The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) is a 10-m Michelson
interferometer operating in the visible band. Engineers and scientists
are hard at work overcoming technical problems in time for a launch in
2009. SIM will undertake astrometry over the entire sky, locating
target objects, with reference to a grid of 3000 K giants, to a
precision of 4 microarcseconds (position, proper motion and parallax).
SIM aims to achieve 1 microarcsecond precision in narrow angle
astometry ("phase referencing", angle < 1 degree). These two modes
will enable astronomers to make fundamental advances in several areas
of astronomy and to undertake the most comprehensive search for
Earth-like planets.
The speaker is the Co-PI of EPICS, the largest key project for planet
search as well is the Interdisciplinary Scientist. He will describe
the program he and his colleagues expect to undertake with SIM.