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NASA NTRS · 20060051526

TPF-C: Status and Recent Progress

Traub, Wesley A.·Levine, Marie·Shaklan, Stuart·Kasting, James·Angel, J. Roger·Brown, Michael E.·Brown, Robert A.·Burrows, Christopher·Clampin, Mark·Dressler, Alan
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Abstract

The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) is a deep space mission designed to detect and characterize Earth-like planets around nearby stars. TPF-C will be able to search for signs of life on these planets. TPF-C will use spectroscopy to measure basic properties including the presence of water or oxygen in the atmosphere; powerful signatures in the search for habitable worlds. This capability to characterize planets is what allows TPF-C to transcend other astronomy projects and become an historical endeavor on a par with the discovery voyages of the great navigators.

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Traub, Wesley A., Levine, Marie, Shaklan, Stuart, Kasting, James, Angel, J. Roger, Brown, Michael E., Brown, Robert A., Burrows, Christopher, Clampin, Mark, Dressler, Alan. 2006-01-01. TPF-C: Status and Recent Progress. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20060051526

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NASA NTRS2006

A Nulling Coronagraph for TPF-C

The nulling coronagraph is one of 5 instrument concepts selected by NASA for study for potential use in the TPF-C mission. This concept for extreme starlight suppression has two major components, a nulling interferometer to suppress the starlight to ~10(sup -10) per airy spot within 2 (lamda)/D of the star, and a calibration interferometer to measure the residual scattered starlight. The ability to work at 2 (lamda)/D dramatically improves the science throughput of a space based coronagraph like TPF-C. The calibration interferometer is an equally important part of the starlight suppression system. It measures the measures the wavefront of the scattered starlight with very high SNR, to 0.05nm in less than 5 minutes on a 5mag star. In addition, the post coronagraph wavefront sensor will be used to measure the residual scattered light after the coronagraph and subtract it in post processing to 1~2x10(sup -11) to enable detection of an Earthlike planet with a SNR of 5~10.

Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C)↗