S T A R & P L A N E T TERRESTRIAL PLANET FINDER NEWSLETTER Number 11, March 4, 2007 CONTENTS 1. Editorial 2. ExoPlanet Task Force (ExoPTF) - call for White Papers 3. TPF Reports and Plans 4. Navigator Program Forum 2007 - May 17-18 5. Michelson Summer Workshop - July 23-27 1. Editorial Thanks to all the readers who have been waiting patiently for another update on the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). It has been another eventful year! There have been big uncertainties in the budget, and only recently have these been resolved for the current year (FY07). In the last few months, the NASA-selected science working groups for the mid-IR interferometer and the optical coronagraph architectures have produced final reports, which are available on the PlanetQuest website. And the Project has continued to make excellent progress in the technology testbeds for both implementations of TPF. Establishing the technical feasibility of the critical components of the instruments is, of course, essential both to understanding the scientific capability for detecting and characterizing extrasolar planets, but also for understanding the cost and complexity of the instrument which is expected to deliver those data. We will provide more details on each of these topics in future Newsletters. In the meantime, this Newsletter contains links to a number of reports that have been produced recently. These provide a good overview of the science objectives and technical progress on TPF, and for the Navigator Program (the integrated set of NASA's missions for finding and characterizing extrasolar planets). We also highlight some upcoming conference and workshops that will be of interest to scientists working in this field. 2. ExoPlanet Task Force (ExoPTF) - call for White Papers Scientists working in the field of extrasolar planets will likely have heard about a new advisory committee that is very relevant to TPF. The following is from the Committee website: http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/exoptf.jsp In December 2006 the NSF-NASA-DOE Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) established an ExoPlanet Task Force (ExoPTF) as a subcommittee to advise NSF and NASA on the future of the ground-based and space-based search for and study of exo-planets, planetary systems, Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars. The ExoPTF is asked to recommend a 15-year strategy to detect and characterize exo-planets and planetary systems, and their formation and evolution, including specifically the identification of nearby candidate Earth-like planets and study of their habitability. Note that the ExoPTF has announced a call for White Papers, due April 2, 2007. 3. TPF Reports and Plans Readers can find a lot of information on TPF in a series of recent reports, all of which may be found on the TPF website: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/tpf_index.cfm * The Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) Final Report: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/STDT_Report_Final_Ex2FF86A.pdf * The Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) Science Working Group (SWG) Final Report has recently been released: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/TPFIswgReport2007.pdf * The Navigator Program is the organization that encompasses NASA's planet-finding activities and plans. The most recent version of the Navigator Program Science Plane is available at: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/documents/NavigatorScience2006.pdf 4. Navigator Program Forum 2007 - May 17-18 This event is the second in a series focusing on Navigator Program exoplanet space missions. It will be held Thu-Fri, May 17-18, 2007, at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. The focus of this Workshop is on small- and mid-scale exoplanet space missions for direct detection of terrestrial planets. The purpose is to examine all possible methods that could be used to detect and characterize Earth-like exoplanets using space missions that are less costly than a full-scale "flagship" mission. For more detailed information visit the website: http://planetquest/Navigator/navigator_forum2.cfm The website contains more detail on the objectives of the Workshop, and some background information. We will add more information shortly, including registration, travel, lodging, and a draft agenda. For planning purposes, please indicate your interest in attending the Workshop by sending a brief email to Danittza Lopez-Blanco (Danittza.R.Lopez-Blanco@jpl.nasa.gov), with "Navigator Forum #2" in the subject line. For more information, please contact any of the meeting organizers: Wesley Traub (Wesley.A.Traub@jpl.nasa.gov) Stephen Unwin (Stephen.Unwin@jpl.nasa.gov) Jack Lissauer (jlissauer@mail.arc.nasa.gov) Mark Marley (Mark.S.Marley@nasa.gov) Jonathan Fortney (jfortney@arc.nasa.gov) 5. Michelson Summer Workshop - July 23-27 From Dawn Gelino, Workshop Chair, Summer Workshop, MSC: The annual Michelson Summer Workshop is approaching, and I would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of it. The 2007 Michelson Summer Workshop: "Planetary Transits: Detection to Characterization," will take place at the NASA Ames Conference Center, Moffett Field, CA July 23 - 27. The workshop will consist of a series of tutorial and scientific lectures covering techniques related to transits and extra-solar planet finding. More information, along with a preliminary agenda can be found on the workshop website: http://msc.caltech.edu/workshop/2007/ Financial Assistance: The summer workshop is intended for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, although financial assistance applications from other individuals in the fields of transits and planet finding will be considered. Financial assistance for registration fee, travel, meals, and accommodations may be available for successful applicants in accordance with U.S. government reimbursement regulations. Applications for financial assistance are being accepted until March 2. Please see the workshop website for more information. Register on-line before June 2 to take advantage of the early registration fee! Registration includes: Workshop attendance, Wireless internet access, Coffee breaks, Lunch each day, Workshop dinner, Tour to Lick Observatory, Bus transportation between workshop hotels and workshop site. Scientific Organizing Committee: Suzanne Aigrain (University of Exeter), William Borucki (NASA Ames), David Charbonneau (Harvard CfA), Dawn Gelino (MSC; Chair), Matthew Holman (Harvard CfA), Sara Seager (MIT), Mark Swain (JPL), Kaspar von Braun (MSC). I hope to see you at MSW '07! Thanks, Dawn Gelino -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Unwin, Editor stephen.unwin@jpl.nasa.gov You are subscribed to the list 'TPF-announce'. To unsubscribe from this list, please go to the 'TPF Newsletter' link on the TPF home page, where you can also find back issues of the Newsletter: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/Navigator/library/tpf_newsletter.cfm