Origins Space Telescope: Baseline mission concept
Journal article, 2021
The Origins Space Telescope will trace the history of our origins from the time dust and heavy elements permanently altered the cosmic landscape to present-day life. How did galaxies evolve from the earliest galactic systems to those found in the Universe today? How do habitable planets form? How common are life-bearing worlds? To answer these alluring questions, Origins will operate at mid-and far-infrared (IR) wavelengths and offer powerful spectroscopic instruments and sensitivity three orders of magnitude better than that of the Herschel Space Observatory, the largest telescope flown in space to date. We describe the baseline concept for Origins recommended to the 2020 US Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The baseline design includes a 5.9-m diameter telescope cryocooled to 4.5 K and equipped with three scientific instruments. A mid-infrared instrument (Mid-Infrared Spectrometer and Camera Transit spectrometer) will measure the spectra of transiting exoplanets in the 2.8 to 20 μm wavelength range and offer unprecedented spectrophotometric precision, enabling definitive exoplanet biosignature detections. The far-IR imager polarimeter will be able to survey thousands of square degrees with broadband imaging at 50 and 250 μm. The Origins Survey Spectrometer will cover wavelengths from 25 to 588 μm, making wide-area and deep spectroscopic surveys with spectral resolving power R ∼ 300, and pointed observations at R ∼ 40,000 and 300,000 with selectable instrument modes. Origins was designed to minimize complexity. The architecture is similar to that of the Spitzer Space Telescope and requires very few deployments after launch, while the cryothermal system design leverages James Webb Space Telescope technology and experience. A combination of current-state-of-the-art cryocoolers and next-generation detector technology will enable Origins' natural background-limited sensitivity.
planet formation
biosignatures
infrared
cryogenic
spectroscopy
space telescope
galaxy evolution
Author
David Leisawitz
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
E. Amatucci
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
L. Allen
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES
J. Arenberg
Northrop Grumman corporation
Lee Armus
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
C. Battersby
University of Connecticut
James Bauer
University of Maryland
Bobby G. Beaman
Science Systems and Applications, Inc.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
R. Bell
Lockheed Martin Corporation
P. Beltran
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Dominic Benford
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Edward Bergin
University of Michigan
J. Bolognese
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
C. Matt Bradford
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
D. Bradley
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Denis Burgarella
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
Sean Carey
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
R. Carter
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
J.D. Chi
Northrop Grumman corporation
A. Cooray
University of California at Irvine (UCI)
James A. Corsetti
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
T. D'Asto
ATA Aerospace Civil
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Elvire de Beck
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
K. Denis
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
C. Derkacz
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
LLC
L. Dewell
Lockheed Martin Corporation
M. Dipirro
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
C.P. Earle
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
University of Maryland
M. East
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES
Samantha Edgington
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Kimberly Ennico
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
L. Fantano
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
G. Feller
Coherent
D. Folta
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Jonathan J. Fortney
University of California
B.J. Gavares
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Orbital ATK
J. Generie
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
M. Gerin
Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC)
Z. Granger
Lockheed Martin Corporation
T. P. Greene
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Alex Griffiths
University of Nottingham
George Harpole
Northrop Grumman corporation
K. Harvey
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES
F. Helmich
University of Groningen
L. Hilliard
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
J. Howard
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
M. Jacoby
Lockheed Martin Corporation
A. Jamil
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
T. Jamison
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
L. Kaltenegger
Cornell University
Tiffany Kataria
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
J.S. Knight
Ball Aerospace
P. Knollenberg
Northrop Grumman corporation
Charles R. Lawrence
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
P. Lightsey
Ball Aerospace
S. Lipscy
Ball Aerospace
Eric E. Mamajek
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
G. Martins
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
ATA Aerospace Civil
John C. Mather
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Margaret Meixner
Universities Space Research Association
G. J. Melnick
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
S. Milam
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
T. Mooney
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES
Samuel Harvey Moseley
Quantum Circuits, Inc.
D. Narayanan
University of Florida
Susan G. Neff
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Thanh Nguyen
Northrop Grumman corporation
A. Nordt
Lockheed Martin Corporation
J. Olson
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Deborah Padgett
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
M. B. Petach
Northrop Grumman corporation
S. Petro
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
J. Pohner
Northrop Grumman corporation
Klaus Pontoppidan
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Alexandra Pope
University of Massachusetts
Daniel Ramspacker
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
A. Rao
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Thomas Roellig
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Itsuki Sakon
University of Tokyo
Carly Sandin
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Karin Sandstrom
University of California
D. Scott
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Len Seals
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Kartik Sheth
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Lawrence M. Sokolsky
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Johannes Staguhn
Johns Hopkins University
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
J. Steeves
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Kevin B. Stevenson
Johns Hopkins University
E. Stoneking
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
K. Y. L. Su
University of Arizona
K. Tajdaran
Lockheed Martin Corporation
S. Tompkins
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Joaquin Vieira
University of Illinois
C. Webster
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
M.C. Wiedner
Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC)
Edward Wright
University of California
Chi Wu
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Jonas Zmuidzinas
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems
2329-4124 (ISSN) 2329-4221 (eISSN)
Vol. 7 1 011002Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1117/1.JATIS.7.1.011002