A Roadmap for the Detection and Characterization of Other Earths
Journal article, 2010

The European Space Agency and other space agencies such as NASA recognize that the question with regard to life beyond Earth in general, and the associated issue of the existence and study of exoplanets in particular, is of paramount importance for the 21(st) century. The new Cosmic Vision science plan, Cosmic Vision 2015-2025, which is built around four major themes, has as its first theme: "What are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life?'' This main theme is addressed through further questions: (1) How do gas and dust give rise to stars and planets? (2) How will the search for and study of exoplanets eventually lead to the detection of life outside Earth (biomarkers*)? (3) How did life in the Solar System arise and evolve? Although ESA has busied itself with these issues since the beginning of the Darwin study in 1996, it has become abundantly clear that, as these topics have evolved, only a very large effort, addressed from the ground and from space with the utilization of different instruments and space missions, can provide the empirical results required for a complete understanding. The good news is that the problems can be addressed and solved within a not-too-distant future. In this short essay, we present the present status of a roadmap related to projects that are related to the key long-term goal of understanding and characterizing exoplanets, in particular Earthlike planets.

Life in the Universe

Space missions

Exoplanets

Biomarkers

Author

M. Fridlund

European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA ESTEC)

C. Eiroa

Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM)

T. Henning

Max Planck Society

T. Herbst

Max Planck Society

L. Kaltenegger

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

A. Leger

University of Paris-Sud

René Liseau

Chalmers, Department of Radio and Space Science, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics

H. Lammer

Institut fur Weltraumforschung

F. Selsis

University of Bordeaux

C. Beichman

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

W. Danchi

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

J. Lunine

University of Arizona

F. Paresce

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

A. Penny

STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

A. Quirrenbach

Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory

H. Rottgering

Leiden University

J. Schneider

Observatoire de Paris-Meudon

D. Stam

Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON)

G. Tinetti

University College London (UCL)

G. J. White

Open University

STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Astrobiology

1531-1074 (ISSN)

Vol. 10 1 113-119

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Roots

Basic sciences

DOI

10.1089/ast.2009.0391

More information

Latest update

5/20/2021