NASA Astrobiology Institute Planetary System Formation Focus Group: Astro 2010 Decadal Survey White Paper NASA Astrobiology Institute Planetary System Formation Focus Group: Astro 2010 Decadal Survey White Paper The Formation of Planetary Systems Heretic’s Approach to Solar System FormationFForm Alan Boss 1 & Ed Young 2, Co-Chairs 1 Carnegie Institution 2 UCLA Hyatt Regency Long Beach Hotel Long Beach, California January 7, 2009

NAI PSSFG 3 The Planetary System Formation Focus Group (PSFFG) will focus on the general area of the physical and chemical processes involved in the formation of planetary systems as they relate to topics of astrobiological significance, such as the formation of habitable planets and satellites. The PSFFG will work on helping NASA plan for future missions that will address the astrobiological goals relevant to planetary system formation, such as completing the census of extrasolar planetary systems, studying the chemistry and physics of protoplanetary disks, and assembling all of these constraints into a self-consistent theoretical picture of the planet formation process. The most important short-term task for any astronomically-related NAI FG is to provide input for the National Academy of Science (NAS) Decadal Survey of Astronomy. These surveys are used by NASA and OMB to decide the fate of major NASA missions. The next Decadal Survey is expected to be critical for the future of two missions of great astrobiological significance, the Space Interfermetry Mission (SIM) and the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF). SIM is planned to be able to detect Earth-like planets around nearby stars, and TPF is planned to be able to characterize the planets discovered by SIM as well as discover other planets in these and other systems.

NAI PSSFG  PSSFG will write a White Paper for the Astro 2010 Decadal Survey assessing the value of a wide range of space- and ground-based telescopes with respect to the goals of NASA’s Astrobiology Program  Ranking will depend on value to the Goals and Objectives of the 2008 Astrobiology Roadmap (Des Marais et al. 2008, Astrobiology, 8, )  Relevant Goals and Objectives for the PSFFG White Paper: Goal 1: Understand the nature and distribution of habitable environments in the universe. Determine the potential for habitable planets beyond the Solar System, and characterize those that are observable. Objective 1.1: Formation and evolution of habitable planets. Objective 1.2: Indirect and direct astronomical observations of extrasolar habitable planets. Goal 7: Determine how to recognize signatures of life on other worlds.... Identify biosignatures that can reveal and characterize past or present life in... remotely measured planetary atmospheres and surfaces. Identify biosignatures of distant technologies. Objective 7.2: Biosignatures to be sought in nearby planetary systems. 3

NAI PSSFG AGENDA 8:00 am -- Welcome and opening remarks -- Alan Boss & Ed Young, Co-Chairs Current Missions: 8:15 am -- Warm SST -- Michael Werner (JPL) 8:30 am -- HST post-SM4 -- Christine Chen (STScI) 8:45 am -- Kepler -- David Koch (NASA Ames) 9:00 am -- Herschel -- Hal Yorke (JPL) 9:15 am -- JWST -- Mark Clampin (NASA GSFC) 9:30 am -- SOFIA -- Eric Becklin (UCLA) 9:45 am -- Extended Break for Extrasolar Planets Session at AAS Meeting (10:00- 11:30) Proposed Space Missions: 11:45 am -- SIM Lite -- Mike Shao (JPL) 12:00 pm -- Terrestrial Planet Finder - C -- Wes Traub (JPL) 12:15 pm -- Terrestrial Planet Finder - I -- Chas Beichman (Caltech) 12:30 pm -- Lunch break 3

NAI PSSFG Space Strategic Mission Concepts: 2:00 pm -- ABE/ASPIRE/DEX -- Scott Sandford (NASA Ames) 2:15 pm -- THEIA/XPC -- David Spergel (Princeton U. 2:30 pm -- ATLAST -- Marc Postman (STScI) 2:45 pm -- EPIC -- Mark Clampin (NASA GSFC) 3:00 pm -- ACCESS -- John Trauger (JPL) 3:15 pm -- DAVINCI -- Mike Shao (JPL) 3:30 pm -- Break 4:00 pm -- PECO -- Olivier Guyon (U. Arizona) 4:15 pm -- NWO -- Webster Cash (U. Colorado) Ground-based Telescopes: 4:30 pm -- GSMT -- Michael Meyer (U. Arizona) 4:45 pm -- ALMA -- Alwyn Wootten (NRAO) Small Explorer Mission: 5:00 pm -- TESS -- George Ricker (MIT) 5:15 pm -- Final remarks and plans for White Paper -- Alan Boss & Ed Young 5:30 pm -- Adjourn 3

NAI PSSFG CALL FOR SCIENCE WHITE PAPERS: The Committee on Astro2010 invites interested parties from the broad community to submit white papers focusing on how our understanding of the scientific frontiers in astronomy may be advanced in the future. White papers should be submitted to one or more of the five thematic Science Frontier Panels, and should specifically and succinctly address their charges to identify new science opportunities and compelling science themes, to place those in the broader scientific context, and to describe the key advances in observation, experiment and theory necessary to realize those scientific opportunities within the decade Submissions in response to this call MUST BE MADE between 12:01 a.m. EST, Monday, February 9 and11:59 p.m., Sunday, February 15, ALL SUBMITTED WHITE PAPERS WILL BE MADE PUBLIC. 3

NAI PSSFG 3

3 Planetary Systems and Star Formation (PSF). Solar system bodies (other than the Sun) and extrasolar planets, debris disks, exobiology, formation of individual stars, protostellar and protoplanetary disks, molecular clouds and the cold ISM, dust, and astrochemistry. Other four panels: Stars and Stellar Evolution (SSE). The Galactic Neighborhood (GAN). Galaxies across Cosmic Time (GCT). Cosmology and Fundamental Physics (CFP). Five Science Frontiers Panels for Astro 2010

NAI PSSFG Assign a ranking based on relevance to 2008 NASA Astrobiology Roadmap: * Extremely relevant (excellent) * Highly relevant (very good) * Moderately relevant (good) * Somewhat relevant (fair) * Not relevant (poor) 3 Possible Grading Scheme