NASA has launched a new mission, Pandora, to get the most out of its James Webb Space Telescope. The $20 million mission aims to help scientists understand how they can study exoplanets using Webb.
Pandora is a small satellite that will observe 20 preselected exoplanets and their stars simultaneously, allowing astronomers to correct their measurements of the planet's atmospheric composition and structure based on the ever-changing conditions of the host star. This will capture short-term and longer-term changes in each star's behavior.
The mission is part of NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers program, an initiative that aims to solicit ideas for lower-cost astronomy missions. Pandora was developed by Blue Canyon Technologies, a Colorado company, and uses a small satellite platform that had technology on the shelf from a national security program.
Pandora will help James Webb data be even more precise by providing context and understanding for these host stars and planetary systems. The mission's findings could extend to other worlds in our galactic neighborhood, with over 6,000 exoplanets already confirmed.
The Pandora spacecraft weighed approximately 716 pounds (325 kilograms) at launch and was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Scientists hope they can extend the lessons learned from Pandora's observations of a sample of 20 exoplanets to other worlds in our galactic neighborhood.
"The problem became apparent in the 2010s as astronomers used more powerful telescopes to see the finer details of exoplanets," said Daniel Apai, a member of Pandora's science team. "We always suspected that stars are not perfect. At some point, it becomes a problem. But it was not recognized how serious a problem that is until about 2017 or 2018."
The mission has the potential to break down one of the biggest scientific barriers to unlocking the secrets of exoplanets. With Pandora's small telescope, scientists can assess the quality of their data and make sure they are detecting real signals from exoplanets.
"It's been very, very challenging to try and squeeze this big amount of science into this small cost box, but that's kind of what makes it fun, right?" said Tom Barclay, deputy project scientist and technical lead on the Pandora mission. "We have to be pretty ruthless in making sure that we only fund the things we need to fund. We accept risk where we need to accept the risk, and at times we need to accept that we may need to give up performance in order to make sure that we hit the schedule and we hit the launch schedule."
The Pandora mission is an example of how advances in small satellite technology are enabling lower-cost astronomy missions. Companies like Rocket Lab and SpaceX are pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with smaller spacecraft, and NASA is taking advantage of these advancements to get more science done.
"For astrophysicists, this capability is amazing because science is moving fast," said Apai. "Exoplanet science is changing. I would say every three or four years, we have breakthroughs. And the product keeps changing. We push the boundaries, and if you ever have to work with 20- or 25-year-long mission lifetimes, that really just limits progress."
Pandora is a small satellite that will observe 20 preselected exoplanets and their stars simultaneously, allowing astronomers to correct their measurements of the planet's atmospheric composition and structure based on the ever-changing conditions of the host star. This will capture short-term and longer-term changes in each star's behavior.
The mission is part of NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers program, an initiative that aims to solicit ideas for lower-cost astronomy missions. Pandora was developed by Blue Canyon Technologies, a Colorado company, and uses a small satellite platform that had technology on the shelf from a national security program.
Pandora will help James Webb data be even more precise by providing context and understanding for these host stars and planetary systems. The mission's findings could extend to other worlds in our galactic neighborhood, with over 6,000 exoplanets already confirmed.
The Pandora spacecraft weighed approximately 716 pounds (325 kilograms) at launch and was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Scientists hope they can extend the lessons learned from Pandora's observations of a sample of 20 exoplanets to other worlds in our galactic neighborhood.
"The problem became apparent in the 2010s as astronomers used more powerful telescopes to see the finer details of exoplanets," said Daniel Apai, a member of Pandora's science team. "We always suspected that stars are not perfect. At some point, it becomes a problem. But it was not recognized how serious a problem that is until about 2017 or 2018."
The mission has the potential to break down one of the biggest scientific barriers to unlocking the secrets of exoplanets. With Pandora's small telescope, scientists can assess the quality of their data and make sure they are detecting real signals from exoplanets.
"It's been very, very challenging to try and squeeze this big amount of science into this small cost box, but that's kind of what makes it fun, right?" said Tom Barclay, deputy project scientist and technical lead on the Pandora mission. "We have to be pretty ruthless in making sure that we only fund the things we need to fund. We accept risk where we need to accept the risk, and at times we need to accept that we may need to give up performance in order to make sure that we hit the schedule and we hit the launch schedule."
The Pandora mission is an example of how advances in small satellite technology are enabling lower-cost astronomy missions. Companies like Rocket Lab and SpaceX are pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with smaller spacecraft, and NASA is taking advantage of these advancements to get more science done.
"For astrophysicists, this capability is amazing because science is moving fast," said Apai. "Exoplanet science is changing. I would say every three or four years, we have breakthroughs. And the product keeps changing. We push the boundaries, and if you ever have to work with 20- or 25-year-long mission lifetimes, that really just limits progress."
! They're trying to get more out of James Webb Space Telescope by studying exoplanets in a different way. The idea is to use this satellite to observe 20 preselected planets and their stars at the same time, which will help scientists figure out how to study these exoplanets better. It's like getting extra context on how the host star is changing over time 
. And with 6,000 exoplanets already confirmed, it's not like they're just testing out a new idea here 
. They're acknowledging that stars are not perfect and trying to figure out how to deal with that 
. And Tom Barclay's comment about being "ruthless" in choosing what to fund for this project gives me life 
. It's all about making science work within a budget 
OMG, can you believe NASA just dropped this new mission Pandora 
. Like, imagine having 20 stars and planets all on one tiny satellite - it's a game-changer for scientists 
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. And if they can figure out how to make that data even better, who knows what other secrets we'll uncover? It's like, the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know 
. Can't wait to see what they discover 
OMG, can u believe NASA is launching this tiny satellite Pandora to get more out of their James Webb Space Telescope? Like, $20 million for a small satellite that's gonna help scientists figure out how to study exoplanets better? That's genius! 
... its awesome that nasa is stepping up their game 
Pandora is gonna be EVERYTHING for exoplanet studies!!! I mean, can u believe NASA is launchin a $20 million satelitte to study our neighborly planets?? 
The way it's gonna help James Webb Space Telescope make more precise data is mind blowin 
And 6,000+ confirmed exoplanets already? 
They're pushin the boundaries of small sat tech and makin it affordable for more science 
Can't wait to see what they discover! 
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) with the reality that you might have to sacrifice some performance for the sake of budget 
. And then there's this whole concept of risk acceptance... like, how do we weigh the importance of getting it right vs trying something new? 
. scientists should be able to study those stars' behavior in real-time, it's wild! 
! I'm loving how they're using a small satellite to study exoplanets - it's like having a superpower 
.
. These advancements are making it possible for them to do so much more with less money 
. Can't wait to see what breakthroughs come out of this mission 
It's like they're giving us a key to unlock the secrets of those exoplanets! 
. They're talkin' precision here - these exoplanets are like, super delicate and can only be studied in real-time 'cause star conditions keep changin'. It's crazy to think that all this time we've been collectin' data without fully understandin' how our host stars affect the signals... what a game-changer! 
. And can you believe they're doing all this for under $20 million? 
i'm all for pushing boundaries with tech tho. smaller satellites are the future! 
