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Durham Scientists to Help Design NASA Camera for Alien Life Search
Durham University leads a UK consortium developing a camera for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory to detect Earth-like planets and signs of life by the 2040s.
- Researchers at Durham University are helping design a high-resolution imaging camera for NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory, joining a UK team led by University College London with the University of Portsmouth, RAL Space, and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre.
- Designed to search for Earth-like worlds, the Habitable Worlds Observatory will use a coronagraph instrument to block starlight and reveal rocky planets close to their stars.
- Prof Richard Massey of Durham University said the telescope is the '21st Century's Hubble Space Telescope' and could also 'watch collisions of asteroids in our solar system'.
- The UK Space Agency funded two groups to study a UK-led imager, with the University of Leicester leading the rival proposal to Durham's consortium.
- NASA plans to launch HWO in the early 2040s, and the high-resolution camera is hoped to measure planet mass and inspect atmospheres for chemical signs of life.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution83% Center
Bias Distribution
- 83% of the sources are Center
83% Center
L 17%
C 83%
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