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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2007

The SIM PlanetQuest Science Program

SIM PlanetQuest (hereafter, just SIM) is a NASA mission to measure the angular positions of stars with unprecedented accuracy. We outline the main astrophysical science programs planned for SIM, and related opportunities for community participation. We focus especially on SIM's ability to detect exoplanets as small as the Earth around nearby stars. The planned synergy between SIM and other planet-finding missions including Kepler and GAIA, and planet-characterizing missions including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Terrestrial Planet Finder--Coronagraph (TPF-C), and Terrestrial Planet Finder--Interferometer (TPF-I), is a key element in NASA's Navigator Program to find Earth-like planets, determine their habitability, and search for signs of life in the universe. SIM's technology development is now complete and the project is proceeding towards a launch in the next decade.

SIM PlanetQuest (SIM)↗
NASA NTRS2011

Vacuum Nuller Testbed (VNT) Performance, Characterization and Null Control: Progress Report

Herein we report on the development. sensing and control and our first results with the Vacuum Nuller Testbed to realize a Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) for exoplanet coronagraphy. The VNC is one of the few approaches that works with filled. segmented and sparse or diluted-aperture telescope systems. It thus spans a range of potential future NASA telescopes and could be Hown as a separate instrument on such a future mission. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has a well-established effort to develop VNC technologies. and has developed an incremental sequence of VNC testbeds to advance this approach and the enabling technologies associated with it. We discuss the continued development of the vacuum Visible Nulling Coronagraph testbed (VNT). Tbe VNT is an ultra-stable vibration isolated testbed that operates under closed-loop control within a vacuum chamber. It will be used to achieve an incremental sequence of three visible-light nulling milestones with sequentially higher contrasts of 10(sup 8), 10(sup 9) and ideally 10(sup 10) at an inner working angle of 2*lambda/D. The VNT is based on a modified Mach-Zehnder nulling interferometer, with a "W" configuration to accommodate a hex-packed MEMS based deformable mirror, a coherent fiber bundle and achromatic phase shifters. We discuss the initial laboratory results, the optical configuration, critical technologies and the null sensing and control approach.

Lyon, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS2019

The New NASA Ames Infrared Optical Constant Facility. Determinations for Titan Aerosol-, and Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Cloud Particle Analogs

Here we present a new optical constant facility developed at NASA Ames that will allow the determination of optical constants in the infrared of various materials, analogs of hazes and cloud particles in (exo)planet atmospheres and brown dwarfs. Our facility is composed of a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer continuously covering the Near-IR, mid-IR and Far-IR range (from 0.74 to 200 µm), coupled to variable angle transmittance and reflectance accessories that allow the characterization of the scattering properties of nonhomogeneous samples (laboratory planetary aerosol analogs, films, slabs of material, crystals, powders...) over a wide incidence and emittance angle range (0-90 degrees). This permits the angular light distribution in both transmission and reflection measurements to be characterized, enabling the determination of the complex indices of refraction, n and k, over the full NIR-FIR range via modeling of the laboratory observations. The resulting refractive indices are critical input parameters in radiative transfer models, exoplanet and brown dwarf cloud models, protoplanetary disk simulations and other models used for the interpretation of observational data from past, current and future (exo)planetary NASA missions. We will present preliminary data obtained on Titan aerosol analogs produced in the Titan Haze Simulation (THS) experiment on COSmIC, a unique experimental platform developed at NASA Ames that allows the simulation of Titan's complex atmospheric chemistry at Titan-like temperature (200 K). We will also introduce a new study of the optical properties of ammonium-bearing phosphates, potential cloud particles forming in temperate exoplanets and brown dwarfs.

Planetary Science↗
NASA NTRS2020

Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Telescope: Systems Engineering and STOP Modeling

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory Mission (HabEx) is one of four missions studied for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Its goal is to directly image and spectroscopically characterize planetary systems in the habitable zone around nearby sun-like stars. Additionally, HabEx will perform a broad range of general astrophysics science enabled by 115 to 1700 nm spectral range and 3 x 3 arc-minute FOV. Critical to achieving its science goals is a large, ultra-stable UV/Optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) telescope. The baseline HabEx telescope is a 4-meter off-axis unobscured three-mirror-anastigmatic, diffraction limited at 400 nm with wavefront stability on the order of a few 10s of picometers. This paper summarizes the opto-mechanical design of the baseline optical telescope assembly, including a discussion of how we applied science driven systems engineering to derive the telescope’s engineering specifications from the mission’s science requirements, and presents analysis that the baseline telescope structure meets its specified tolerances.

