Darwin —- a mission to detect and search for life on extrasolar planets
Creators
- Cockell, C. S.1
- Léger, A.2
- Fridlund, M.3
- Herbst, T. M.4
- Kaltenegger, L.5
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Absil, O.6
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Beichman, C.7
- Benz, W.8
- Blanc, M.
- Brack, A.9
- Chelli, A.6
- Colangeli, L.
- Cottin, H.
- Coudé du Foresto, F.
- Danchi, W. C.
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Defrère, D.
- den Herder, J.-W.10
- Eiroa, C.11
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Greaves, J.12
- Henning, T.4
- Johnston, K. J.13
- Jones, H.14
- Labadie, L.4
- Lammer, H.15
- Launhardt, R.4
- Lawson, P.16
- Lay, O. P.16
- LeDuigou, J.-M.6
- Liseau, R.17
- Malbet, F.6
- Martin, S. R.16
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Mawet, D.16
- Mourard, D.
- Moutou, C.18
- Mugnier, L. M.
- Ollivier, M.2
- Paresce, F.19
- Quirrenbach, A.
- Rabbia, Y. D.
- Raven, J. A.20
- Rottgering, H. J. A.21
- Rouan, D.
- Santos, N. C.22
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Selsis, F.
- Serabyn, E.16
- Shibai, H.23
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Tamura, M.24
- Thiébaut, E.25
- Westall, F.6
- White, G. J.1
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1.
The Open University
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2.
Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale
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3.
European Space Research and Technology Centre
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4.
Max Planck Society
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5.
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
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6.
French National Centre for Scientific Research
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7.
California Institute of Technology
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8.
University of Bern
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9.
Centre de biophysique moléculaire
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10.
Netherlands Institute for Space Research
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11.
Autonomous University of Madrid
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12.
University of St Andrews
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13.
United States Naval Observatory
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14.
University of Hertfordshire
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15.
Space Research Institute
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16.
Jet Propulsion Lab
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17.
Chalmers University of Technology
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18.
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
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19.
National Institute for Astrophysics
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20.
James Hutton Institute
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21.
Leiden University
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22.
Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto
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23.
Nagoya University
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24.
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
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25.
University of Montpellier
Abstract
The discovery of extrasolar planets is one of the greatest achievements of modern astronomy. The detection of planets that vary widely in mass demonstrates that extrasolar planets of low mass exist. In this paper, we describe a mission, called Darwin, whose primary goal is the search for, and characterization of, terrestrial extrasolar planets and the search for life. Accomplishing the mission objectives will require collaborative science across disciplines, including astrophysics, planetary sciences, chemistry, and microbiology. Darwin is designed to detect rocky planets similar to Earth and perform spectroscopic analysis at mid-infrared wavelengths (6–20 μm), where an advantageous contrast ratio between star and planet occurs. The baseline mission is projected to last 5 years and consists of approximately 200 individual target stars. Among these, 25–50 planetary systems can be studied spectroscopically, which will include the search for gases such as CO_2, H_2O, CH_4, and O_3. Many of the key technologies required for the construction of Darwin have already been demonstrated, and the remainder are estimated to be mature in the near future. Darwin is a mission that will ignite intense interest in both the research community and the wider public.
Additional Information
© 2009 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Published in Volume: 9 Issue 1: March 24, 2009. Online Ahead of Print: February 9, 2009.Attached Files
Published - Cockell2009p1688Astrobiology.pdf
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Additional details
Identifiers
- Eprint ID
- 15068
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20090817-134520824
Dates
- Created
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2009-08-18Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-08Created from EPrint's last_modified field