Blue Dots http://www.blue-dots.net/ en SPIP - www.spip.net Blue Dots http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L144xH23/siteon0-02532.png http://www.blue-dots.net/ 23 144 Download the Exoplanet White Paper http://www.blue-dots.net/Download-the-Exoplanet-White-Paper.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Download-the-Exoplanet-White-Paper.html 2013-05-24T10:40:00Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto Here is the submitted version of the exoplanet white paper. It is backed by more than 640 scientists of all related disciplines and representing a broad geographical coverage. More background material is found in this section. You can still support this paper if you have not yet registered, by signing in here. The list of supporting scientists is maintained and updated online. You can see here an alphabetical list of currently registered supporters, and there a spreadsheet version (...) - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html" rel="directory">ESA L2/L3 white paper</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>Here is the submitted version of the exoplanet white paper. It is backed by more than 640 scientists of all related disciplines and representing a broad geographical coverage.</p> <p>More background material is found in <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html">this section</a>.</p> <p>You can still support this paper if you have not yet registered, by signing in <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/Support-the-Exoplanet-white-paper.html">here</a>. The list of supporting scientists is maintained and updated online. You can see <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/List-of-supporters-for-the.html">here</a> an alphabetical list of currently registered supporters, and <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0An9pk5dDn278dC1WNkJqcTYyeHRKOXRuUkdPcVplVkE&rm=full#gid=0" class='spip_out' rel='external'>there</a> a spreadsheet version containing more detailed information (institutions, individual comments etc.).</p> <p>According to ESA's <a href="http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=51454" class='spip_out' rel='external'>call for proposals for the L2/L3 mission science themes</a>, the next public event related to the selection process will be an open workshop next September 2-3 (TBC). The selection of the science themes for L2 and L3 by the SPC will be done on November 13-14.</p> <p>Remarks, comments and suggestions can be sent to exoplanet.whitepaper [at] obspm.fr .</p></div> List of supporters for the Exoplanet White Paper http://www.blue-dots.net/List-of-supporters-for-the.html http://www.blue-dots.net/List-of-supporters-for-the.html 2013-05-24T07:29:39Z text/html en Fabien Malbet - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html" rel="directory">ESA L2/L3 white paper</a> <div class='rss_texte'><center> <iframe width='550' height='1000' frameborder='0' src='https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0An9pk5dDn278dC1WNkJqcTYyeHRKOXRuUkdPcVplVkE&single=true&gid=6&output=html&widget=true'></iframe> </center></div> Support the Exoplanet white paper http://www.blue-dots.net/Support-the-Exoplanet-white-paper.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Support-the-Exoplanet-white-paper.html 2013-04-25T10:30:00Z text/html en Fabien Malbet Loading... - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html" rel="directory">ESA L2/L3 white paper</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WpfDIAHYYYO6cRq93Er17PWhXPnTRo1Vdvj9SX8LmCM/viewform?embedded=true" width=450" height="1500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe></p></div> Exoplanet white paper forum http://www.blue-dots.net/Exoplanet-white-paper-forum.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Exoplanet-white-paper-forum.html 2013-04-03T22:58:37Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto This article contains material pertaining to the April 4th forum to prepare an exoplanet white paper in response to ESA's call for science themes for its L2 and L3 missions. The conclusions of the forum are summarized in the attached "Conclusions" document. The participation to the forum is updated on this online poll The video capture (part 1) is available offline: The presentations which have been displayed: The video capture (part 2) is availalble offline: (...) - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html" rel="directory">ESA L2/L3 white paper</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>This article contains material pertaining to the April 4th forum to prepare an exoplanet white paper in response to <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/L2-L3-science-ESA-call-for-white.html">ESA's call for science themes for its L2 and L3 missions</a>. The conclusions of the forum are summarized in the attached "Conclusions" document.