We discuss the tracing of star formation histories with ESA's space
astrometry mission GAIA, emphasizing the advantages of AGB stars for this
purpose. GAIA's microarcsecond-level astrometry, multi-band photometry and
spectroscopy will provide individual distances, motions, effective
temperatures, gravities and metallicities for vast numbers of AGB stars in the
Galaxy and beyond. Reliable ages of AGB stars can be determined to distances of
\~200 kpc in a wide range of ages and metallicities, allowing star formation
histories to be studied in a diversity of astrophysical environments.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to be appear in 'Mass-Losing Pulsating Stars and
their Circumstellar Matter', eds. Y. Nakada, M. Honma & M. Seki, Kluwer ASSL
series, vol. 28
