Re: [exopagannounce] New ExoPAG Study Analysis Group

[Edwin Budding]

Dear Remi --

 

Again thanks for the nice meeting earlier today --

and apologies for overlooking this message of a week ago...

I noted that you referred to both probes and flagship missions in your presentation

and it is very useful to have this clarification in mind.

 

Our group's approach to "astrobiology" is probably a bit more general than most.

We are also not necessarily focussed -- in principle -- on the 'habitable zone'

although it appeared that that was key to the purposes considered in the

SAG-5 group, according to the review presented.

 

Even so, I recall with great interest a remark made by Adam Burrows at IAU Symposium 282 ---

that "we still do not really understand why Jupiter's Great Red Spot is red"....(?)

 

If there could be a probe to detect a GRS on any exoplanet Jupiter (and maybe

not necessarily red -- a green one could also qualify) -- then I believe that could

be of very great planetological -- as well as astrobiological -- interest.

 

With a much higher photometric resolution than that of the Kepler Mission,

able to study the shape of a secondary eclipse in sufficient detail (and colours)

that might not be such an impossible task as it could seem at first.

 

 

Best wishes,

Ed

 

 

 

On Thu, Mar 28, 2013 at 1:54 PM, Remi Soummer <sou...@stsci.edu> wrote:

Hello Arif and Edwin, 

I have been delayed to start the group but I'm about to send the first group email. 

Since I see you have particular interest in astrobiology from the paper you sent me, I wanted to clarify that this analysis group will only focus on probe-size missions - not flagship class - 

This scale of mission is too small to detect terrestrial planets, let alone habitable zone one, the focus will be more on giant planets, circumstellar disks etc. (not astrobiology)

This is however connected through exoplanet science in general. You should receive the invitation emails today or tomorrow

Best regards, 

Remi

On Mar 14, 2013, at 3:38 AM, Arif Solmaz <arif....@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,

We are interested in with this new study gruop 

Me: Arif Solmaz (arif....@gmail.com) and

Prof. Edwin Budding from NZ (ed.bu...@gmail.com) 

leading an astrobiology discussion group mostly consist of Turkish researches. We've a recent paper titled: Near-resonant diurnal reactions: a physical model applicable to origin of life processes (link)

Regards.

Arif Solmaz

a. Uni. of Cag, Space Observation
& Research Center, Mersin/Turkey
t. +903246514800 Ext:1250 | c. +905386142938
e. arif.solmaz-at-gmail.com
w. arifsolmaz.com      

f. facebook.com/arif19
t. twitter.com/arifsolmaz
s. arifuniverse (skype) 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Stephen Unwin <stephen...@jpl.nasa.gov>
Date: 7 March 2013 23:54
Subject: [exopagannounce] New ExoPAG Study Analysis Group
To: ExoPAG announcements <exopaga...@jpl.nasa.gov>

Dear Exoplanet community,

I am forwarding an announcement and opportunity on behalf of Rémi Soummer:

The Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG, https://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/exopag/) is starting a new community-based study analysis group (SAG) to define the mission requirements and characteristics of probe-scale exoplanet direct imaging mission (see SAG-9 charter below).

The goal is to start actively working in the coming weeks. SAG-9 is expected to continue work through 2013, with a final report in early 2014.

We are seeking members and encourage your to participate in this effort. If you are interested in contributing to this group, please contact Remi Soummer (sou...@stsci.edu) who will chair this new SAG-9.

SAG-9: Exoplanet Probe to Medium Scale Direct-Imaging Mission Requirements and Characteristics

The ExoPAG Study Analysis Group 9 (SAG-9) will define metrics by which the science yield of various exoplanet probe-scale to medium-scale direct-imaging mission designs can be compared and evaluated in order to facilitate a well-informed decision process by NASA. SAG-9 will focus on mission sizes that can be considered on shorter timescales than a flagship, with a particular emphasis on missions with probe-scale costs (under $1B). The work will build on the methodology developed by SAG-5  (Exoplanet Flagship Requirements and Characteristics), defining science goals, objectives and requirements, further detailed into "Musts" and "Discriminators".  SAG-9 will establish the minimum science thresholds ("Musts") for such missions, and develop quantitative metrics to evaluate the marginal performance increase beyond the threshold science using "Discriminators".

Key questions to be studied by this group include: 

- What is the minimum threshold science to justify an exoplanet probe-scale direct imaging mission? 

- What are the additional science goals that can be used as "discriminators" to evaluate science performance beyond the minimum thresholds?  

- What are the possible achievements from the ground by plausible launch date, and overlapping the expected mission lifetime? 

- What quantitative metrics for these "discriminators" can we provide to help define the weighting process to be used in the comparison of mission concepts?  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rémi Soummer

Associate Astronomer

Space Telescope Science Institute

3700 San Martin Drive

Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

Tel: (1) 410-338-4737

sou...@stsci.edu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rémi Soummer

Associate Astronomer

Space Telescope Science Institute

3700 San Martin Drive

Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

Tel: (1) 410-338-4737

sou...@stsci.edu