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Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor

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Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor
Rendering of the LUVOIR-A observatory concept
Mission typeSpace telescope
OperatorNASA
Websitewww.luvoirtelescope.org
Mission duration5 years (prime mission) (proposed)
10 years consumables
25 years lifetime goal for non-serviceable components
Start of mission
Launch date2039 (proposed)
RocketSLS Block 2(proposed),
SpaceX Starship(proposed)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSun-EarthL2
Main
TypeMulti-wavelength space telescope
Diameter8 or 15.1 m (26 or 50 ft)[1]
WavelengthsUV,visibleandinfrared
Instruments

Mission proposal insignia

TheLarge Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor,commonly known asLUVOIR(/luːˈvwɑːr/), is a multi-wavelengthspace telescopeconcept being developed byNASAunder the leadership of aScience and Technology Definition Team.It is one of four large astrophysics space mission concepts studied in preparation for theNational Academy of Sciences2020Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey.[2][3]

While LUVOIR is a concept for a general-purpose observatory, it has the key science goal of characterizing a wide range ofexoplanets,including those that might behabitable.An additional goal is to enable a broad range ofastrophysics,from thereionizationepoch, through galaxy formation and evolution, tostarandplanet formation.Powerful imaging andspectroscopyobservations ofSolar Systembodies would also be possible.

LUVOIR would be aLarge Strategic Science Missionand was considered for a development start sometime in the 2020s. The LUVOIR Study Team, under Study ScientistAki Roberge,has produced designs for two variants of LUVOIR: one with a 15.1 m diameter telescope mirror (LUVOIR-A) and one with an 8 m diameter mirror (LUVOIR-B).[4]LUVOIR would be able to observeultraviolet,visible,andnear-infraredwavelengths of light.The Final Report on the 5-year LUVOIR mission concept study was publicly released on 26 August 2019.[5]

On 4 November 2021, the2020 Astrophysics Decadal Surveyrecommended development of a "large (~6 m aperture) infrared/optical/ultraviolet (IR/O/UV) space telescope", with the science goals of searching for signatures of life on planets outside of the solar system and enabling a wide range of transformative astrophysics. Such a mission draws upon both the LUVOIR andHabExmission concepts.[6][7][8]

Background[edit]

See also:Large strategic science missions

In 2016, NASA began considering four differentspace telescopeconcepts for future Large Strategic Science Missions.[9]They are theHabitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission(HabEx), Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR),Lynx X-ray Observatory(lynx), andOrigins Space Telescope(OST). In 2019, the four teams turned in their final reports to theNational Academy of Sciences,whose independentDecadal surveycommittee advisesNASAon which mission should take top priority. If funded, LUVOIR would launch in approximately 2039 using a heavy launch vehicle, and it would be placed in an orbit around theSun–Earth Lagrange point 2.[5]

Mission[edit]

Comparison of LUVOIR and other NASA proposed space telescopes (Lynx,HabExandOrigins)

LUVOIR's main goals are to investigateexoplanets,cosmic origins,and theSolar System.[4]LUVOIR would be able to analyze the structure and composition of exoplanet atmospheres and surfaces. It could also detectbiosignaturesarising from life in the atmosphere of a distant exoplanet.[10]Atmospheric biosignatures of interest includeCO
2,CO,molecular oxygen(O
2),ozone(O
3),water(H
2O), andmethane(CH
4). LUVOIR's multi-wavelength capability would also provide key information to help understand how a host star's UV radiation regulates the atmosphericphotochemistryonhabitable planets.LUVOIR will also observe large numbers of exoplanets spanning a wide range of characteristics (mass, host star type, age, etc.), with the goal of placing theSolar Systemin a broader context of planetary systems. Over its five-year primary mission, LUVOIR-A is expected to identify and study 54potentially habitable exoplanets,while LUVOIR-B is expected to identify 28.[1]

The scope of astrophysics investigations include explorations ofcosmic structurein the far reaches of space and time, formation and evolution ofgalaxies,and the birth ofstarsandplanetary systems.

