Drs. Thaddeus and Gottlieb at Harvard University will continue a program of laboratory investigation of molecules which are of astrophysical interest. With prior NSF support they have developed equipment for studying the emission characteristics of a number of molecules which may be present in interstellar space. The development phase is essentially complete, and the major emphasis with this grant will be on measurements which can be applied to astronomical observations. Laboratory research on molecules which may be present in interstellar gas and in circumstellar shells has played a crucial role in the identification of a significant fraction of the exotic molecules which are now known to exist in space. This effort is quickening because of new millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave observatories which are just beginning operation. Drs. Thaddeus and Gottlieb will continue to direct one of the leading laboratory astrophysics research efforts in the United States.
