The Origins Space Telescope: Towards An Understanding of Temperate Planetary Atmospheres

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is one of four mission concepts currently being studied by NASA in preparation for the Astrophysics 2020 Decadal Survey. With active cooling (~4 K), OST will be sensitive in mid- to far-IR wavelengths, using imaging and spectroscopy to probe the furthest reaches of our galaxies, trace the path of water through star and planet formation, and place thermochemical constraints on the atmospheres of exoplanets ranging in size from Jupiter to Earth. This contribution to the Exoplanet Science Strategy committee discusses the significant advancements that the OST Mid-Infrared Imager, Spectrometer, and Coronagraph (MISC) instrument can make in studying cool planetary atmospheres. We particularly focus on the atmospheres of transiting rocky planets in the habitable zones of mid-to-late M stars. We discuss how OST thermal infrared observations can significantly enhance our understanding of the temperature structure and molecular abundances of biologically interesting gases on these worlds, including O3, CH4, H2O, and CO2.
Comment: White paper submitted to The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Exoplanet Science Strategy Committee