Observational exobiology

Abstract

The Earth's atmosphere absorbs partially or completely many ultraviolet, infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. Atmospheric seeing distorts small images, imposing a limit on the achievable angular resolution at optical and infrared wavelengths that is much poorer than the intrinsic capability of telescope optics. The atomic and molecular species of the atmosphere confuse or prevent the spectral studies of similar compounds outside of the terrestrial environment. Telescopes placed in orbit above the atmosphere avoid these problems and enjoy a unique view of the universe. There are many complex questions pertaining to the origin and evolution of the biogenic elements and compounds and the existence of terrestrial types of planets elsewhere that can be only tackled from orbiting facilities. The detailed nature of the spacecraft, platforms and instrumentation most likely to be launched by the United States and Europe in the near future in an attempt to determine what observational programs would be tractable and which areas of interest to exobiology required hardware capabilities beyond those currently envisioned are considered.