EXO Exoplanet Exploration Collaboration Initiative TP Exoplanets Final Report Ca Ca Ca H Ca Fe Fe Fe H Fe Mg Fe Na O2 H O2 The cover shows the transit of an Earth like planet passing in front of a Sun like star. When a planet transits its star in this way, it is possible to see through its thin layer of atmosphere and measure its spectrum. The lines at the bottom of the page show the absorption spectrum of the Earth in front of the Sun, the signature of life as we know it. Seeing our Earth as just one possibly habitable planet among many billions fundamentally changes the perception of our place among the stars. "The 2014 Space Studies Program of the International Space University was hosted by the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) and the École des Hautes études commerciales (HEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada." While all care has been taken in the preparation of this report, ISU does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of its content. Electronic copies of the Final Report and the Executive Summary can be downloaded from the ISU Library website at http://isulibrary.isunet.edu/ International Space University Strasbourg Central Campus Parc d’Innovation 1 rue Jean-Dominique Cassini 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden Tel +33 (0)3 88 65 54 30 Fax +33 (0)3 88 65 54 47 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.isunet.edu France Unless otherwise credited, figures and images were created by TP Exoplanets. Exoplanets Final Report Page i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The International Space University Summer Session Program 2014 and the work on the Team Project were made possible through the generous support of the following individuals and organizations: Jacques Arnould (CNES) Charles Beichman (NASA ExoPlanet Science Institute) Steve Brody (ISU) Jim Burke (The Planetary Society) René Doyon (Université de Montréal) James Green (NASA Headquarters) Johanne Heald (Canadian Space Agency) Christopher Johnson (Secure World Foundation) Jan King (Canadensys Aerospace Corporation) Jaymie Matthews (University of British Columbia) Marie-Eve Naud (Université de Montréal) Hanno Rein (University of Toronto) Sara Seager (MIT) Randall Sweet (Lockheed Martin) Harley Thronson (NASA) John Troeltzsch (Ball Aerospace) Marcell Tessenyi (University College London) Pete Worden (NASA Ames Research Center) Also, TP Exoplanets would not have been such a success without the support and guidance of the staff at ISU. In particular, we would like to thank: Eric Choi, Team Project Chair Thomas Wilson, Teaching Associate ISU editors Merryl Azriel Jaime Babb Carol Carnett Vanessa Stroh Exoplanets Final Report Page ii AUTHORS The following participants have contributed to this project: Exoplanets Final Report Page iii ABSTRACT The number of discovered extrasolar planets (exoplanets) has increased exponentially since the first confirmed discovery of such an object in the 1990s. These alien solar systems have since generated an unprecedented wave of scientific and public interest such that the exoplanetary research field became a top research priority among major international space agencies and a multitude of universities worldwide. The International Space University (ISU) exoplanets team project was proposed with the following objectives: To engage the interests and capabilities of people throughout the international community; To go beyond science, and address the social implications of current and upcoming discoveries; and To document ways to increase the scientific yield of both space-based and ground based investigations of exoplanets through improved communications and collaboration among researchers worldwide; With these objectives in mind, the interdisciplinary, international and, intercultural project team envisioned a two-fold solution: 1. Identifying the gaps and overlaps from the multiple interested parties in exoplanetary research and coordinating their activities; and 2. Designing of a demonstrative low cost exploration mission. The proposed solution by the team members is to first create a notional international organization, EXO (Exoplanet eXploration Organization) that would manage and promote international communication, knowledge and, discoveries linked to exoplanetary research. Second, the UniQuE (United Quest for Exoplanets) mission would be implemented to demonstrate the capabilities of a low-cost microsatellite in the characterization of exoplanetary Exoplanets Final Report Page iv 摘要 20世纪90年代证实首次发现太阳系外行星以来，发现的系外行星数量已经成倍增加。这些 太阳系外行星系吸引了科学界和公众前所未有的极大兴趣，使系外行星研究成为了一些主 要国际空间机构和世界众多院校的重点研究领域。 国际空间大学（ISU）的系外行星团队项目，提出了以下目标： ● 通过国际社团提升人们对系外行星研究的兴趣和参与系外行星研究的能力； ● 在科学研究的基础上，进一步提升系外行星科学研究的社会影响； ● 通过增强国际间科学交流与研究合作，利用文档记录方式进一步提高天基与地基系 外行星观测的科研效果。 