bTeam NASA’s ambitious plan for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is gaining momentum. In early August, a gathering of scientists and engineers convened at Caltech, igniting discussions on the development of a groundbreaking space telescope designed to detect signs of life on Earth-like planets. The proposed mission, HWO, is envisioned as the next marvel in astrophysics, following in the illustrious footsteps of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). HWO’s scope extends beyond studying stars and galaxies to exploring a myriad of celestial entities, notably exoplanets, which are planets residing beyond our solar system.
While the quest for extraterrestrial life on exoplanets remains a formidable challenge, the Caltech workshop convened to assess the state of technology required for HWO to undertake this audacious mission. As Dimitri Mawet, a member of the Technical Assessment Group (TAG) for HWO, pointed out, the mission’s success hinges on technological advancements that minimize risks of budget overruns.
HWO’s Origin and Purpose:
Originally proposed as a critical component of the National Academy of Sciences’ Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 (Astro2020), HWO is slated for launch in the late 2030s or early 2040s. The mission will divide its observational time between general astrophysics and the study of exoplanets, reflecting its transformative potential in the realm of astrophysics. Fiona Harrison, one of Astro2020’s chairs, underscores the mission’s significance in comprehending solar systems beyond our own.
Technological Advancements and Challenges:
The ability of this space telescope to analyze exoplanet atmospheres, potentially revealing signs of life, relies on technologies capable of suppressing the intense glare from distant stars. Two primary techniques for this purpose are the internal coronagraph and the external starshade, both of which block out the star’s light to unveil the faint light reflecting off nearby planets.
Nick Siegler, NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program chief technologist, highlights the mission’s objective of probing exoplanet atmospheres for life-related chemical signatures, known as biosignatures. However, the chosen approach for HWO is to focus on the coronagraph route, building upon recent investments in NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Innovations and Future Prospects:
Mawet’s contributions to coronagraph development, such as the vortex coronagraph used in the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC), have enabled direct imaging and study of gas-giant exoplanets. However, imaging an Earth-like planet demands unparalleled technological refinement. The challenge lies in suppressing starlight by a factor of a billion, given that stars like our sun outshine planets like Earth by an astronomical margin.
The workshop explored novel coronagraph techniques, including those involving ultraprecise deformable mirrors to eliminate residual starlight speckles. NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will pioneer this active coronagraph technology, showcasing necessary advancements in starlight suppression. However, the road to imaging Earth twins around sun-like stars requires further technological leaps.
The workshop also delved into topics such as primary mirror selection, mirror coatings, micrometeoroid damage mitigation, deformable mirror technologies, detectors, and integrated modeling and design tools. The readiness of the starshade technology was also assessed.
The Road to Discovering Earth Twins:
As technology progresses, scientists continue their quest to identify Earth-like planets ripe for HWO’s scrutiny. While over 5,500 exoplanets have been identified, none resemble Earth closely. Tools like the Keck Planet Finder (KPF) at the Keck Observatory, led by Caltech, are honing their ability to detect Earth-sized planets in habitable zones around small red stars. With ongoing refinements, KPF may eventually uncover Earth twins.
The envisioned launch of HWO in the late 2030s or early 2040s coincides with hopes of having a catalog of at least 25 Earth-like planets ready for exploration.
Despite the daunting challenges ahead, scientists remain resolute in their pursuit, fortified by the spirit of collaboration, as emphasized by JPL director Laurie Leshin. The journey towards discovering Earth twins is an exciting and collaborative endeavor, beckoning humanity into the boundless expanse of the cosmos.