In the area ofSolar Systemstudies, LUVOIR can provide up to about 25 km imaging resolution in visible light at Jupiter, permitting detailed monitoring of atmospheric dynamics inJupiter,Saturn,Uranus,andNeptuneover long timescales. Sensitive, high resolution imaging and spectroscopy of Solar Systemcomets,asteroids,moons,andKuiper Belt objectsthat will not be visited by spacecraft in the foreseeable future can provide vital information on the processes that formed the Solar System ages ago. Furthermore, LUVOIR has an important role to play by studying plumes from the ocean moons of the outer Solar System, in particularEuropaandEnceladus,over long timescales.

Design[edit]

A comparison between the primary mirrors of the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, LUVOIR-B and LUVOIR-A
A direct, to-scale, comparison between the primary mirrors of theHubble Space Telescope,James Webb Space Telescope,LUVOIR-B and LUVOIR-A.

LUVOIR would be equipped with an internalcoronagraphinstrument, calledECLIPSfor Extreme Coronagraph for LIving Planetary Systems, to enabledirect observationsof Earth-like exoplanets. An externalstarshadeis also an option for the smaller LUVOIR design (LUVOIR-B).

Other candidate science instruments studied are: High-Definition Imager (HDI), a wide-field near-UV, optical, and near-infraredcamera;LUMOS,a LUVOIR Ultraviolet Multi-ObjectSpectrograph;and POLLUX, an ultravioletspectropolarimeter.POLLUX (high-resolution UVspectropolarimeter) is being studied by a European consortium, with leadership and support from theCNES,France.

The observatory can observe wavelengths of light from thefar-ultravioletto thenear-infrared.To enable the extreme wavefront stability needed for coronagraphic observations of Earth-like exoplanets,[11]the LUVOIR design incorporates three principles. First, vibrations and mechanical disturbances throughout the observatory are minimized. Second, the telescope and coronagraph both incorporate several layers of wavefront control through active optics. Third, the telescope is actively heated to a precise 270 K (−3 °C; 26 °F) to control thermal disturbances. The LUVOIR technology development plan is supported with funding from NASA'sAstrophysics Strategic Mission Concept Studiesprogram, theGoddard Space Flight Center,theMarshall Space Flight Center,theJet Propulsion Laboratoryand related programs atNorthrop Grumman Aerospace SystemsandBall Aerospace.

LUVOIR-A[edit]

LUVOIR-A, previously known as theHigh Definition Space Telescope(HDST), was proposed by theAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy(AURA) on 6 July 2015.[12]It would be composed of 36mirror segmentswith anapertureof 15.1 metres (50 ft) in diameter, offering images up to 24 times sharper than theHubble Space Telescope.[13]LUVOIR-A would be large enough to find and study the dozens ofEarthlike planetsinour nearby neighborhood.It could resolve objects such as the nucleus of a smallgalaxyor agas cloudon the way to collapsing into astarandplanets.[12]

The case for HDST was made in a report entitled "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths", on the future ofastronomycommissioned by AURA, which runs the Hubble and other observatories on behalf ofNASAand theNational Science Foundation.[14]Ideas for the original HDST proposal included an internalcoronagraph,a disk that blocks light from the central star, making a dim planet more visible, and astarshadethat would float kilometers out in front of it to perform the same function.[15]LUVOIR-A folds so it only needs an 8-metre wide payload fairing.[5]Initial cost estimates are approximately US$10 billion,[15]with lifetime cost estimates of $18 billion to $24 billion.[1]

LUVOIR-B[edit]

LUVOIR-B, previously known as theAdvanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope(ATLAST),[16][17][18][19]is an 8 meter architecture initially developed by theSpace Telescope Science Institute,[20]the science operations center for theHubble Space Telescope(HST) and theJames Webb Space Telescope(JWST). While smaller than LUVOIR-A, it is being designed to produce an angular resolution that is 5–10 times better than the JWST, and a sensitivity limit that is up to 2,000 times better than HST.[16][17][20]The LUVOIR Study Team expects that the telescope would be able to be serviced – similar to HST – either by an uncrewed spacecraft or by astronauts viaOrionorStarship.Instruments such as cameras could potentially be replaced and returned to Earth for analysis of their components and future upgrades.[19]

