Every 10 years, astronomers get together to decide what questions they would MOST like answered.
The results are compiled in a document known as the Decadal Survey. This survey is usually the starting point for deciding what missions NASA would like to get involved in and fund.
For example in the 2000 Decadal Survey, The James Webb Space Telescope was the top priority to the science community. In the more recent 2010 Survey, WFIRST was at the top of the list.
But these surveys describe the science opportunities that face us now and help greatly in prioritizing programs for the next decade.
But what about the even larger picture?
NASA is developing a long-range view that highlights the science possibilities over the next 30 years and provides the inspiration and rationale for continuing American leadership and investment in NASA’s astrophysics programs.
They call it the NASA Astrophysics Roadmap and they have just completed it.
If you are interested in the long-term astrophysics mission of NASA over the next 30 years, please join +Tony Darnell and +Jason Kalirai as they discuss these plans with the Chair of the Road Map Committee and many of it’s members.
This hangout will provide you with unprecedented access to many of the people who help shape NASA’s science future, and it promises to be very exciting.
We hope you can make it! If not, as always, it will be archived on our YouTube Channel for later viewing.
We will have the Q&A app running during the event so you can communicate with us and we’ll also be looking at your comments on Twitter ( #Hubblehangouts and #hubble ) and you can always leave comments on this event page and the YouTube Video.