The Next Big Thing: NASA Officially Gives the Go-Ahead for WFIRST Telescope – An Interview With Dr. Neil Gehrels

An artist’s concept of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). NASA has officially chosen the infrared-space telescope as the scientific successor to the James Webb Space Telescope, with a projected launch date around the 2024 timeframe. WFIRST is expected to make significant contributions in the study of dark energy and the characterisation of thousands of extrasolar planets. Image…