Ha. Thronson et al., THE EDISON-INFRARED-SPACE-OBSERVATORY AND THE STUDY OF EXTRA-SOLAR PLANETARY MATERIAL, Astrophysics and space science, 212(1-2), 1994, pp. 423-431
Edison is a proposed large-aperture, radiatively-cooled space observat
ory planned to operate at wavelengths between 2 and 130 mum or longer.
Current estimates for the telescope allow an aperture of 1.7 m which
will achieve a final equilibrium temperature of about 30 K, although u
se of cryocoolers may permit temperatures below 20 K. Edison will be a
powerful tool to investigate our Solar System, as well as planetary m
aterial around distant stars. At near- and mid-infrared wavelengths, w
here planetary material emits most of its radiation, Edison will be th
e most sensitive photometric and spectroscopic observatory under curre
nt consideration by the space agencies. With its large aperture, Ediso
n will be able both to resolve the structure in nearby circumstellar '
'Vega disks'' and to discriminate faint IR emission in the crowded env
ironment of the galactic plane. With its long lifetime, Edison will al
low extensive follow-up observations and increase the likelihood of ca
tching transient events. We propose Edison as a precursor to elements
of a future space-based IR interferometer.