The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study   Interim Report

B. Scott Gaudi (1); Sara Seager (2); Bertrand Mennesson (3); Alina; Kiessling (3); Keith Warfield (3); Gary Kuan (3); Kerri Cahoy (2); John T.; Clarke (4); Shawn Domagal-Goldman (5); Lee Feinberg (5); Olivier Guyon (6),; Jeremy Kasdin (7); Dimitri Mawet (8); Tyler Robinson (9); Leslie Rogers (10),; Paul Scowen (11); Rachel Somerville (12); Karl Stapelfeldt (3); Christopher; Stark (13); Daniel Stern (3); Margaret Turnbull (14); Stefan Martin (3),; Oscar Alvarez-Salazar (3); Rashied Amini (3); William Arnold (15); Bala; Balasubramanian (3); Mike Baysinger (16); Lindsey Blais (3); Thomas Brooks; (17); Rob Calvet (3); Velibor Cormarkovic (3); Charlie Cox (18); Rolf Danner; (3); Jacqueline Davis (17); Lisa Dorsett (19); Michael Effinger (17); Ron Eng; (17); Jay Garcia (16); Jonathan Gaskin (20); Joby Harris (3); Scott Howe (3),; Brent Knight (17); John Krist (3); David Levine (3); Mary Li (5); Doug Lisman; (3); Milan Mandic (3); Luis Marchen (3); Colleen Marrese-Reading (3); Jim; McGowen (3); Andrew Miyaguchi (21); Rhonda Morgan (3); Bijan Nemati (22),; Shouleh Nikzad (3); Joel Nissen (3); Megan Novicki (21); Todd Perrine (3),; David Redding (3); Michael Richards (21); Mike Rud (3); Dan Scharf (3); Gene; Serabyn (3); Stuart Shaklan (3); Scott Smith (17); Mark Stahl (17); Phil; Stahl (17); Hao Tang (23); David Van Buren (3); Juan Villalvazo (3); Steve; Warwick (21); David Webb (3); Rush Wofford (21); Jahning Woo (3); Milana Wood; (3); John Ziemer (3); Ewan Douglas (2); Virginie Faramaz (3); Sergi; Hildebrandt (3); Tiffany Meshkat (24); Peter Plavchan (25); Garreth Ruane; (8); Neal Turner (3) ((1) Ohio State University; (2) Massachusetts Institute; of Technology; (3) Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of; Technology; (4) Boston University; (5) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; (6); University of Arizona; (7) Princeton University; (8) California Institute of; Technology; (9) Northern Arizona University; (10) University of Chicago; (11); Arizona State University; (12) Rutgers University/Flatiron Institute; (13); Space Telescope Science Institute; (14) SETI Institute; (15) a.i. solutions,; (16) Jacobs Technology; (17) NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; (18) United; Technologies Aerospace Systems; (19) ARCS; (20) University of North Carolina,; (21) Northrop Grumman Corporation; (22) University of Alabama; (23); University of Michigan; (24) California Institute of Technology/IPAC; (25); George Mason University)

arXiv:1809.09674·astro-ph.IM·September 27, 2018·63 cites

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study Interim Report

B. Scott Gaudi (1), Sara Seager (2), Bertrand Mennesson (3), Alina, Kiessling (3), Keith Warfield (3), Gary Kuan (3), Kerri Cahoy (2), John T., Clarke (4), Shawn Domagal-Goldman (5), Lee Feinberg (5), Olivier Guyon (6),, Jeremy Kasdin (7), Dimitri Mawet (8), Tyler Robinson (9)

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TL;DR

The HabEx mission concept aims to discover and characterize habitable exoplanets around sunlike stars using a space-based 4-meter telescope with UV, optical, and near-IR capabilities, enabling groundbreaking astrophysics research.

Contribution

This study presents the design and scientific potential of HabEx, a novel space telescope concept dedicated to exoplanet discovery and broad astrophysics investigations.

Findings

01

HabEx is designed as a 4-meter space telescope with UV, optical, and near-IR instruments.

02

It aims to directly image and characterize habitable exoplanets.

03

The mission will enable unique science beyond ground-based capabilities.

Abstract

For the first time in human history, technologies have matured sufficiently to enable a mission capable of discovering and characterizing habitable planets like Earth orbiting sunlike stars other than the Sun. At the same time, such a platform would enable unique science not possible from ground-based facilities. This science is broad and exciting, ranging from new investigations of our own solar system to a full range of astrophysics disciplines. The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, or HabEx, is one of four studies currently being undertaken by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. HabEx has been designed to be the Great Observatory of the 2030s, with community involvement through a competed and funded Guest Observer (GO) program. This interim report describes the HabEx baseline concept, which is a space-based 4-meter diameter telescope mission concept with…

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Taxonomy

TopicsStellar, planetary, and galactic studies · Astro and Planetary Science · Astronomy and Astrophysical Research