</p> <center> <table class="spip"> <tr class='row_even'> <td><dl class='spip_document_192 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/Conclusions_forum.pdf' title='PDF - 32.6 kb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 32.6 kb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>Conclusions</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Outline, agenda and assignments for the WP production</p></dd> </dl> </td></tr> </table> </center> <p>The participation to the forum is updated on this <a href="http://www.doodle.com/rvfspe58md65sh6h#table" class='spip_out' rel='external'>online poll</a></p> <p>The video capture (part 1) is available offline:</p> <center><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Lqyf20HRn2Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center> <p>The presentations which have been displayed:</p> <center> <table class="spip"> <tr class='row_even'> <td><dl class='spip_document_182 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/L2L3_Call_for_white_papers.pdf' title='PDF - 146.3 kb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 146.3 kb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>ESA call for white papers</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Official call</p></dd> </dl> </td> <td><dl class='spip_document_183 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/ESA-WP-L2_L3-Schneider.pdf' title='PDF - 57.6 kb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 57.6 kb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>J. Schneider's presentation</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Imperatives for an exoplanet White Paper</p></dd> </dl> </td> <td><dl class='spip_document_184 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/Eta-earth_Blue_Dot_Ap_2013_PDF.pdf' title='PDF - 1 Mb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 1 Mb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>A. Léger's presentation</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Implication of a low value of eta Earth</p></dd> </dl> </td></tr> <tr class='row_odd'> <td><dl class='spip_document_185 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/Exozodi_Augereau.pdf' title='PDF - 1.7 Mb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 1.7 Mb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>JC Augereau's presentation</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Debris disks</p></dd> </dl> </td> <td><dl class='spip_document_186 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/atelierWPL2L3_imaging.pdf' title='PDF - 3.6 Mb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 3.6 Mb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>A. Boccaletti's presentation</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Direct imaging spectroscopy</p></dd> </dl> </td> <td><dl class='spip_document_187 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/pdf/2013-04-paris-esa-L-call.pdf' title='PDF - 7.3 Mb' type="application/pdf"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L52xH52/pdf-eb697.png' width='52' height='52' alt='PDF - 7.3 Mb' style='height:52px;width:52px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:120px;'><strong>F. Mlabet's presentation</strong></dt> <dd class='spip_doc_descriptif' style='width:120px;'><p>Astrometry</p></dd> </dl> </td></tr> </table> </center> <p>The video capture (part 2) is availalble offline:</p> <center> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/22-MKRabz_o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </center> <p>Unfortunately a power outage prevented to have the final half hour of discussion. Here are the final captures of the whiteboard:</p> <center> <table class="spip"> <tr class='row_even'> <td><dl class='spip_document_188 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/jpg/EWP-blackboard-copies1.jpg' title='JPEG - 1.3 Mb' type="image/jpeg"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L150xH76/EWP-blackboard-copies1-d5c0c-852c3.jpg' width='150' height='76' alt='JPEG - 1.3 Mb' style='height:76px;width:150px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:150px;'><strong>Capture of Whiteboard #1</strong></dt> </dl> </td> <td><dl class='spip_document_189 spip_documents spip_documents_center'> <dt><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/IMG/jpg/EWP-blackboard-copies2.jpg' title='JPEG - 975.4 kb' type="image/jpeg"><img src='http://www.blue-dots.net/sites/blue-dots/local/cache-vignettes/L150xH72/EWP-blackboard-copies2-d078d-ba744.jpg' width='150' height='72' alt='JPEG - 975.4 kb' style='height:72px;width:150px;' /></a></dt> <dt class='spip_doc_titre' style='width:150px;'><strong>Capture of Whiteboard #2</strong></dt> </dl> </td></tr> </table> </center> <p>If you want to provide feedback, a multi-user chat will be open on Skype. Ask to be connected to the user "astrobluedots". You can send your comments in writing through the chat (they will be displayed in the meeting room or read to the audience by a moderator), or, if you want to make a more substantial statement, ask to be called via Skype. You can also send pdf slides or other documents via the Skype chat, which will be uploaded on this page for others to enjoy.</p> <p>Alternatively, you can send comments and/or material by email at exoplanet.whitepaper@obspm.fr .