Astrometry history: Roemer and Gaia

Abstract

During the Hipparcos mission in September 1992, I presented a concept for using direct imaging on CCDs in scanning mode in a new and very powerful astrometric satellite, Roemer. The Roemer concept with larger aperture telescopes for higher accuracy was developed by ESA and a mission was approved in 2000, expected to be a million times better than Hipparcos. The present name Gaia for the mission reminds of an interferometric option also studied in the period 1993-97, and the evolution of optics and detection in this period is the main subject of the present report. The transition from an interferometric GAIA to a large Roemer was made on 15 January 1998. It will be shown that without the interferometric GAIA option, ESA would hardly have selected astrometry for a Cornerstone study in 1997, and consequently we would not have had the Roemer/Gaia mission.

2011.05.04: The report is contained in the collection of reports "Astrometry during the past 100 years" placed at http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.0634