnaissance for National Security
• Monitor greenhouse gas emissions for arbitration and compliance
• Enable remote sensing of other worlds and search for life
• Explore the structure of the Cosmos and find the first black holes