Stahl, H. Philip↗
NASA NTRS2008

The James Webb Space Telescope and its Potential for Exoplanet Science

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture (6.5 meter), cryogenic space telescope with a suite of near and mid-infrared instruments covering the wavelength range of 0.6 microns to 28 microns. JWST s primary science goal is to detect and characterize the first galaxies. It will also study the assembly of galaxies, star formation, and the formation of evolution of planetary systems. Recent progress in hardware development for the observatory will be presented, including a discussion of the status of JWST s optical system and Beryllium mirror fabrication, progress with sunshield prototypes, and recent changes in the integration and test configuration. We also review the expected scientific performance of the observatory for observations of exosolar planets by means of transit imaging and spectroscopy and direct imaging. We also review the recent discovery of Fomalhaut B and implications for debris disk imaging nd exoplanet detection with JWST.

Clampin, Mark↗
DOE OSTI2021

Detecting Atmospheric Molecules of Nontransiting Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets Using High-resolution Spectroscopy in the Mid-infrared Domain

Motivated by the development of high-dispersion spectrographs in the mid-infrared (MIR) range, we study their application to the atmospheric characterization of nearby nontransiting temperate terrestrial planets around M-type stars. We examine the detectability of CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, N{sub 2}O, and O{sub 3 }features in high-resolution planetary thermal emission spectra at 12–18 μm assuming an Earth-like profile and a simplified thermal structure. The molecular line width of such planets can be comparable to or broader than the Doppler shift due to the planetary orbital motion. Given the likely difficulty in knowing the high-resolution MIR spectrum of the host star with sufficient accuracy, we propose observing the target system at two quadrature phases and extracting the differential spectra as the planetary signal. In this case, the signals can be substantially suppressed compared with the case where the host star spectrum is perfectly known, as some parts of the spectral features do not remain in the differential spectra. Despite this self-subtraction, the CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O features of nearby (≲5 pc) systems with mid-/late-M host stars would be feasible with a 6.5 m class cryogenic space telescope, and orbital inclination could also be constrained for some of them. For CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O in a 1 bar Earth-like atmosphere, this method would be sensitive when the mixing ratio is 1–10{sup 3} ppm. The detectability of molecules except O{sub 3} is not significantly improved when the spectral resolution is higher than R≳10,000, although the constraint on the orbital inclination is improved. This study provides some benchmark cases useful for assessing the value of MIR high-resolution spectroscopy in terms of characterization of potentially habitable planets.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS2011

The James Webb Space Telescope: Capabilities for Exoplanet Science

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture (6.5 meter), cryogenic space telescope with a suite of near and mid-infrared instruments covering the wavelength range of 0.6 micron to 28 micron. JWST's primary science goal is to detect and characterize the first galaxies. It will also study the assembly of galaxies, stellar and planetary system formation, and the formation and evolution of planetary systems. We will review the design of JWST, and discuss the current status of the project, with emphasis on recent progress in the construction of the observatory. We also review the capabilities of the observatory for observations of exosolar planets and debris disks by means of coronagraphic imaging, and high contrast imaging and spectroscopy. This discussion will focus on the optical and thermal performance of the observatory, and will include the current predictions for the performance of the observatory, with special reference to the demands of exoplanet science observations.

