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Register a new userExploration Strategy for the Outer Planets 2023-2032: Goals and Priorities
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Jeff Moore
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The outer solar system has a diverse range of objects, holding important clues about the formation and evolution of our solar system, the emergence and current distribution of life, and the physical processes controlling both our own and exoplanetary systems. This White Paper summarizes the Outer Planets Analysis Groups (OPAGs) priorities in the Decadal Survey. Taking into account the science to be achieved, the timing of solar system events, technological readiness, and programmatic factors, our mission recommendations are as follows. OPAG strongly endorses the completion and launch of the Europa Clipper mission, maintaining the science capabilities identified upon its selection, and a Juno extended mission at Jupiter. For the decade 2023-2032, OPAG endorses a new start for two directed missions: first, a mission to Neptune or Uranus with atmospheric probe(s), and second, a life detection Ocean World mission, along with additional technological development for life detection. A Neptune mission is preferred because, while the Neptune and Uranus systems provide equally compelling opportunities, Triton is a higher priority ocean world target than the Uranian satellites. The mission to Neptune or Uranus should fly first because a delay threatens key science objectives, and additional technological development is required for a directed life detection mission. Along with missions, we emphasize the necessity of maintaining a healthy Research and Analysis (R&A) program as well as a robust Earth-based observing program. OPAGs top two technology priorities are rapid development of a next-generation radioisotope power source for a mission to Neptune or Uranus, and development of key life detection technologies in support of an Ocean World mission. Finally, fostering an interdisciplinary, diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible community is of top importance to the OPAG community.
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In this white paper, we present a cross-section of important scientific questions that remain partially or completely unanswered, ranging from Titan exosphere to the deep interior, and we detail which instrumentation and mission scenarios should be used to answer them. Our intention is to formulate the science goals for the next generation of planetary missions to Titan in order to prepare the future exploration of the moon. The ESA L-class mission concept that we propose is composed of a Titan orbiter and at least an in situ element (lake lander and/or drone(s)).
As an end-member of terrestrial planet formation, Mercury holds unique clues about the original distribution of elements in the earliest stages of solar system development and how planets and exoplanets form and evolve in close proximity to their host stars. This Mercury Lander mission concept enables in situ surface measurements that address several fundamental science questions raised by MESSENGERs pioneering exploration of Mercury. Such measurements are needed to understand Mercurys unique mineralogy and geochemistry; to characterize the proportionally massive cores structure; to measure the planets active and ancient magnetic fields at the surface; to investigate the processes that alter the surface and produce the exosphere; and to provide ground truth for current and future remote datasets. NASAs Planetary Mission Concept Studies program awarded this study to evaluate the feasibility of accomplishing transformative science through a New-Frontiers-class, landed mission to Mercury in the next decade. The resulting mission concept achieves one full Mercury year (~88 Earth days) of surface operations with an ambitious, high-heritage, landed science payload, corresponding well with the New Frontiers mission framework. The 11-instrument science payload is delivered to a landing site within Mercurys widely distributed low-reflectance material, and addresses science goals and objectives encompassing geochemistry, geophysics, the Mercury space environment, and surface geology. This mission concept is meant to be representative of any scientific landed mission to Mercury; alternate payload implementations and landing locations would be viable and compelling for a future landed Mercury mission.
The four directly imaged planets orbiting the star HR 8799 are an ideal laboratory to probe atmospheric physics and formation models. We present more than a decades worth of Keck/OSIRIS observations of these planets, which represent the most detailed look at their atmospheres to-date by its resolution and signal to noise ratio. We present the first direct detection of HR 8799 d, the second-closest known planet to the star, at moderate spectral resolution with Keck/OSIRIS (K-band; R~4,000). Additionally, we uniformly analyze new and archival OSIRIS data (H and K band) of HR 8799 b, c, and d. First, we show detections of water (H2O) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the three planets and discuss the ambiguous case of methane (CH4) in the atmosphere of HR 8799b. Then, we report radial velocity (RV) measurements for each of the three planets. The RV measurement of HR 8799 d is consistent with predictions made assuming coplanarity and orbital stability of the HR 8799 planetary system. Finally, we perform a uniform atmospheric analysis on the OSIRIS data, published photometric points, and low resolution spectra. We do not infer any significant deviation from to the stellar value of the carbon to oxygen ratio (C/O) of the three planets, which therefore does not yet yield definitive information about the location or method of formation. However, constraining the C/O ratio for all the HR 8799 planets is a milestone for any multiplanet system, and particularly important for large, widely separated gas giants with uncertain formation processes.
Space-based transit missions such as Kepler and TESS have demonstrated that planets are ubiquitous. However, the success of these missions heavily depends on ground-based radial velocity (RV) surveys, which combined with transit photometry can yield bulk densities and orbital properties. While most Kepler host stars are too faint for detailed follow-up observations, TESS is detecting planets orbiting nearby bright stars that are more amenable to RV characterization. Here we introduce the TESS-Keck Survey (TKS), an RV program using ~100 nights on Keck/HIRES to study exoplanets identified by TESS. The primary survey aims are investigating the link between stellar properties and the compositions of small planets; studying how the diversity of system architectures depends on dynamical configurations or planet multiplicity; identifying prime candidates for atmospheric studies with JWST; and understanding the role of stellar evolution in shaping planetary systems. We present a fully-automated target selection algorithm, which yielded 103 planets in 86 systems for the final TKS sample. Most TKS hosts are inactive, solar-like, main-sequence stars (4500 K < Teff < 6000 K) at a wide range of metallicities. The selected TKS sample contains 71 small planets (Rp < 4 Re), 11 systems with multiple transiting candidates, 6 sub-day period planets and 3 planets that are in or near the habitable zone of their host star. The target selection described here will facilitate the comparison of measured planet masses, densities, and eccentricities to predictions from planet population models. Our target selection software is publicly available (at https://github.com/ashleychontos/sort-a-survey) and can be adapted for any survey which requires a balance of multiple science interests within a given telescope allocation.
Taipan is a multi-object spectroscopic galaxy survey starting in 2017 that will cover 2pi steradians over the southern sky, and obtain optical spectra for about two million galaxies out to z<0.4. Taipan will use the newly-refurbished 1.2m UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory with the new TAIPAN instrument, which includes an innovative Starbugs positioning system capable of rapidly and simultaneously deploying up to 150 spectroscopic fibres (and up to 300 with a proposed upgrade) over the 6-deg diameter focal plane, and a purpose-built spectrograph operating from 370 to 870nm with resolving power R>2000. The main scientific goals of Taipan are: (i) to measure the distance scale of the Universe (primarily governed by the local expansion rate, H_0) to 1% precision, and the structure growth rate of structure to 5%; (ii) to make the most extensive map yet constructed of the mass distribution and motions in the local Universe, using peculiar velocities based on improved Fundamental Plane distances, which will enable sensitive tests of gravitational physics; and (iii) to deliver a legacy sample of low-redshift galaxies as a unique laboratory for studying galaxy evolution as a function of mass and environment. The final survey, which will be completed within 5 years, will consist of a complete magnitude-limited sample (i<17) of about 1.2x10^6 galaxies, supplemented by an extension to higher redshifts and fainter magnitudes (i<18.1) of a luminous red galaxy sample of about 0.8x10^6 galaxies. Observations and data processing will be carried out remotely and in a fully-automated way, using a purpose-built automated virtual observer software and an automated data reduction pipeline. The Taipan survey is deliberately designed to maximise its legacy value, by complementing and enhancing current and planned surveys of the southern sky at wavelengths from the optical to the radio.
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