Occulting ozone observatory science overview

Abstract

We present an analysis of the Occulting Ozone Observatory (O3) - a $1 billion class mission dedicated to finding extra-solar planets down to Earth size, performing photometric characterizations of planets and disks, detecting the presence of ozone, and general astrophysics. We present trade studies for the observatory, composed of a 1 to 2 m telescope based on heritage imaging systems and a complementary sized, free-flying occulter spacecraft, to maximize the expected science yield for this mission class. Using a camera with four filters each in the 250- 550 nm and 500-1100 nm bands, this modest-size telescope can detect atmospheric ozone in Earth-like planets, methane in gas giants, determine planetary spin rotation periods, characterize the surface composition of rocky planets and determine or constrain the values of basic orbital elements. We present multiple different mission designs along with the expected number of planetary detections and photometric characterizations.

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