Exploring the universe - The origins of planets, stars and galaxies

The missions related to NASA's Strategic Plan and other missions are reviewed that address fundamental cosmological issues regarding the origins of celestial objects. Study of the primordial solar system is addressed by the Comet Rendezvous and Flyby spacecraft and the IRAS; the early solar system can be examined with data from the Submillimeter Intermediate Mission and the Far-IR Space Telescope; and evidence of other planets is expected to be provided by IRAS, the IR Space Observatory, and the Stratospheric Observatory for IR Astronomy. The Gamma-Ray Observatory, the Advanced X-Ray Astronomy Facility, the Cosmic Background Explorer, and the Space IR Telescope Facility are expected to provide the most salient clues related to cosmological origins.