EPRAT
ExoPlanetary Roadmap Advisory Team
C V Malcolm Fridlund
ESA, ESTEC
EPRAT Rationale
ESA has appointed an expert team
to advise the Agency on the best
scientific and technological
roadmap to pursue in order to
address the characterization of
terrestrial exo-planets (up to the
possible detection of biomarkers)
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Rationale
• One of the four primary themes within the Cosmic Vision
2015-2025 plan addresses the subjects of conditions for
planet formation and the emergence of life.
• A key long term goal within this context is to understand and
characterize exo-planets, in particular Earth-like planets.
• ESA’s Astronomy Working Group, following the analysis of the
responses to the first Call for Mission for the Cosmic Vision
Plan, has recognized the importance of this objective. It has
therefore recommended to ESA to develop the necessary
preconditions and technologies for achieving this goal.
• In response ESA has established the Exo-Planet Roadmap
Advisory Team.
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EPRAT Team
Artie Hatzes, (Chair), Thuringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Germany
Anthony Boccaletti, Observatoire de Meudon, France
Rudolf Dvorak, Institute for Astronomy, University of Vienna, Austria
Giusi Micela, INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Italy
Alessandro Morbidelli, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, France
Andreas Quirrenbach, ZAH, Landessternwarte, Germany
Heike Rauer, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
Franck Selsis, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), France
Giovanna Tinetti, University College London, UK
Stephane Udry, Université de Genevé, Switzerland
Malcolm Fridlund, (Secretary), ESA
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Tasks (1)
• The Advisory Team will consult with the
broad community.
• Input will be solicited via an open “Call for
White Papers” that has been issued by ESA
25 May 2008.
• The Advisory Team will evaluate the papers
received and will take due account of them
in the preparation of the final report.
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Tasks(2)
• This report is expected to cover the intermediate and
long-term scientific goals for the field of exo-planet
research.
•
Report will include:
– survey of existing and planned facilities, both ground- and
space-based;
– and the scientific goals likely to be achieved with these
facilities.
•
The team will identify:
– future facilities and relevant technologies needed at these
facilities to achieve the goals.
– Intermediate milestones that must be met before the longerterm goals can be considered feasible.
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Initial timeline
• End-May 2008:ESA issues Call for White Papers
• Deadline for submission of White Papers 30 July 2008
(12:00 CEST):
• August 2008 - April 2009:EPR-AT prepares a draft
roadmap
• June 2009:Workshop at which EPR-AT presents draft
roadmap report to community and solicits feedback
• Summer 2009:Final roadmap report is presented to
ESA and to the scientific community.
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1) Will build on emerging European
exoplanet community (Ground &
Space)
2) Will create flexibility to Cosmic
vision and exoplanets
3) Will safeguard international factor.
ESA continuously interacts with
our international partners, e.g. Bilateral with NASA on 16 july
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