A suitcase full of astrophysics: The MOST microsat and opportunities for low-cost space astronomy

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The MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) microsatellite, launched in June 2003 aboard a reconditioned Russian ICBM, houses a 15-cm optical telescope and CCD camera. MOST performs photometry of bright stars (V < 6) with precisions as low as 1 micromagnitude, to detect subtle acoustic oscillations in stars and reflected light from exoplanets. Despite its low inertia (mass = 54 kg; dimensions 60 × 60 × 30 cm), MOST is achieving a pointing accuracy of better than 1 arcsec rms. This kind of stability on such a small platform and other innovative aspects of the MOST mission design may enable cost-effective approaches to other space astronomy applications, from NEO asteroid detection and tracking to perhaps, astrometry. Given the total MOST budget of about 10M, it is worth exploring these other possibilities. I'll describe the distinctive aspects of the MOST design and implementation, present some of the scientific results after a year of operation, and discuss the potential and challenge of applying MOST technology to space astrometry.

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