SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION WITH THE LARGE ULTRAVIOLET OPTICAL AND INFRARED SURVEYOR (LUVOIR). W. M. Harris1, B. E. Schmidt2, and G. L. Villanueva3 1University of Arizona-Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, 2ASchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences-Georgia Tech, 3NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center.

Introduction: LUVOIR will be a large aperture

UV-Optical-IR space observatory capable of achieving revolutionary science goals highlighted in the NASA 2013 Astrophysics Roadmap “Enduring Quests, Dar-ing Visions” and the recent AURA Report “From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths”. The scientific aims of LUVIOR are being developed by the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) in the areas of Astrophysics, Exoplanets, Cosmic Origins, and the Solar System. Here we describe the scientific capabili-ties of a LUVOIR-class facility and their applicability to Solar System study. The Solar System panel of the STDT is assembling science cases that will be incorpo-rated into the LUVOIR study-report to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey.

Observatory and Instruments: The preliminary design of the LUVOIR telescope includes a segmented aperture between 9 and 16 m in diameter with baseline wavelength coverage from 110 to 2500 nm. The facili-ty would operate from an L2 orbit and be fully service-able. The initial set of instruments includes

1) An optical-near infrared coronagraph. 2) A wide field imager. 3) A mulitp-resolution optical-near infrared spec-

trograph with multi-field capability. 4) An ultraviolet imager/spectrograph. Science Development: The solar system science

definition team for LUVOIR has been working to de-velop the science rationale and technical requirements for the proposed mission. This effort is subdivided into 5 areas including

1) The Sun-Planet Connection 2) Atmsopehric Dynamics and Composition 3) Icy Bodies at the Edge of the Solar System 4) Refractory and Active Small Bodies 5) Surfaces.

In this presentation we will describe the major findings of these sub-disciplines, how achieving the most com-pelling goals is enabled by the LUVOIR facility, and what capabilities must be incorporated.

ATMOSPHERES

AURORA

SURFACESANDACTIVITY

SMALLBODYDISTRIBUTIONS

SATELLITES

THEICEFRONTIER

‘Planet9’6mdiameter18mdiameter

Resol ~0.02”Resol ~0.007”

Figure 1. LUVOIR enabled Solar System Science.

8247.pdfPlanetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop 2017 (LPI Contrib. No. 1989)