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Blue Marble: Remote Characterization of Habitable Planets

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Blue Marble: Remote Characterization of Habitable Planets SSC09-IV-1 Blue Marble: Remote Characterization of Habitable Planets Dr. Neville Woolf Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona 933 N Cherry Ave, Rm N204, Tucson AZ 85721-0065; (520) 621-3234 [email protected] Brian Lewis Vehicle Concepts Department, The Aerospace Corporation 2310 E El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245-4691; (310) 336-0529 [email protected] Dr. James Chartres, Anthony Genova Small Spacecraft Office, NASA Ames Research Center Building 202, Moffett Field, CA 94035; (650) 604-6347 [email protected], Anthony. [email protected] ABSTRACT The study of the nature and distribution of habitable environments beyond the Solar System is a key area for Astrobiology research. At the present time, our Earth is the only habitable planet that can be characterized in the same way that we might characterize planets beyond the Solar System. Due to limitations in our current and near- future technology, it is likely that extra-solar planets will only be observed as single-pixel objects. To understand this data, we must develop skills in analyzing and interpreting the radiation obtained from a single pixel. These skills must include the study of the time variation of the radiation, and the range of its photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric properties. In addition, to understand whether we are properly analyzing the single pixel data, we need to compare it with a ground truth of modest resolution images in key spectral bands. This paper discusses the concept for a mission called Blue Marble that would obtain data of the Earth using a combination of spectropolarimetry, spectrophotometry, and selected band imaging. To obtain imagery of the proper resolution, it is desirable to place the Blue Marble spacecraft no closer than the outer region of cis-lunar space. This paper explores a conceptual mission design that takes advantage of low-cost launchers, spacecraft bus designs and mission elements to provide a cost-effective observing platform located at one of the triangular Earth-Moon Lagrangian points (L4, L5). The mission design allows for the development and use of novel technologies, such as a spinning Moon sensor for attitude control, and leverages lessons-learned from previous low-cost spacecraft such as Lunar Prospector to yield a low-risk mission concept. INTRODUCTION Blue Marble mission is to develop sufficient understanding of the “observables” of Earth to support The first goal of NASA’s Astrobiology Roadmap is to understand the nature and distribution of habitable planning observations of extrasolar terrestrial planets environments in the Universe. It directs us to “conduct and development of observing instruments for future astronomical, theoretical, and laboratory spectroscopic platforms. investigations to support planning for and interpretation One definite feature of near future observational of data from missions designed to detect and 1 programs is that these planets will be viewed as single characterize extrasolar planets. ” pixel objects. The requirements for imaging extrasolar planets are beyond our current and likely near-future Initial data returned from missions such as Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) are not likely to provide data that technologies. As such, skills and processes in analyzing requires extensive analysis and modeling. On the other and interpreting the radiation from single pixel objects must be developed and honed. These skills include the hand, future missions will provide superior instruments study of the time variation of the radiation and the that will provide additional data for exploitation. range of its photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric However, not only do we not currently know how to analyze such superior data, we do not even know what properties. data might be most valuable. The principle goal of the Woolf 1 23rd Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites To properly interpret and analyze single pixel data, it Amazon basin. These Earthshine observations did not needs to be compared with a ground truth of modest include polarization or illumination phase variation as resolution images in key spectral bands. The key data to Earthshine is only observable near the new Moon. be returned from Blue Marble is a combination of Additional observations of Earthshine were extended spectropolarimetry, spectrophotometry and selected into the near-IR, but thermal radiation from the Moon band imaging. The data from Blue Marble will be used placed an upper limit of ~2.4 µm for useful data7. to generate a pixel based, Earth-like thumb print that can be compared to single pixel data to identify These Earthshine observations have prompted us to potential Earth-like planets. consider what other new information might be available by observing the whole Earth. Neither the linear nor To obtain hemispherical images of the earth to circular polarization of the whole Earth has been construct the thumb-print model, the spacecraft should observed. There are possibilities of observing the be placed as far from Earth as possible. At distances polarization effect of the glint of the sun on the oceans close to the Earth, the region not seen past the limb or from cloud polarization. Both of these are expected increases with the observed planet angular diameter. To to show Brewster angle effects with a peak polarization limit this effect to less than 2%, Blue Marble should that can identify the refractive index of the cloud / observe the Earth from a distance no closer than the liquid material. These are the only currently known outer region of cis-lunar space. Blue Marble is therefore methods to detect liquid water. The presence of architected to be a mission that could be placed at any atmospheric H2O gas bands is no indication of the of the Earth-Moon Lagrangian points or in lunar orbit. presence of the liquid phase and it is the liquid phase that is crucial to terrestrial life. The necessary SCIENCE observations to make are the variations of polarization with illumination phase angle8. Science Background Early research into the detection and characterization of Laboratory measurements of the reflected light at the habitable planets suggested that the mid-infrared peak of the chlorophyll a band near 6600A yields spectral region would be useful as that spectrum optical circular polarization (Q) of 0.1%. This result 2 indicates the level of sensitivity and coverage that revealed the presence of water, ozone and CO2 . Comparisons of the mid-IR of planets obtained using would allow remote detection. The best way to prepare might be to make a survey of the circular polarization “Nimbus” Fourier Transform Spectrometers helped 9 confirm the selection of this observing band3,4. signatures of planet Earth . Wolstencroft et al. Subsequently, this region was selected as the basis for a suggested that “The global polarization and reflectance planet finding space mission5. properties of Planet Earth have been measured by the POLDER satellite: at 443nm atmospheric Rayleigh Later studies indicated that the visible and near-IR scattering dominates, but at 865nm the average surface spectral regions show different molecular features of properties of ocean, vegetation, desert and snow can be interest1. The combination of observations from 0.3 - 25 estimated. For cloud-free surfaces at 865nm and 90 µm spectral bands yields more detailed information as degree phase angle the percentage polarization, p, and the mid-IR spectra provide information about reflectance, R, are respectively [55%, 9%] (ocean), temperature and atmospheric vertical thermal structure [7%, 23%] (vegetation), [6%, 40%] (desert) and [3%, while the visible and near-IR spectra give better 80%] (snow). Note that the values for clear and cloudy indicators of molecular quantities. In addition, ocean are very different, viz [55%, 9%] and [4%, 45%] molecules of interest in determining planet habitability respectively. Allowing for the fractional global areas of provide different response in visible and IR frequencies. each component and a global cloud cover of 55% yields p=7.3% for a pale-blue-dot Earth. pR is greatest for Additional observations were made of the visible oceans and least for vegetation and hence the prospects spectrum of the Earth using lunar Earthshine6. When for detecting pR from vegetation on an Earth-like planet compared to predictive models, the observations are poor unless >50% is covered in vegetation. revealed additional features such as strong Rayleigh However prospects of using the phase angle and scattering in the blue spectral region, the vegetation wavelength dependence of a pale-blue-dot planet to “red edge” indicating the presence of terrestrial deduce its properties as it rotates and orbits are more vegetation, and an additional feature later identified as encouraging: the main obstacle will be to overcome the O4 which has use as an indicator of atmospheric difficulty of correcting for the unknown and variable pressure. The spectra showed a red-edge difference cloud cover. The possible application of a circular from when the Moon was viewing oceans and when the polarization signal that is unique to vegetation remains Moon was illuminated by light reflected from the Woolf 2 23rd Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites an intriguing possibility for remote sensing that requires well as ground truth images across appropriate further study.10” wavelengths. From these references, it is clear that the characteristics Science Goals of Earth as an example of a single pixel
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