NASA Missions
The following NASA missions are all related to Astrobiology.
SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy)
- SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP aircraft housing a 2.5 meter relecting telescope. It will fly in the
stratosphere, above the Earth's atmosphere. It is scheduled to begin flying in 2004. SOFIA will
focus on making observations in the infrared (IR) at wavelengths ranging from 0.1 to 1000 micrometers.
Some of the main things SOFIA will study include the birth and death of stars; the formation of new
solar systems; identification of complex molecules in space; the planets, comets, and asteroids in
our own solar system; nebulae and dust in galaxies; and black holes in the centers of galaxies.
StarLight - The goal of the Starlight mission is to develop and test technologies for use in
future Astrobiology missions. Starlight will be the first interferometric
observatory in space and will also test the precise formation flying of two separate spacecraft.
In September 2005, the two separate spacecraft of the StarLight mission will be launched into orbit
around the sun. They will then be set into a position to match Earth orbit following approximately
10 million miles (17 million kilometers) behind the Earth. The two spacecraft will then be put through
different tests: first of the interferometry equipment and then testing the formation flying system
when the spacecraft are between 40 and 600 meters apart. In order for the interferometry to work, the
spacecraft need to be able to maintain precise relative positions and be able to accurately aim at the
same object in space. StarLight will not make any new measurements of distances to other stars, but
will attempt to obtain measurements known to specific accuracy from observations on Earth.
SIM (Space Interferometry Mission) - The SIM mission
has two main goals: to determine the positions and distances to stars more accurately and to
detect Earth-sized planets around the nearest stars. These goals will be attained using
narrow-angle astrometry.
Position and distance will be measured alternately observing the target star and the
background stars within 1 ° of sky around the target. This will give a measurements
with a precision of 1 microarcsecond through the entire mission. Precision on this level is
enough to detect an Earth-mass planet around the stars closest to our Sun. SIM will study
200 main sequence stars of spectral types A through M in an attempt to find large terrestrial
planets, like our Earth, within the area around the star where water is in its liquid state.
SIM will is scheduled to launch in 2009.
NGST (Next Generation Space Telescope) - The NGST
mission will study IR emissions from between when the Universe was 1 million and a few
billion years old. NGST will see objects that are 400 times fainter than any we can now
see from the ground. Studies will help us determine what chemicals made up the early Universe,
the shape this Universe took, how galaxies evolved, and hopefully allow us to see the nature
of the mysterious "dark matter".
TPF (Terrestrial Planet Finder) - The TPF mission
will study all aspects of planets including their evolution in protoplanetary disks, current
features, and their ability to develop and sustain life. Using a space interferometer, TPF
will be able to see planets around stars as far as 50 light years away from us. Using TPF's
spectroscopy, scientists will be able to determine the chemical content of a planet's
atmosphere to see if the planet harbors life or would be able to hold life in the future.
TPF is planned for launch in 2012 and will be operational for about 6 years.