Clampin, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2017

Habitable Exoplanet Imager Optical Telescope Concept Design

The Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) is one of four missions under study for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Its goal is to directly image and spectroscopically characterize planetary systems in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. Additionally, HabEx will perform a broad range of general astrophysics science enabled by 100 to 2500 nm spectral range and 3 x 3 arc-minute FOV. Critical to achieving the HabEx science goals is a large, ultra-stable UV/Optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) telescope. The baseline HabEx telescope is a 4-meter off-axis unobscured three-mirror-anastigmatic, diffraction limited at 400 nm with wavefront stability on the order of a few 10s of picometers. This paper summarizes the opto-mechanical design of the HabEx baseline optical telescope assembly, including a discussion of how science requirements drive the telescope's specifications, and presents analysis that the baseline telescope structure meets its specified tolerances.

mirror↗
NASA NTRS2018

Overview and Performance Prediction of the Baseline 4-Meter Telescope Concept Design for the Habitable-Zone Exoplanet Observatory

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory Mission (HabEx) is one of four missions under study for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Its goal is to directly image and spectroscopically characterize planetary systems in the habitable zone around nearby sun-like stars. Additionally, HabEx will perform a broad range of general astrophysics science enabled by 100 to 2500 nm spectral range and 3 x 3 arc-minute FOV. Critical to achieving the HabEx science goals is a large, ultra-stable UV/Optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) telescope. The baseline HabEx telescope is a 4-meter off-axis unobscured three-mirror-anastigmatic, diffraction limited at 400 nm with wavefront stability on the order of a few 10s of picometers. This paper summarizes the opto-mechanical design of the HabEx baseline optical telescope assembly, including a discussion of how science requirements drive the telescope's specifications, and presents analysis that the baseline telescope structure meets its specified tolerances.

Space Mirror Technology↗
NASA NTRS2018

The Path Towards High-Contrast Imaging with the VLTI: The Hi-5 Project

The development of high-contrast capabilities has long been recognized as one of the top priorities for the VLTI (Very Large Telescope Interferometer). As of today, the VLTI routinely achieves contrasts of a few 103 in the near-infrared with PIONIER (Precision Integrated-Optics Near-infrared Imaging ExpeRiment) (H band) and GRAVITY (K band). Nulling interferometers in the northern hemisphere and non-redundant aperture masking experiments have, however, demonstrated that contrasts of at least a few 10 (sup -3) are within reach using specific beam combination and data acquisition techniques. In this paper, we explore the possibility to reach similar or higher contrasts on the VLTI. After reviewing the state-of-the-art in high-contrast infrared interferometry, we discuss key features that made the success of other high-contrast interferometric instruments (e.g., integrated optics, nulling, closure phase, and statistical data reduction) and address possible avenues to improve the contrast of the VLTI by at least one order of magnitude. In particular, we discuss the possibility to use integrated optics, proven in the near-infrared, in the thermal near-infrared (L and M bands, 3-5 microns), a sweet spot to image and characterize young extra-solar planetary systems. Finally, we address the science cases of a high-contrast VLTI imaging instrument and focus particularly on exoplanet science (young exoplanets, planet formation, and exozodiacal disks), stellar physics (fundamental parameters and multiplicity), and extragalactic astrophysics (active galactic nuclei and fundamental constants). Synergies and scientific preparation for other potential future instruments such as the Planet Formation Imager are also briefly discussed. This project is called Hi-5 for High-contrast Interferometry up to 5 microns.

PIONIER (H band)↗
NASA NTRS2018

Habitable-Zone Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Baseline 4-M Telescope Design and Predicted Performance

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory Mission (HabEx) is one of four missions under study for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Its goal is to directly image and spectroscopically characterize planetary systems in the habitable zone around nearby sun-like stars. Additionally, HabEx will perform a broad range of general astrophysics science enabled by 100 to 2500 nm spectral range and 3 x 3 arc-minute FOV. Critical to achieving its the HabEx science goals is a large, ultra-stable UV/Optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) telescope. The baseline HabEx telescope is a 4-meter off-axis unobscured three-mirror-anastigmatic, diffraction limited at 400 nm with wavefront stability on the order of a few 10s of picometers. This paper summarizes the opto-mechanical design of the HabEx baseline optical telescope assembly, including a discussion of how science requirements drive the telescope’s specifications, and presents analysis that the baseline telescope structure meets its specified tolerances.

