A study of the early stages of the formation of planetary systems around young stars that will provide new insight into how planets like Earth might have formed. The project will survey 200 of the nearest and youngest solar-type stars for planets.

PI: Dr. Charles A. Beichman, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

A search for new planets around nearby stars, which also will study the stars where scientists currently think planets have been found. This will include detection of 1-3 Earth-mass planets and determining the absolute masses of planets that have been previously detected using ground-based methods.

PI: Dr. Geoffrey W. Marcy, University of California, Berkeley

A search for planets using a large sample of stars. This study addresses one of SIM's primary science goals: taking a census of planetary systems around nearby stars.

PI: Dr. Michael Shao, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (Science Team Chair)

Accurately determine the mass of 100 main-sequence stars and a special sample of 100 additional field stars (to within 1 percent). The improved mass-luminosity relation derived from this work would impact many fields of astrophysics and could be one of the major accomplishments of the SIM mission.

PI: Dr. Todd J. Henry, Georgia State University, Atlanta

Understand the mass distribution and the dynamics of our Galaxy. In particular, we ask (1) What is the size of the Galaxy? (2) What is the distribution of mass in our Galaxy? and (3) What are the kinematics of stars in the outer halo as well as in and near the plane? By answering these questions, we will learn about the nature of the dark matter and the formation history of the galaxy.

PI: Dr. Steven R. Majewski, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

A novel technique of micro-lensing will be used to make exceptionally precise measurements of the masses of stars and a variety of other astronomical sources. Micro-lensing involves changes to a star's appearance that occur due to gravity from a nearby object.

PI: Dr. Andrew P. Gould, Ohio State University, Columbus

A study of possible motions and changes in active galactic nucleii and quasars. The data will provide new and unique insight into the physical properties and structure in these sources, which include binary black holes, relativistic jets and accretion disks.

PI: Dr. Ann E. Wehrle, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

This project will obtain the data required to determine the motion of the Milky Way relative to extremely distant extragalactic sources.

PI: Dr. Kenneth J. Johnston, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C.

Determine the age and the evolutionary state of a number of representative globular clusters in the Milky Way and of some globular clusters that appear to have undergone a complex chemical evolution and enrichment. These data are needed to help determine the age of the universe.

PI: Dr. Brian C. Chaboyer, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

By determining the precise distances and motions of nearby galaxies, this project will study the formation of the local group of galaxies.

PI: Dr. Edward J. Shaya, Raytheon ITSS Corp.