22 April 2015

NASA is bringing together experts spanning a variety of scientific fields for an unprecedented initiative dedicated to the search for life on planets outside our solar system.  

The Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, or "NExSS", hopes to better understand the various components of an exoplanet, as well as how the planet stars and neighbor planets interact to support life.

"This interdisciplinary endeavor connects top research teams and provides a synthesized approach in the search for planets with the greatest potential for signs of life," says Jim Green, NASA's Director of Planetary Science. "The hunt for exoplanets is not only a priority for astronomers, it's of keen interest to planetary and climate scientists as well."

The study of exoplanets – planets around other stars – is a relatively new field. The discovery of the first exoplanet around a star like our sun was made in 1995. Since the launch of NASA's Kepler space telescope six years ago, more than 1,000 exoplanets have been found, with thousands of additional candidates waiting to be confirmed. Scientists are developing ways to confirm the habitability of these worlds and search for biosignatures, or signs of life.

The key to this effort is understanding how biology interacts with the atmosphere, geology, oceans, and interior of a planet, and how these interactions are affected by the host star. This "system science" approach will help scientists better understand how to look for life on exoplanets.

NExSS will tap into the collective expertise from each of the science communities supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate:

· Earth scientists develop a systems science approach by studying our home planet.

· Planetary scientists apply systems science to a wide variety of worlds within our solar system.

· Heliophysicists add another layer to this systems science approach, looking in detail at how the Sun interacts with orbiting planets.

· Astrophysicists provide data on the exoplanets and host stars for the application of this systems science framework.

NExSS will bring together these prominent research communities in an unprecedented collaboration, to share their perspectives, research results, and approaches in the pursuit of one of humanity's deepest questions: Are we alone?

The team will help classify the diversity of worlds being discovered, understand the potential habitability of these worlds, and develop tools and technologies needed in the search for life beyond Earth.