NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched in April 2018. As the successor to the Kepler mission, TESS will survey almost the entire sky to identify the nearest planetary systems around the brightest stars. During a two year primary mission, TESS will observe each 24×96 degree strip of sky continuously for 27 days, 13 strips in the southern/northern ecliptic hemisphere during the first/second year. Learn more ยป

NASA provides some research funding to members of the TESS science team, but funding opportunities for independent researchers are limited. The TESS Astrophysics Group (TAG) organizes collaboration and funding opportunities for US-based members of the TESS Asteroseismic Science Consortium (TASC). Current members include:

  • Fabienne Bastien (Pennsylvania State University)
  • Sarbani Basu (Yale University)
  • Tabetha Boyajian (Louisiana State University)
  • Derek Buzasi (Florida Gulf Coast University)
  • Jim Fuller (California Institute of Technology)
  • Ed Guinan (Villanova University)
  • Joyce Guzik (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
  • JJ Hermes (Boston University)
  • Daniel Huber (University of Hawaii)
  • Steve Kawaler (Iowa State University)
  • Travis Metcalfe (White Dwarf Research Corp.)
  • Marc Pinsonneault (Ohio State University)
  • Andrej Prsa (Villanova University)
  • Dave Soderblom (Space Telescope Science Institute)
  • Rich Townsend (University of Wisconsin Madison)
  • Jennifer van Saders (University of Hawaii)

Our goals are to build regional capacity for TESS data analysis, to advocate for the interests of local researchers, and to collaborate with the TESS exoplanet team for stellar and planetary system characterization. We are now seeking public and private funding for TAG science projects.