Session
Weekend Poster Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Pandora is a SmallSat mission designed to observe exoplanet atmospheres and stellar activity. Funded by the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Division through the Pioneers program, Pandora is a collaboration between NASA centers Goddard and Ames, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of Arizona, and other scientific institutions. Pandora will survey at least 20 transiting exoplanets during one year of science operations, obtaining a long baseline of simultaneous visible-light photometric and near-IR spectroscopic observations. These observations will be used to quantify and correct for stellar contamination of exoplanet transmission spectra due to spots and faculae on host stars. Pandora will subsequently identify exoplanets with hydrogen or water-dominated atmospheres. In this paper, we share a preliminary plan for commissioning Pandora during its first month of operation after launch, anticipated for 2025. Broadly, commissioning includes bus and payload checkouts, followed by instrumentation checks, which include telescope pointing and tasks for non-pointed and pointed calibration. This paper focuses primarily on commissioning Pandora’s instrumentation, including visible-light photometry and near-IR spectroscopy capabilities. We outline each commissioning task, our timeline, and our workflow for planning and managing an adaptable commissioning plan. This paper informs on Pandora's plans and provides an example of telescope commissioning for future missions.
Commissioning Plans for the Pandora SmallSat: A Mission to Quantify Stellar Contamination of Exoplanet Transmission Spectra
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Pandora is a SmallSat mission designed to observe exoplanet atmospheres and stellar activity. Funded by the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Division through the Pioneers program, Pandora is a collaboration between NASA centers Goddard and Ames, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of Arizona, and other scientific institutions. Pandora will survey at least 20 transiting exoplanets during one year of science operations, obtaining a long baseline of simultaneous visible-light photometric and near-IR spectroscopic observations. These observations will be used to quantify and correct for stellar contamination of exoplanet transmission spectra due to spots and faculae on host stars. Pandora will subsequently identify exoplanets with hydrogen or water-dominated atmospheres. In this paper, we share a preliminary plan for commissioning Pandora during its first month of operation after launch, anticipated for 2025. Broadly, commissioning includes bus and payload checkouts, followed by instrumentation checks, which include telescope pointing and tasks for non-pointed and pointed calibration. This paper focuses primarily on commissioning Pandora’s instrumentation, including visible-light photometry and near-IR spectroscopy capabilities. We outline each commissioning task, our timeline, and our workflow for planning and managing an adaptable commissioning plan. This paper informs on Pandora's plans and provides an example of telescope commissioning for future missions.
