Meeting on the Project Submillimetron in SNSB

RYMDSTYRELSEN

Swedish National Space Board

Chairman and Director General

In order to further clarify the situation a meeting was held at SNSB on 16 March, 2001. The Submillimetron project was represented - as you probably know - by A. Andreev, V. Kurt, V. Gromov, A. Trubnikov, M. Tarasov and L. Kuzmin. SNSB was on its side represented by myself, L. Nordh (Director of Science), S. Strömberg (Director of International Affairs and chairman of the ESA Manned Space Programme Board) and P. Magnusson (Delegate to the ESA Manned Space Programme Board).

During the meeting the present status of the project was presented and briefly discussed. The SNSB representatives expressed their views on the project and the possibilities for Sweden to contribute. These views can be summarised as follows:

1. The astronomy programme is intrinsically interesting and challenging, but SNSB has not formally evaluated the science aspects, e.g. in view of possibilities offered by other decided or planned astronomical space projects. The present lack of astronomy support within Sweden for the mission has been the main reason for not addressing the science aspects further. See also points 2 and 4 below.
2. The research on detectors and read-out electronics conducted at Chalmers has been peer-reviewed and the outcome has been excellent. However, SNSB will have difficulties to consider financial support to this work unless it is either directly connected with a concrete space project, which is actively- supported by Swedish users (in this case astronomers) and whose funding is at hand or within reach, or is judged to represent a key technology of near-term use in the national space programme. In this context the meeting noted that the Chalmers technology is equally or perhaps even more important for future ground-based radio telescopes, using large array detectors for high frequencies.
3. SNSB realises that the availablility of the Scientific Space Platform (SSP) is a prerequisite for the realisation of the present concept of Submillimetron. SNSB is not prepared to comment on the SSP, unless it will be on the future agenda of the relevant ESA programme as a result of, for instance, an action from the Russian side. Considering the financial uncertainty presently affecting the ISS development SNSB is not prepared to get involved in any initiative.
4. SNSB informed the meeting that the Submillimetron proposal can be submitted in response to a Call for Ideas that SNSB is planning to issue in the near future. However, it was also made clear to the project representatives that such a proposal will not be further considered in the review process unless there exists (1) a realistic (and affordable) way of attaching Submillimetron to the International Space Station and a strong scientific support and involvement from Swedish astronomers.

Per Tegner
Director General