考虑以上目标，作为一个秉承“跨学科，跨国家，跨文化”理念的项目团队提出了两步走的 解决方案设想： 1，从相关利益组织找出其从事系外行星研究和协调活动的差距和重叠领域； 2，设计一个低成本的示范探测任务。 针对上述解决方案，项目团队提出首先创建一个国际组织——EXO（太阳系外行星探索 组织），负责管理和促进国际上关于系外行星探索和研究知识、信息和发现的交流和合作 。然后，执行UniQuE任务（系外行星联合任务），证明使用低成本小卫星对系外行星大 气进行分类的能力，并产生EXO所有成员可共享的新数据。 结合ISU的理念，上述方案将丰富系外行星研究的新知识，为每个国家提出各种可能性， 并激励着每一个未来的梦想家。 Exoplanets Final Report Page v FACULTY PREFACE Humanity’s fascination with the notion of planets outside of our Solar System is intrinsically tied to our sense of place in the Universe. A geocentric model of the Universe, most commonly attributed to Ptolemy, was accepted for almost 1,400 years until it was superseded by the heliocentric model advocated by Copernicus. For many years, the assumption that other stars are surrounded by planetary systems was nothing more than a hypothesis based on the Copernican principle of humanity’s non-preferential position in the Universe. Today, a new Copernican revolution is underway. Since the first detections of exoplanets in the 1990s, orbiting the pulsar PSR B1257+12 and the main sequence star 51 Pegasi, the number of confirmed exoplanets now exceeds 1,800 with another 3,200 candidates awaiting verification as of this writing. From 9 June to 8 August 2014, twenty-eight participants representing a dozen nations gathered in Montréal, Canada for the 2014 Space Studies Program (SSP) of the International Space University (ISU) and undertook a team project to advance the field of exoplanet study. The objectives of the project were to come up with innovative and practical ideas that could influence the future direction of international exoplanetary research, and to have a positive educational experience in learning about teamwork in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment. We are proud to say that the team successfully achieved both objectives. Within the pages of this final report is described EXO, the Exoplanet eXploration Organization. This notional international body would provide a framework for an intercultural, international and interdisciplinary collaboration on exoplanetary research, education and outreach. It would coordinate the efforts of multiple agencies and organizations, with a particular emphasis on emerging spacefaring nations and other entities hitherto excluded from exoplanetary research. A potential centerpiece of the notional EXO would be the development of UniQuE (United Quest for Exoplanets), an innovative microsatellite constellation mission concept that would characterize the atmospheres of confirmed exoplanets. In the first week of the project, the team came up with an internal code of conduct in which the prime directive was “be excellent to one another”. Despite disappointments and obstacles, the team stuck to their project plan over many long hours, systematically meeting the challenges and solving the problems with dedication and a positive attitude to produce the final report you are now reading. If applause, high- fives and laughter could power a starship, we would already be on our way to Kepler-186f. For much of human history, the planets of our own Solar System were only points in the night sky. Today, we know them to be worlds. So it will be with exoplanets, perhaps with the help of an EXO-like organization or maybe a mission inspired by UniQuE. When that happens, the twenty-eight talented international authors of this report should take satisfaction in the knowledge that they have made a contribution to this grand endeavor. Eric Choi Thomas Wilson Team Project Chair Teaching Associate Exoplanets Final Report Page vi AUTHORS PREFACE There have been few ideas throughout history that have captured human imagination as much as the secrets that distant planets orbiting other stars may hold. Do they support life? Are there new discoveries that could revolutionize the path of the human race? Will humanity ever visit an extrasolar planet? These questions have been explored through science fiction; however, we are now starting to find the answers through scientific research. The field of exoplanets is growing and continues to capture the public interest, so this year the International Space University has chosen to approach this field in one of the Space Studies Program’s team projects. We have taken the field of exoplanets and explored it thoroughly to determine what we believe are the next steps that should be taken to make the search for, classification of, and verification of exoplanets a demonstration of what can be achieved through international collaboration. From proposing a notional global organization and a mission to addressing the current gaps in the research, we have provided a framework for future international collaboration in the exoplanet scientific community, both professional and amateur. This team project has brought together people from a variety of nations, cultures, and disciplines in order to thoroughly examine what