Space Telescope Technology↗
NASA NTRS2019

Technology Development Roadmap for Habitable-Zone Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Baseline 4-M Primary Mirror

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) is one of four mission concepts under study for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Its goal is to directly image and spectroscopically characterize planetary systems in the habitable zone around nearby sun-like stars. Additionally, HabEx will perform a broad range of general astrophysics science enabled by 115 to 2500 nm spectral range and 3 x 3 arc-minute FOV. Critical to achieving the HabEx science goals is a large, ultra-stable UV/Optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) telescope. The baseline HabEx telescope is 4-meter off-axis unobscured, diffraction limited at 400 nm with wavefront stability on the order of a few 10s of picometers. The technology readiness level (TRL) to manufacture and test the HabEx baseline primary mirror is assessed to be at TRL-6 for all but two TRL-4 technologies: 1) non-destructive process to quantify CTE homogeneity of a 4-m mirror substrate with a spatial sampling of at least 100 x 100 to better than +/- 1 ppb/K; and, 2) process to quantify self-weight gravity deflection to better than 4-nm rms over a 100 x 100 spatial sampling. This paper reviews the technology needs to manufacture the HabEx primary mirror, assesses their TRL and proposes a roadmap to mature the two remaining technologies to TRL-6.

Space Telescope Technology↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Habitable-zone Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Baseline 4-m Telescope Design and Predicted Performance

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory Mission (HabEx) is one of four missions under study for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Its goal is to directly image and spectroscopically characterize planets in the habitable zone around nearby sun-like stars. Additionally, HabEx will perform a broad range of general astrophysics science enabled by 115 to 1700 nm spectral range and 3x3 arc-minute FOV instruments. Critical to achieving its science goals is a large, ultra-stable UV/Optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) telescope. The baseline HabEx telescope is a 4-meter off-axis unobscured three-mirror-anastigmatic, diffraction limited at 400 nm with wavefront stability on the order of a few 10s of picometers. This paper summarizes the opto-mechanical design of the HabEx baseline optical telescope assembly, including a discussion of how science requirements drive the telescope’s specifications, and presents analysis that the baseline telescope structure meets its specified tolerances.

HabEx↗
NASA NTRS2018

Transiting Planets from Kepler, K2 & TESS

NASA's Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009, has been a resounding success. More than 4000 planet candidates have been identified using data from Kepler primary mission, which ended in 2013, and greater than 2000 of these candidates have been verified as bona fide exoplanets. After the loss of two reaction wheels ended the primary mission, the Kepler spacecraft was repurposed in 2014 to observe many fields on the sky for short periods. This new mission, dubbed K2, has led to the discovery of greater than 600 planet candidates, approximately 200 of which have been verified to date; most of these exoplanets are closer to us than the majority of exoplanets discovered by the primary Kepler mission. TESS, launching in 2018, will survey most of the sky for exoplanets, with emphasis on those orbiting nearby and/or bright host stars, making these planets especially well-suited for follow-up observations with other observatories to characterize atmospheric compositions and other properties. More than one-third of the planet candidates found by NASA's are associated with target stars that have more than one planet candidate, and such 'multis' account for the majority of candidates that have been verified as true planets. The large number of multis tells us that flat multiplanet systems like our Solar System are common. Virtually all of the candidate planetary systems are stable, as tested by numerical integrations that assume a physically motivated mass-radius relationship. Statistical studies performed on these candidate systems reveal a great deal about the architecture of planetary systems, including the typical spacing of orbits and flatness. The characteristics of several of the most interesting confirmed Kepler & K2 multi-planet systems will also be discussed.

Lissauer, Jack↗
NASA NTRS2019

Demonstration of Multi-Star Wavefront Control for WFIRST, Habex, and LUVOIR

Coronagraphic instruments will enable direct imaging of dim planetary companions around nearby stars. The majority of nearby FGK stars are located in multi-star systems, including the Alpha Centauri stars, which may represent the best quality targets available for spectroscopic characterization due to their proximity and brightness. However, a binary system exhibits additional leakage from the o -axis companion star that may be brighter than the target exoplanet. Multi-Star Wavefront Control (MSWC) is a wavefront-control technique that allows simultaneous suppression of starlight of both stars in a binary system. MSWC would thus enable direct imaging of circumstellar planets in binary star systems such as Alpha Centauri. MSWC is compatible with a wide suite of planned coronagraphic instruments for future space missions. As part of the technology demonstration e orts for MSWC, the rst milestone results are presented here demonstrating (via computer simulations), high-contrast imaging capabilities of multi-star systems for several instruments including: [1] the upcoming WFIRST and its CGI demonstrator, [2] the HABitable Worlds EXplorer (Habex) mission concept, [3] the segmented Large UV/Optical/IR (LUVOIR) mission concept, and [4] a small-aperture Alpha Centauri direct-imager mission concept. For each of these missions, a baseline coronagraph option planned for the mission will be adopted and instrument baseline performance will be compared for single-star wavefront control.

