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Introduction

MINERVA will be an array of small-aperture robotic telescopes built atop Palomar Mountain outfitted for both photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy. It will be the first U.S. observatory dedicated to exoplanetary science capable of both precise radial velocimetry and transit studies. The multi-telescope concept will be implemented to either observe separate targets or a single target with a larger effective aperture. The flexibility of the observatory will maximize scientific potential and also provide ample opportunities for education and public outreach. The design and implementation of MINERVA will be carried out by postdoctoral and student researchers at Caltech.

Project Status

The development and implementation of MINERVA will take place in 4 stages. The project is currently in the conceptual design stage (Phase 0). Selection of hardware components are being finalized as well as designs for the telescope enclosures, spectrometer structure, and fiber acquisition unit. A site survey on Palomar Mountain is now underway to determine the optimal site for the project in consideration of the primary science goals and environmental impact.

Expected project elements include:

  • Science Program 1: Detect low-mass planets orbiting bright, nearby stars using nightly, high-precision (~1 m/s) radial velocimetry.
  • Science Program 2: Detect low-mass, transiting exoplanets.
  • Science Program 3: Highly precise light curves for newly discovered transiting exoplanets.
  • Science Program 4: High cadence follow-up RV and photometric observations of known multi-planet systems.
  • EPO Program 1: New observational lab courses at host institutions.
  • EPO Program 2: Summer Undergraduate Research Programs.
  • EPO Program 3: Mulit-Institution E/PO involvement.

Team Meetings and Reviews

What's New?

Latest Image

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Partnership

MINERVA is a partnership between Caltech and Penn State.

Project Team

  • John Johnson (Caltech): Principal Investigator
  • Jason Wright (PSU): Co-Investigator
  • Phil Muirhead (Caltech): Co-Investigator
  • Jon Swift (Caltech): Project Manager
  • Michael Bottom (Caltech): Implementation
  • Paul Gardner (Caltech): Engineer
  • Richard Dekany (Caltech): Systems Engineering
  • Dan McKenna (Caltech): Site Manager
  • Ming Zhao (PSU):

Telescope Enclosure

Aqawan.jpg
Aqawan preliminary design (A. Hjelstrom, LCOGT)

Spectrometer

Kiwispec KiwiSpec.png

Project Documentation

Technical Library

Organized by Product Breakdown Structure

Project Team

MINERVA Personnel Directory

Integrated Product Teams Members (Lead) Meetings (Pacific Time) Location
Management (Johnson), Swift, Dekany Various Caltech/JPL
Systems Enginieering (Muirhead), Gardner, Bottom Various Caltech/JPL
Infrastructure (Swift), Bottom, Johnson Various Caltech/JPL
Software   Various Caltech/JPL
Integration & Testing (Bottom), Muirhead, Johnson, Swift Various Caltech/JPL
Performance (Bottom), Muirhead, Johnson, Swift Various Caltech/JPL
       

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Topic attachments
I Attachment History Action Size Date Who Comment
JPEGjpg Aqawan.jpg r1 manage 195.4 K 2012-01-16 - 04:26 UnknownUser aqawan conceptual design
JPEGjpg Banner2.jpg r1 manage 396.7 K 2012-01-16 - 04:15 UnknownUser  
JPEGjpg Caltech.jpg r1 manage 66.5 K 2012-01-16 - 00:07 UnknownUser  
JPEGjpg Iso_Full_Assembly_Zenith.jpg r1 manage 599.3 K 2012-02-01 - 00:48 UnknownUser  
PNGpng KiwiSpec.png r1 manage 377.4 K 2012-01-16 - 04:53 UnknownUser KiwiSpec
PNGpng Kiwispec_prot.png r1 manage 93.1 K 2012-02-03 - 00:41 UnknownUser kiwispec prototype schematic
PNGpng Penn-State.png r1 manage 46.5 K 2012-01-16 - 00:10 UnknownUser  
JPEGjpeg cdk700.jpeg r1 manage 44.9 K 2012-01-10 - 22:14 UnknownUser PlaneWave CDK700

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Topic revision: r37 - 2012-03-06 - JonSwift
 
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