</p> <p>The agenda for the April 4th meeting is :</p> <p> - 11AM-1PM : introduction and individual presentations. The nominal time allocation for a presentation is 10mn, + 5mn for a mini-discussion while changing speaker. If more there are more than 8 speakers, the duration of each presentation will have to be reduced accordingly;</p> <p> - 1PM-2PM : lunch</p> <p> - 2PM-4PM : open discussion on the outline for the WP, main sections</p> <p> - 4PM-5PM : open discussion : who does what, agenda</p> <p> - 5PM : adjourn</p></div> L2/L3 science : ESA call for white papers http://www.blue-dots.net/L2-L3-science-ESA-call-for-white.html http://www.blue-dots.net/L2-L3-science-ESA-call-for-white.html 2013-03-20T17:35:00Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto ESA has recently issued a call for white papers on the science themes of the L2 and L3 missions of its Cosmic Vision programme. These are flagship missions tentatively scheduled for launch in 2028 and 2034, respectively. The details of the call are found here. Note that the call focuses on science, and questions to be adressed by the future large missions, rather than specific mission concepts, which will be chosen later with the call for L2 and L3 missions respectively. Typically, the (...) - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html" rel="directory">ESA L2/L3 white paper</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>ESA has recently issued a call for white papers on the science themes of the L2 and L3 missions of its Cosmic Vision programme. These are flagship missions tentatively scheduled for launch in 2028 and 2034, respectively. The details of the call <a href="http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=51454" class='spip_out' rel='external'>are found here</a>.</p> <p>Note that the call focuses on science, and questions to be adressed by the future large missions, rather than specific mission concepts, which will be chosen later with the call for L2 and L3 missions respectively. Typically, the white papers should have 12 pages advocating a science theme, and only 4 pages on potential strawman concepts to carry out that science.</p> <p>To maximize the impact at ESA, it is important that the exoplanet community responds to the call with a paper which is as consolidated as possible. Because the deadline for responses is next May 24th, we must act quickly. The date of April 4th has already been set aside for an open forum whose goal is to agree on the outline of a white paper with an identified editor for each section. We will iterate online before that meeting. The plan is to have the first draft circulating by the end of April, which would leave two good weeks for tune up and the opportunity for people to declare themselves (or not) as supporting scientists.</p></div> ESA L2/L3 white paper http://www.blue-dots.net/ESA-L2-L3-white-paper,113.html http://www.blue-dots.net/ESA-L2-L3-white-paper,113.html 2013-03-20T11:59:00Z text/html en Fabien Malbet ESA has recently issued a call for white papers on the science themes of the L2 and L3 missions of its Cosmic Vision programme. All information related to this call is in the section Agency calls>ESA L2/L3 white paper. - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-News-.html" rel="directory">News</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>ESA has recently issued a call for white papers on the science themes of the L2 and L3 missions of its Cosmic Vision programme. All information related to this call is in the section <a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-White-paper-.html' class='spip_in'>Agency calls</a>><a href='http://www.blue-dots.net/-ESA-L2-L3-white-paper-.html' class='spip_in'>ESA L2/L3 white paper</a>.</p></div> Download Blue Dots report http://www.blue-dots.net/Download-Blue-Dots-report.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Download-Blue-Dots-report.html 2010-06-30T08:09:00Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto The latest version (currently 2.02) of the Blue Dots report is available here for download. This version has been approved by the Working Group coordinators. - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-News-.html" rel="directory">News</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>The latest version (currently 2.02) of the Blue Dots report is available here for download. This version has been approved by the Working Group coordinators.</p></div> Summary of the Pathways conference http://www.blue-dots.net/Summary-of-the-Pathways-conference.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Summary-of-the-Pathways-conference.html 2009-12-21T14:15:00Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto At the initiative of Blue Dots and other sponsors, exoplanet scientists from around the world gathered in Barcelona on September 14th-18th, 2009, to debate and reach a consensus on defining guidelines for a new roadmap with the ultimate objective of finding habitable, and potentially inhabited, planets outside of our Solar System. In addition they reached an agreement on an appropriate framework for developing such an initiative. A full program with presentation downloads can be found here. (...) - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-News-.html" rel="directory">News</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>At the initiative of Blue Dots and other sponsors, exoplanet scientists from around the world gathered in Barcelona on September 14th-18th, 2009, to debate and reach a consensus on defining guidelines for a new roadmap with the ultimate objective of finding habitable, and potentially inhabited, planets outside of our Solar System. In addition they reached an agreement on an appropriate framework for developing such an initiative. A full program with presentation downloads can be found <a href="http://www.pathways2009.net/programme.html" class='spip_out' rel='external'>here</a>. A hardcover Proceedings book will be published during the summer 2010.