Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008dps....40.0101l&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #1.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.385
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Scientific paper
We summarize the recent report of the Exoplanet Task Force, which was charged by NASA and NSF through the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committtee to develop a 15-year scientific strategy for the detection and characterization of exoplanets down to the size of Earth. The raw material for the strategy was provided in the form of invited briefings and 85 white papers received from the community. The time horizon for the strategy is divided into three epochs, 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15 years. A two-pronged effort is recommended, one focused on ultimately detecting and characterizing Earth-size/Earth-mass planets around M-dwarfs using ground-based and space assets in place or under development today, and the second with the ultimate goal of detecting and characterizing Earth-size/Earth-mass planets around stars like our Sun with new capabilities whose technologies are under development today. A pivot point in the strategy is deployment in the second epoch of an astrometric facility in space with the sensitivity to survey at 0.2 microarcsecond accuracy for one Earth-mass planets around 60-100 solar-type stars in our cosmic neighborhood, providing a target list for a direct-detection mission to be deployed in the final epoch. Following this, in the third epoch, a direct-detection mission is deployed capable of doing a spectroscopic examination of Earth-mass planets identified by the astrometric mission. In this paper we explain the importance of obtaining mass and orbital information on potential Earth-sized planets and derive the required accuracies. Because the charter of the DPS now includes the study of exoplanets, it is to be hoped that the DPS membership will consider carefully this strategy as a means to the end of the long search for planets like our own around other suns.
Lunine Jonathan I.
xoPlanet Task Force E.
No associations
LandOfFree
Worlds Beyond: A Strategy for the Detection and Characterization of Exoplanets does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Worlds Beyond: A Strategy for the Detection and Characterization of Exoplanets, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Worlds Beyond: A Strategy for the Detection and Characterization of Exoplanets will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1436098