Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful tools used in a wide range of scientific fields from planetary science to astronomy. We propose a future UV space telescope, LAPYUTA (Life-environmentology, Astronomy, and PlanetarY Ultraviolet Telescope Assembly), selected as a candidate for JAXA’s 6th M-class mission in 2023. Launch is planned for the early 2030s. LAPYUTA will accomplish the following four objectives related to two scientific goals: understanding (1) the habitable environment and (2) the origin of structure and matter in the universe. Objective 1 focuses on the subsurface ocean environments of Jupiter's icy moons and the atmospheric evolution of terrestrial planets. Objective 2 characterizes the atmosphere of the exoplanets around the habitable zone and estimates their surface environment by detecting their exospheric atmosphere. In cosmology and astronomy, Objective 3 tests whether the structures of presentday galaxies contain ubiquitous Ly-α halos and reveals the physical origins of Ly-α halos. Objective 4 elucidates the synthesis process of heavy elements based on observations of ultraviolet radiation from hot gas immediately after neutronstar mergers. LAPYUTA will perform spectroscopic and imaging observations in the far-UV range of 110-190 nm with an effective area of >300 cm2 and a high spatial resolution of 0.1 arcsec. The apogee is 2,000 km, and the perigee is 1,000 km to avoid the influence of the geocorona when observing oxygen and hydrogen atoms and the Earth's radiation belt.
We are developing the Moon Moisture Targeting Observatory (MoMoTarO), a radiation monitor of neutrons and gamma rays to search for water resources on the Moon. As fast neutrons travel through the lunar soil, they are scattered by light elements such as hydrogen in water, losing their energy, and becoming thermal and epi-thermal neutrons. The non-contact water exploration without excavation can be realized by measuring the difference in the number of thermal or epi-thermal neutrons depending on water content. The MoMoTarO project can also aim at fundamental scientific studies such as gamma-ray burst observations and the neutron lifetime mystery. We are now constructing an engineering model and demonstrating the performance of the MoMoTarO detector.
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