Sirbu, Dan↗
NASA NTRS2018

HabEx Space Telescope Exoplanet Instruments

The HabEx (Habitable Exoplanet) space telescope mission concept carries two complementary optical systems as part of its baseline design, a coronagraph and a starshade, that are designed to detect and characterize planetary systems around nearby stars. The starshade is an external occulter which would be 72 m in diameter and fly some 124,000 km ahead of the telescope. A starshade instrument on board the telescope enables formation flying to maintain the starshade within 1 m of the line of sight to the star. The starshade instrument has various modes, including imaging from the near UV through to the near infrared and integral field spectroscopy in the visible band. The coronagraph would provide imaging and integral field spectroscopy in the visible band and would reach out to 1800 nm for low resolution spectroscopy in the near infrared. To provide the necessary stability for the coronagraph, the telescope would be equipped with a laser metrology system allowing measurement and control of the relative positions of the principal mirrors. In addition, a fine guidance sensor is needed for precision attitude control. The requirements for telescope stability for coronagraphy are discussed. The design and requirements on the starshade will also be discussed.

Marchen, Luis↗
NASA NTRS2023

A High-Eccentricity Warm Jupiter Orbiting TOI-4127

We report the discovery of TOI-4127 b, which is a transiting, Jupiter-sized exoplanet on a long period (P=56.39879 +0.00010 -0.00010 days) and a high-eccentricity orbit around a late F-type dwarf star. This warm Jupiter was first detected and identified as a promising candidate from a search for single-transit signals in TESS Sector 20 data and was later characterized as a planet following two subsequent transits (TESS Sectors 26 and 53) and follow-up ground-based RV observations with the NEID and SOPHIE spectrographs. We jointly fit the transit and RV data to constrain the physical (R p =1.096 +0.039 -0.032 R J , M p =2.30 +0.11 -0.11 M J ) and orbital parameters of the exoplanet. Given its high orbital eccentricity (𝓮=0.7471 +0.0078 -0.0086 ), TOI-4127 b is a compelling candidate for studies of warm Jupiter populations and of hot Jupiter formation pathways. We show that the present periastron separation of TOI-4127 b is too large for high-eccentricity tidal migration to circularize its orbit, and that TOI-4127 b is unlikely to be a hot Jupiter progenitor unless it is undergoing angular momentum exchange with an undetected outer companion. Although we find no evidence for an external companion, the available observational data are insufficient to rule out the presence of a perturber that can excite eccentricity oscillations and facilitate tidal migration.

Exoplanet astronomy↗
DOE OSTI2021

HAT-P-68b: A Transiting Hot Jupiter around a K5 Dwarf Star

We report the discovery by the ground-based Hungarian-made Automated Telescope Network (HATNet) survey of the transiting exoplanet HAT-P-68b, which has a mass of 0.724 ± 0.043 M {sub J}, and radius of 1.072 ± 0.012 R {sub J}. The planet is in a circular P = 2.2984 day orbit around a moderately bright V = 13.937 ± 0.030 magnitude K-dwarf star of mass 0.673{sub −0.014}{sup +0.020} M {sub ⊙}, and radius 0.6726 ± 0.0069 R {sub ⊙}. The planetary nature of this system is confirmed through follow-up transit photometry obtained with the Fred L. Whipple Observatory (FLWO) 1.2 m telescope, high-precision radial velocities measured using Keck I/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES), FLWO 1.5 m/Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph (TRES), and Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP) 1.9 m/Sophie, and high-spatial-resolution speckle imaging from WIYN 3.5 m/DSSI. HAT-P-68 is at an ecliptic latitude of +3° and outside the field of view of both the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite primary mission and the K2 mission. The large transit depth of 0.036 mag (r band) makes HAT-P-68b a promising target for atmospheric characterization via transmission spectroscopy.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