Detecting life outside our solar system with a large high-contrast-imaging mission

Journal article

In this White Paper, which was submitted in response to the European Space Agency (ESA) Voyage 2050 Call, we recommend the ESA plays a proactive role in developing a global collaborative effort to construct a large high-contrast imaging space telescope, e.g. as currently under study by NASA. Such a mission will be needed to characterize a sizable sample of temperate Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of nearby Sun-like stars and to search for extraterrestrial biological activity. We provide an overview of relevant European expertise, and advocate ESA to start a technology development program towards detecting life outside the Solar System.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Authors: Snellen, IAG; Snik, F; Kenworthy, M; Albrecht, S; Anglada-Escudé, G

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: Experimental Astronomy
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 2-3
• Pages: 1237-1274
• Publication date: 2021-10-15
• DOI: 10.1007/s10686-021-09803-y
• EISSN: 1572-9508
• ISSN: 0922-6435
• Language: English
• Keywords: Contrast (vision); Remote sensing; Optics; Astronomy; Physics; Geology; Astrobiology