The originalbackronymused for the initial mission concept, "ATLAST", was a pun referring to the time taken to decide on a successor for HST. ATLAST itself had three different proposed architectures – an 8 metres (26 ft) monolithic mirror telescope, a 16.8 metres (55 ft) segmented mirror telescope, and a 9.2 metres (30 ft) segmented mirror telescope. The current LUVOIR-B architecture adopts JWST design heritage, essentially being an incrementally larger variant of the JWST, which has a 6.5 m segmented main mirror. Running onsolar power,it would use an internalcoronagraphor an externalocculterwhich can characterize the atmosphere and surface of an Earth-sized exoplanet in thehabitable zoneof long-lived stars at distances up to 140 light-years (43 pc), including its rotation rate, climate, and habitability. The telescope would also allow researchers to glean information on the nature of the dominant surface features, changes in cloud cover and climate, and, potentially, seasonal variations in surface vegetation.[21]LUVOIR-B was designed to launch on a heavy-lift rocket with an industry-standard 5 metres (16 ft) diameter launch fairing. Lifetime cost estimates range from $12 billion to $18 billion.[1]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdKaufman, Marc (23 March 2021)."The Space Telescope That Could Find a Second Earth".Air & Space Magazine.Retrieved24 May2021.
  2. ^Foust, Jeff (21 January 2019)."Selecting the next great space observatory".The Space Review.Retrieved20 September2020.
  3. ^"Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 (Astro2020)".National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.23 March 2021.Retrieved24 May2021.
  4. ^abMyers, J. D."Official NASA website for LUVOIR".NASA.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  5. ^abc"LUVOIR Mission Concept Study Final Report".luvoirtelescope.org.NASA.26 August 2019.Retrieved24 May2021.
  6. ^Foust, Jeff (4 November 2021)."Astrophysics decadal survey recommends a program of flagship space telescopes".SpaceNews.Retrieved12 April2022.
  7. ^Overbye, Dennis(4 November 2021)."A New 10-Year Plan for the Cosmos – On astronomers' wish list for the next decade: two giant telescopes and a space telescope to search for life and habitable worlds beyond Earth".The New York Times.Retrieved12 April2022.
  8. ^Staff (4 November 2021)."New Report Charts Path for Next Decade of Astronomy and Astrophysics; Recommends Future Ground and Space – Telescopes, Scientific Priorities, Investments in Scientific Community".National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.Retrieved12 April2022.
  9. ^Scoles, Sarah (30 March 2016)."NASA Considers Its Next Flagship Space Telescope".Scientific American.Retrieved15 August2017.
  10. ^Trager, Rebecca (7 March 2018)."Searching for the chemistry of life on exoplanets".Chemistry World.Retrieved24 May2021.
  11. ^"NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program Technology Overview".Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  12. ^ab"AURA Releases Study of Future Space Telescope".AURA.6 July 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2017.Retrieved24 July2015.
  13. ^Dickinson, David (21 July 2015)."High Definition Space Telescope – Hubble's Successor?".Sky & Telescope.Retrieved24 July2015.
  14. ^"AURA Report".From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths.Retrieved24 July2015.
  15. ^abOverbye, Dennis (13 July 2015)."The Telescope of the 2030s".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved24 July2015.
  16. ^ab"NASA Team Lays Plans to Observe New Worlds".NASA.23 July 2014.Retrieved5 December2017.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  17. ^abPostman, Marc; et al. (6 April 2009). "Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST): A Technology Roadmap for the Next Decade".RFI Submitted to Astro2010 Decadal Committee.arXiv:0904.0941.Bibcode:2009arXiv0904.0941P.
  18. ^Reddy, Francis (August 2008). "Where will astronomy be in 35 years?".Astronomy.
  19. ^ab"LUVOIR – Design".NASA.Retrieved1 April2020.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  20. ^ab"ATLAST – Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope".Space Telescope Science Institute.Retrieved4 March2023.
  21. ^Postman, M.; Traub, W. A.; Krist, J.; et al. (19 November 2009).Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST): Characterizing Habitable Worlds.Pathways Towards Habitable Planets Symposium. 14–18 September 2009. Barcelona, Spain.arXiv:0911.3841.Bibcode:2010ASPC..430..361P.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLUVOIRandHigh Definition Space Telescope.
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