</p> <p>During the conference, researchers presented recent discoveries and debated on the roles of future space missions and ground-based facilities for finding habitable planets around nearby stars. They concluded that only an organized and structured international cooperation could allow the fulfillment of this goal in the following decades. Therefore this “Barcelona Process” marks the commencement of a new era in exoplanet research through:</p> <ol class="spip"><li> The constitution of an <strong>interdisciplinary and international scientific community</strong>, organized and coherent with the objectives it seeks. </li><li> The creation of a <strong>Permanent Committee</strong>, which will coordinate and encourage the implementation of these objectives.</li><li> The organization of a <strong>conference every three years, possibly in Barcelona</strong>, which will allow the supervision and adjustment of the roadmap from results obtained through research as well as development and implementation of new technologies. In turn, these meetings should act as a <strong>laboratory of ideas</strong> capable of orienting the decisions that governments and space agencies could take in the mid and long run. </li></ol> <p>The process includes other recommendations such as the creation, in the near future, of an interdisciplinary center for meetings, the establishment of a fellowship program for young researchers and the advantages of defining an international public outreach program.</p> <p><strong>Roadmap milestones</strong></p> <p>During the Conference, four main steps were defined in order to fulfill the future objective of finding and characterizing habitable planets:</p> <ol class="spip"><li> Carry out a statistical analysis of the frequency of exoplanets in our Galaxy, and especially those planets that are terrestrial in nature. This analysis includes elaborating a star survey; determining the stellar types that harbor planetary systems; exploring their structure, variety, and size distribution; and finding the frequency of terrestrial planets within the habitable zone. For this type of study, current technology is being employed, such as the space missions CoRoT and Kepler (transits) and the ground instrument HARPS (radial velocities). In the future, other space missions that study transits (PLATO, TESS) and gravitational lensing should be carried out to attain a global vision of the exoplanets in our Galaxy. </li><li> Carry out a space mission that could complete a survey of all the habitable exoplanets that fall within a radius of 50 light years from our Sun. These systems are close enough to be studied in detail. The astrometry technique has shown to be the most suitable method for this objective and, in particular, the SIM Lite mission (Space Interferometry Mission Lite), which is under study by NASA. This mission will be able to detect the reflex motion caused by Earth-size exoplanets by measuring the position of their host stars with high accuracy. To fulfill the objectives of this milestone, the role of complementary ground-based facilities such as HARPS and VLTI/PRIMA will be pivotal. </li><li> Carry out one or more missions (possibly through collaboration between space agencies) of transit observations in order to characterize hot terrestrial exoplanets. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST, launch date in 2014), a joint mission between NASA and ESA, may be able to contribute to this objective. However a dedicated mission with an optimized design is needed to cover the wide spectral range needed, including the visible. Ground-based observations obtained with 10-m class telescopes (VLT) and the future giant 40-m class telescopes (E-ELT) could provide important contributions to the characterization of transits some of giant and Neptune-size exoplanets. </li><li> Launch a mission capable of characterizing habitable terrestrial exoplanets in search for biomarkers, as a joint collaboration between space agencies. To determine the technological approach of this flagship mission it is necessary to mature and assess concepts, including precursor missions, related to coronography, interferometry and external occulters. In addition, the experience gained from upcoming missions like SPICA (JAXA/ESA) and JWST (NASA/ESA) will be essential. </li></ol> <p>The Barcelona conference marked a starting point for new great expectations within the exoplanet scientific community. A symbolic step in the right direction was the announcement of the first terrestrial planet with both mass and radius measured, COROT-7 b, made during the conference. For the first time, we have been able to gather a multidisciplinary team of scientists, including biologists, geologists, astronomers, and planetary scientists, as well as representatives of the different space agencies and ground observatories, in order to agree upon a future vision and strategy. We will consolidate a European network of several hundred scientists which will allow us to work together to find and study planets that support life. Maybe, in the coming decades, we will able to address the question we have been seeking to answer for so long: Are we alone in the Universe?</p></div> Sagan Program and 2010 Sagan Fellowships http://www.blue-dots.net/Sagan-Program-and-2010-Sagan.