NASA’s Pandora Poised to Unlock the Mysteries of Alien Atmospheres

Set to launch later this year, NASA’s Pandora mission promises groundbreaking advancements in our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres. By focusing on at least 20 distant planets, Pandora will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and provide unparalleled insights into hazes, clouds, and water on alien worlds.

Pandora: A Major Milestone in Exoplanetary Science

Pandora’s spacecraft bus, the essential component housing its instruments and systems, has been completed. This achievement keeps the mission on track for a fall launch. Led by the University of Arizona’s Space Institute, Pandora marks the first mission to be operated from this institution.

“This milestone is critical for ensuring a successful launch,” said Elisa Quintana, Pandora’s principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “The bus handles navigation, data acquisition, and communication—it’s the mission’s brain.”

Revolutionizing Atmospheric Observations

Equipped with a compact but advanced telescope, Pandora will study the atmospheres of at least 20 known exoplanets. Its mission is to determine their composition, focusing on key elements such as clouds, hazes, and water.

“Pandora can observe stars hosting exoplanets for longer durations than Webb, allowing us to disentangle signals from stars and planets more effectively,” explained Daniel Apai, a professor at the University of Arizona and co-investigator on the mission.

Decoding Mixed Signals: A New Challenge

Observing an exoplanet’s atmosphere during a transit—when the planet passes in front of its star—is complex. Light from the star interacts with the atmosphere, creating chemical fingerprints detectable from Earth. However, stellar variability, such as bright faculae or dark spots, often complicates this analysis.

“In 2018, we predicted that stellar signals could interfere with Webb’s ability to study habitable planets,” said Apai. “Pandora’s design addresses this challenge by separating stellar light variations from planetary signals.”

Advanced Telescope Technology for Precision Observations

Pandora’s 45-centimeter-wide aluminum telescope, developed in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Corning Specialty Materials, captures visible and near-infrared light simultaneously. This dual-spectrum approach enables the science team to isolate planetary signals from stellar interference with unprecedented accuracy.

A Yearlong Mission of Continuous Observation

Over its yearlong mission, Pandora will conduct 24-hour-long observations of at least 20 exoplanets, capturing transit data and spectra. This extended observation capability provides a unique advantage over high-demand observatories like JWST.

“The team is prepared and excited to operate the spacecraft and receive data,” said Karl Harshman, head of the Mission Operations Team at the University of Arizona.

Collaboration Across Institutions

Pandora’s mission is led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with engineering support from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other institutions. Its telescope and components were developed by Corning, while Blue Canyon Technologies contributed the spacecraft bus and testing. Data processing will take place at NASA’s Ames Research Center, with mission operations coordinated by the University of Arizona.

Pandora represents a critical step forward in the quest to understand exoplanets and their potential for habitability, paving the way for future discoveries.

Read Original Article: Scitechdaily

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