Every ten years, the National Research Council (NRC) of The National Academy of Sciences produces a series of surveys related to their areas of scientific inquiry. The public release of the Astro2010 survey of astronomy and astrophysics took place on August 13, 2010, and visitors to this site can read the report and also watch the webcast from the release event. The goal of this publication is to "recommend priorities for the most important scientific and technical activities of the decade 2010-2020." Drawing on the expertise of scholars at Stanford University, Vassar College, the University of Chicago, and other institutions, the report is a crucial piece of work on what should be done across the board in these two branches of the physical sciences.