{"slug":"resonant-exoplanets","name":"Resonant Exoplanets","hackathon":"nasa-space-apps-2025","tagline":"End-to-end pipeline that finds exoplanets in Kepler, TESS and JWST data and checks possible biosignatures against false positives.","placement":{"status":"track-winner","awards":["Best Use of Data"],"track":"hunting-exoplanets-with-ai"},"team":{"size":4,"members":[],"countries":["US"]},"problem":"Most exoplanets were identified manually, and AI-only detection can misclassify signals; for biosignatures, a false positive is the costliest mistake.","solution":"A full-stack pipeline that fetches Kepler, TESS and JWST data, detects transits with machine learning, validates candidates with physics models, and checks atmospheric chemistry with an exact-arithmetic solver to separate biosignatures (such as O₂ and CH₄ coexisting) from abiotic false positives, with plots and automatically generated scientific reports in a web interface.","demo_moment":null,"build_style":"software-only","tech":{"stack":["python","fastapi","xgboost","lightkurve","astroquery","react","typescript","google-cloud","qwen","reportlab"],"ai_patterns":["ml-model"]},"domains":["space-science"],"analysis":{"why_it_stood_out":[{"claim":"Won the award for the project that best makes space data accessible or leverages it for a unique application.","basis":"organizer-stated","source":1},{"claim":"Replaces manual identification with automatic analysis and goes as far as possible biosignatures, using mission data such as JWST spectra.","basis":"organizer-stated","source":0},{"claim":"Aims at the weak spot of AI-only detection — false positives — by adding physics validation and exact chemistry checks before calling anything a biosignature.","basis":"team-stated","source":2},{"claim":"Ships the whole path rather than a model: data fetch, detection, validation, web interface and automated reports.","basis":"team-stated","source":2},{"claim":"Took the challenge's task (find exoplanets) one step further to the question the public cares about (signs of life), raising both the stakes and the story.","basis":"curator-inference"}],"mechanisms":["visible-engineering-depth","cited-evidence-trust","trend-wave-timing"],"judging_lens":["scientific-validity","technical-depth","originality"],"lessons":["Push the challenge's task one step toward the question people actually care about.","In AI challenges judged on validity, show how you catch the model's false positives.","Name the mission data you used; validity judges look for it."],"confidence":"high"},"links":{"project_page":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/find-a-team/resonant-exoplanets/?tab=project","demo":"https://resonant-planet.vercel.app","video":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fBB5YJpfwU"},"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/stem-engagement-at-nasa/nasa-announces-2025-international-space-apps-challenge-global-winners/","kind":"official-results","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14"},{"url":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/awards/","kind":"official-event-page","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"Award definition."},{"url":"https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/2025/find-a-team/resonant-exoplanets/?tab=project","kind":"project-page","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14","note":"Team-written summary, pipeline, stack, AI-use disclosure and data."}]}