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Design Enhancements of the Fourier Kelvin Stellar Interferometer to Enable Detection of Earth TwinsDuring the last few years, considerable effort has been directed towards very large-scale (> $5 billion) missions to detect and characterize Mars-radius to Earth-radius planets around nearby stars; such as the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer and Darwin missions. However, technological issues such as formation flying and control of systematic noise sources will likely prevent these missions from entering Phase A until at least the end of the next decade. Presently more than 350 planets have been discovered by a variety of techniques, and little is known about the majority of them other than their approximate mass. However, a simplified nulling interferometer operating in the near- to mid-infrared (e.g. approx. 5-15 microns), like the enhanced version of the Fourier Kelvin Stellar Interferometer (FKSI), can characterize the atmospheres of a large sample of the known planets - including Earth twins. Many other scientific problems can be addressed with a system like FKSI, including the studies of debris disks, active galactic nuclei, and low mass companions around nearby stars. We report results of a recent engineering study on an enhanced version of FKSI that includes 1-meter primary mirrors, 20-meter boom length, and an advanced sun shield that will provide a 45-degree FOR and 40K operating temperature for all optics including siderostats.
Document ID
20090026989
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Barry, Richard K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Danchi, William C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Lopez, Bruno
(Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur Nice, France)
Rinehart, Stephan
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Augereau, Jean-Charles
(Observatoire de Grenoble Grenoble, France)
Beust, Herve
(Observatoire de Geneve France)
Bonfils, Xavier
(Observatoire de Geneve France)
Borde, Pascal
(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Orsay, France)
Kern, Pierre
(Observatoire de Grenoble Grenoble, France)
Leger, Alain
(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Orsay, France)
Monin, Jean-Louis
(Observatoire de Geneve France)
Mourard, Denis
(Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur Nice, France)
Ollivier, Marc
(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Orsay, France)
Petrov, Roman
(Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur Nice, France)
Vakhili, Farrokh
(Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur Nice, France)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2009
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Meeting Information
Meeting: Pathways to Habitable Planets
Location: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Start Date: September 14, 2009
End Date: September 18, 2009
Sponsors: Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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