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Sagan-Program-and-2010-Sagan.html 2009-09-05T22:02:22Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto 2010 SAGAN FELLOWSHIPS The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute announces the 2010 Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and solicits applications for fellowships to begin in the fall of 2010. The Sagan Fellowships support outstanding recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research that is broadly related to the science goals of the NASA Exoplanet Exploration area. The primary goal of missions within this program is to discover and characterize planetary systems and Earth-like (...) - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-News-.html" rel="directory">News</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>2010 SAGAN FELLOWSHIPS</p> <p>The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute announces the 2010 Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and solicits applications for fellowships to begin in the fall of 2010.</p> <p>The Sagan Fellowships support outstanding recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research that is broadly related to the science goals of the NASA Exoplanet Exploration area. The primary goal of missions within this program is to discover and characterize planetary systems and Earth-like planets around nearby stars. The proposed research may be theoretical, observational, or instrumental. This program is open to applicants of any nationality who have earned (or will have earned) their doctoral degrees on or after January 1, 2007, in astronomy, physics, or related disciplines. The fellowships are tenable at U.S. host institutions of the fellows' choice, subject to a maximum of one new fellow per host institution per year. The duration of the fellowship is up to three years: an initial one-year appointment and two annual renewals contingent on satisfactory performance and availability of NASA funds.</p> <p>The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions is available at <a href="http://nexsci.caltech.edu/sagan/fellowship.shtml" class='spip_out' rel='external'>this web site</a>:</p> <p>Applicants must follow the instructions given in this Announcement. Applications must be submitted electronically through the above website. Inquiries about the Sagan Fellowships may be directed to saganfellowship§ipac.caltech.edu.</p> <p>The deadline for both applications and letters of reference is Thursday, November 5, 2009. Offers will be made before February 1, 2010, and new appointments are expected to begin on or about September 1, 2010.</p></div> Key science questions http://www.blue-dots.net/Key-science-questions,100.html http://www.blue-dots.net/Key-science-questions,100.html 2009-09-05T21:22:36Z text/html en Vincent Coudé du Foresto Sagan et al. (1993) analyzed a spectrum of the Earth taken by the Galileo probe, searching for signatures of life and concluded that the large amount of O2 and the simultaneous presence of CH4 traces are strongly suggestive of biology. To characterize a planet's atmosphere and its potential habitability, we look for absorption features in the emergent and transmission spectrum of the planet. The spectrum of the planet can contain signatures of atmospheric species, what creates its spectral (...) - <a href="http://www.blue-dots.net/-Habitability-Criteria-.html" rel="directory">Habitability Criteria</a> <div class='rss_texte'><p>Sagan et al. (1993) analyzed a spectrum of the Earth taken by the Galileo probe, searching for signatures of life and concluded that the large amount of O2 and the simultaneous presence of CH4 traces are strongly suggestive of biology. To characterize a planet's atmosphere and its potential habitability, we look for absorption features in the emergent and transmission spectrum of the planet. The spectrum of the planet can contain signatures of atmospheric species, what creates its spectral fingerprint. On Earth, some atmospheric species exhibiting noticeable spectral features in the planet's spectrum result directly or indirectly from biological activity: the main ones are O2, O3, CH4, and N2O. CO2 and H2O are in addition important as greenhouse gases in a planet's atmosphere and potential sources for high O2 concentration from photosynthesis. The presence or absence of these spectral features (detected individually or collectively) will indicate similarities or differences with the atmospheres of terrestrial planets, and its astrobiological</p> <p><strong>The KEY questions:</strong></p> <ul class="spip"><li> Biosignatures <ul class="spip"><li> What could constitute a (remotely detectable) biosignature under what conditions?</li></ul></li><li> Conditions under which other biosignatures can form <ul class="spip"><li> e.g. methane biosignature and the limits of methanogens.?</li></ul></li><li> Minimum physical & chemical requirements to create a habitable environment <ul class="spip"><li> Early environments impact on evolution of life</li><li> Extreme physical & chemical limits for life in general </li><li> Physical and chemical limits of photosynthesis </li><li> Impact of total atmospheric pressure on microbes </li><li> Man-made biosignatures & identification of advanced life</li><li> SuperEarth environments and life</li><li> Influence of stellar activity on an atmosphere </li><li> Is there a min or maximum mass for habitability?</li><li> Is there a minimum mass for plate tectonics on a planet?</li><li> What geochemical cycles could globally dominate a planet?</li></ul></li></ul></div>