Applications of interferometers in space to astrometry and planetary detection

Optical and infrared interferometers located outside the Earth's atmosphere should attain fully coherent performance over baselines as long as desired. This new capability should lead, if problems of compensating for angular stability can be solved, to extremely precise measurements of the angular distance between a star and one or more references. This property can be used for astrometric planetary detection, as well as for parallax and proper motion measurements. In addition, the interferometer's high rejection of stray radiation allows the construction of a sensitive direct planetary detection device.Presented at the Symposium Star Catalogues, Positional Astronomy and Celestial Mechanics, held in honor of Paul Herget at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, November 30, 1978.