About Us
From protozoa to fungi, spores have enabled life to flourish here on Earth throughout much of geological history. But does life exist on worlds other than our own? Today, humans are on the precipice of addressing this fundamental question with cutting-edge science and technology. This is the primary goal of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission concept.
We are the SPORES collaboration (Stellar/System Properties & Observational Reconnaissance for Exoplanet Studies with HWO), a NASA-funded team of astronomers across multiple institutions preparing for the future HWO flagship mission. Our main goal is to maximize precursor knowledge of potential target stars for the HWO survey for habitable and/or inhabited planets in the 2040s. Our team is led by Dr. Courtney Dressing (UC Berkeley) and Dr. Stephen Kane (UC Riverside). Visit our Team page to meet our full collaboration, and use the Science dropdown menu above to explore our research.
About HWO
HWO is a NASA mission concept that stems from the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey, "Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s" (Astro2020). HWO will be a large, ultra-stable, IR/O/UV space telescope optimized for high-contrast (1e-10) imaging and spectroscopy. Its primary goal will be to conduct a survey of the habitable zones (HZs) of nearby stars to look for true Earth-analog planets. With its unprecedented stability and sensitivity, HWO will also be a transformative facility for general astrophysics, from the assembly of distant galaxies to the planets in our own cosmic backyard. Learn more about HWO on NASA's webpage or the new HWO website.
About GOMAP
A significant amount of work must be done prior to designing HWO in order to optimize its performance while mitigating potential delays and excess costs. HWO has therefore entered NASA's Great Observatory Maturation Program (GOMAP) in order to develop the technologies needed for this next flagship astrophysics mission. Two groups will guide the GOMAP activities for HWO: a Science, Technology, Architecture Review Team (START) and a Technical Assessment Group (TAG). Learn more about GOMAP, START, and TAG on NASA's webpage.
