REPORT OF THE OPTICAL ASTRONOMY WORKING GROUP The optical astronomy working group met in order to synthesize the contents of the Briefing Document and the invited presentations into a statement of the potential impact of the SPS on optical astronomy. In the judgment of the working group, the primary effect of the SPS on optical astronomy (an effect that could be properly characterized from the description of the Reference System) would be through the predicted increases in brightness of the night sky, as described in the briefing document. For this reason, the working group's deliberations focused on the effect on optical astronomy of the diffuse reflections from the satellites. Other concerns, such as the effects of the specular beam and possible impacts on infrared and space astronomy, are not treated in detail, primarily because 1) understanding of potential SPS effects is inadequate, as in the case of airglow from an SPS- heated ionosphere, and 2) the details of other effects could only be completely characterized if more specific information were available about the Reference System. For example, specific effects of specular reflections from the antenna depend heavily on rectenna siting and antenna properties. The report of the working group that follows is based on an outline and some text developed by the working group members during the two-day workshop. Most of the report writing was delegated to the chairman of the session, with the understanding that the working group would have the opportunity to review it prior to publication. The report consists of five parts: 1) an introduction to the way in which astronomical observations are performed, which is intended to provide background to readers unfamiliar with astronomical problems and techniques; 2) a discussion of the way in which the Reference System would impact astronomy if it were built, 3) a quantitative discussion of the magnitude of SPS effects and their relationship to astronomical observations, emphasizing the relative magnitudes of natural and SPS-induced sky brightness; 4) the working group's assessment of the qualitative impact of SPS on optical astronomy; and 5) a set of recommendations for future study of SPS effects on optical astronomy and a disucssion of possible methods of mitigating these effects.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==