Description
The course should provide a general overview so that the scientist can access available space astronomy assets, know what is and will be available for scientific utilization, how the writing of proposal mechanism works w.r.t. space missions, and know about the interaction with ground based instrumentation.
The course should also provide insight in how to participate in the discussion, preparation and then implementation of a space project, give that you are part of the astronomical community (active participation in projects, preparation for proposing new space missions, etc.).
Finally, the course also describes the development of a space mission. It provides insight on how to focus your career into the field of space astronomy (including the ‘agency side’) from a scientific viewpoint.
The course uses the field of exoplanetology as the scientific ‘model’ that the description of past, present and future missions is based on. Particularly the topic of asteroseismology, which describes the physics of stellar interiors, and thus provides the stellar phyisical parameters (e.g. mass, radius, age, etc.) with unprecedented precision is taught in detail. This is because it will only come of age when a dedicated space mission is flown and it will have tremendous impact on essentially all aspects of astrophysics but especially exoplanetology. Therefore this topic is taught in detail. Thereafter the relevant missions (e.g. CoRoT, Kepler, PLATO, Darwin, Terrestrial planet Finder, TPF) are described in detail.
The course consists of the following elements, not necessary in this order:
Introduction
Why observe from space? The planet Earth environment (atmosphere including chemical composition, physical conditions, ionosphere, particle environment). Balloon astronomy, sounding rockets and launchers to deep space. Definition of a space project (scientific idea, scientific objectives, scientific requirements, general technical solution).
Orbital mechanics for space projects. What orbit do you need vs what orbit can you achieve?
Astronomical objectives of IR and Submm space missions Specific IR and Submm satellite missions (e.g. IRAS, ISO, Spitzer, Herschel & Planck, JWST): Satellite design, instrument design and realised instrumentation, science topics, trends, future (interferometry).
Exoplanets from space. The scientific issues. Understanding the relation between star and planet – stellar physics vs planetary physics. Detection techniques from space. Asteroseismology. Habitable exoplanets. The future.
The building of a Space Astronomy Mission using exoplanetary missions as examples: The role and tasks of the scientist in assessment, technical implementation and scientific implementation.
These two topics take up ca 40% of the course.
A special seminar with discussion on the different ways of reaching space with your equipment/problem. The space agencies (ESA & NASA) are providing space access at the moment, but this will not always be so. The future is important in this course because a) The timeline for space projects is usually 10-20 years, and b) because it is going to be YOU who form the future and it will be what you make of it.
Available space resources and using them for your science. Preparing observing proposals. Handling data. Organisation of consortia.
Programme form
Lectures and exercises
Literature
Schedule
Examination
Written exam on 21 May 2013 and problems during course
Prerequisites
More information
Lecturer: Prof.dr. M. (Malcolm) Fridlund