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The Exoplanet Strategy WG is charged with providing guidance on optimal strategies for maximizing the scientific return from HST and JWST spectroscopic and imaging observations of planetary systems. In particular, the Advisory Committee Working Group should address the following tasks:

• Solicit input from the community on key science areas that should be prioritized for HST or JWST observations;
• Identify science themes that should be prioritized for future HST and JWST General Observer programs and/or Archival analyses, including potential HST multi-cycle programs;
• Provide advice on the optimal timing for substantive follow-up observations and suggest mechanisms for enabling those observations;
• Comment on the appropriate scale of resources likely required to support those programs;
• Develop a specific concept for a large-scale (~500 hours) Director’s Discretionary exoplanet program to start implementation by JWST Cycle 3.

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Natasha Batalha, Ames; Bjorn Benneke, Montreal; Beth Biller, ROE; Nestor Espinoza, STScI; Kevin France, Colorado; Quinn Konpacky, UCSD; Laura Kreidberg, MPIA; Emily Rauscher, Michigan; and David Sing, JHU

The committee Working Group will summarize their conclusions in a report to the Director and presentations to the STUC and the JSTUC. Interim recommendations will be presented in the Fall of 2023, with the final report due by January 2024.

The primary STScI contacts for the Advisory Committee will be Neill Reid (Associate Director for Science) and Elena Sabbi (Deputy Head, SMO) They are ex officio members of the Advisory CommitteeWorking Group.

Call for Community Input - 26 June, 2023

The Working Group on Strategic Exoplanet Initiatives with HST and JWST is soliciting community input on how HST and JWST observations can best be leveraged to investigate exoplanet systems. More information about our working group can be found in our charter.

Community input was provided by completing this short, on-line survey and/or in the form of short white paper contributions submitted to STScI by Friday, September 8, 2023. Information on the activities of the working group, including links to the survey and white paper submission, can be found here. The latter site includes a list of FAQs. Three Town Hall meetings were held on July 12, 19 and 31 to advertise community engagement opportunities; the last meeting was reserved for early career researchers. Further details can be found on the Working Group website. 

The slide deck for the Town Halls is linked here. 

The white paper submissions are all linked here (or see the sidebar to this page).

Final Report

The Working Group's Final Report was submitted to the Director on April 1, 2024.