EarthShine will answer interconnected questions in Earth and lunar science, exoplanets, and astrobiology, related to the credo “follow the water.” EarthShine can take advantage of current NASA programs to conduct science from the Moon with low-cost, mature space hardware to reduce risk and assure success. EarthShine data will validate and improve models critical for designing missions to image and characterize exoplanets, thus informing observing strategies for flagship missions to directly image exoplanets. We present EarthShine, a technically mature, three-instrument suite to observe the whole Earth from the Moon as an exoplanet proxy. Missions are being formulated to search for habitable planets orbiting other stars, making this the ideal time to deploy an instrument suite to the lunar surface to help us recognize a habitable exoplanet when we see it. NASA’s return to the Moon coincides with explosive growth in exoplanet discovery.
2.8.2 Inner solar system zodiacal dust observations in visible wavelengths.
2.8.1 Quantification of lunar impact dust accumulation rates on lander’s solar panels.2.8 Additional Potential Secondary Science Objectives.2.6.3 Earth occultations of solar system planets and bright stars.2.6.1 Transmission and reflection spectra.2.6 Unique Advances Enabled by EarthShine.
2.4 Synergistic Benefits of EarthShine Suite.2.3 Measurements of Lunar Water in Unique Regions.2.2 Observing the Global Earth to Inform Earth Climate Studies.2.1 Observing the Earth’s Atmosphere to Inform Exoplanet Studies.
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