We evaluate the potential of the ESA Cornerstone Mission GAIA in helping populate the database of nearby stars ( d < 25 pc ) for subsequent target selection for DARWIN/TPF .
The GAIA high-precision astrometric measurements will make it an ideal tool for a complete screening of the expected several thousands stars within 25 pc in order to identify and characterize ( or rule out the presence of ) Jupiter signposts .
GAIA astrometry will be instrumental in complementing radial velocity surveys of F-G-K stars , and will more effectively search for massive planets the large database of nearby M dwarfs , which are less easily accessible with precision spectroscopy .
The ability to determine the actual planet masses and inclination angles for detected systems , especially those with low-mass primaries ( M < 0.6 M _ { \odot } ) , stems as a fundamental contribution GAIA will make toward the final target selection for DARWIN/TPF , thus complementing exo-zodiacal dust emission observations from ground-based observatories such as Keck , LBTI , and VLTI .