Pandora SmallSat: Multiwavelength Characterization of Exoplanets Host Stars

Overview

Organization NASA

Reference Code 0255-NPP-MAR
26-GSFC-Astrophys

How To Apply All applications must be submitted in Zintellect. Please visit the NASA Postdoctoral Program website for application instructions and requirements:

How to Apply

| NASA Postdoctoral Program (orau.org). A complete application to the NASA Postdoctoral Program includes:
Research proposal;
Three letters of recommendation;
Official doctoral transcript documents.

Final date to receive applications 3/1/2026 6:00:59 PM Eastern Time Zone

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

The Pandora Small Sat is a flight project designed to study the atmospheres of exoplanets. It was selected as part of NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers Program and would start science operation in 2025. Transmission spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets provides our best opportunity to identify the makeup of planetary atmospheres in the coming decade. Stellar brightness variations due to star spots can impact these measurements and contaminate the observed spectra.

Pandora's goal is to disentangle star and planet signals in transmission spectra to reliably determine exoplanet atmosphere compositions. Pandora will collect long-duration photometric observations with a visible-light channel and simultaneous spectra with a near-IR channel. The broad-wavelength coverage will provide constraints on the spot and faculae covering fractions of low-mass exoplanet host stars and the impact of these active regions on exoplanetary transmission spectra.

Pandora will subsequently identify atmospheric compositions of exoplanets and robustly determine which planets are covered by clouds and hazes. The project plans to observe at least 20 exoplanets with sizes from Earth-size to Jupiter-size and host stars spanning mid-K to late-M spectral types. The project leverages investments in other projects, including an all-aluminum 0.45-meter Cassegrain telescope design and a JWST-inspired NIR sensor chip assembly.

Pandora emphasizes a diverse team with leadership roles filled by early-career scientists and engineers.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center hosts the Pandora Science Operations Center, which will develop simulation software, target selection and observing optimization strategies, and contribute to the Pandora Science Pipeline. We seek a postdoctoral candidate to contribute to the development and operations of Pandora. The Pandora Science Pipeline turns down linked, uncalibrated data into calibrated images, light curves, and time-series spectra. A successful candidate will contribute to the development of algorithms and methods to maximize science return from Pandora and will contribute simulation and analysis software to the Pandora Science Pipeline.

Participation in Pandora science activities is expected. Preference is given to candidates with experience in collaborative development of scientific/open-source software in Python using tools such as Git. Experience with JWST instruments/software would be beneficial.

We also welcome candidates interested in the EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE), a 0.5m infrared spectrograph that flies on a high-altitude balloon. EXCITE aims to perform phase-resolved spectroscopy of hot Jupiter-type exoplanets in the near-infrared. EXCITE is a moderate-sized international collaboration involving governmental, academic, and private sector institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The opportunity provides hands-on research experience in preparation and deployment of the EXCITE payload, with topics including infrared detectors and readout, cryogenics and cryocoolers, optics, data acquisition, balloon attitude control, science modeling, and science data analysis.

Qualifications

Pan…