GEST

Abstract

Galactic Exoplanet Survey Telescope (GEST) was proposed for a discovery mission to search for microlensing terrestrial planets toward the Galactic bulge and also Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) that are believed to hold vital information of the early history of the solar system. Earth mass planets require massive survey, angular resolution, temporal resolution, and continuous monitoring capability in a statistically stable observing condition. A 2m scale wide FOV space telescope with a large focal plane such as the GSET meets the needs. During the non-bulge time, the GEST will be ideal for high resolution mapping of the large scale structures which will include weak lensing by dark matter, quasar lensing and host galaxies, strong lensing by clusters, and a large volume of galaxies, which with selective follow-up measurements of whose redshifts and IR images will shed light on the dark stuff (matter, energy, essesnce, extra dimenstions, topological defects, ...). The data base can be mined for foreground objects such as high proper motion white dwarfs. We discuss microlensing, planets, and the necessity for a space imager.