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From page 563... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 563 emphasis is placed on maintaining a high cadence of launches on average every 24 months. The Discovery program does not specify mission objectives or destinations, and proposers may address any science that can be accommodated within a specified cost cap. Read the entire page →
From page 564... ... 564 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE for appropriate interactions with the international community? Is the program stable under the inevitable budgetary perturbations as well as the occasional mission failures? Read the entire page →
From page 565... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 565 In development Discovery missions include the Psyche mission to the asteroid Psyche, and the DAVINCI and VERITAS missions to Venus. Four small satellite missions under the recently introduced Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) Read the entire page →
From page 566... ... 566 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE understanding Mars's environmental evolution and, potentially, its biology. Sample return will provide geologic materials that are not represented among martian meteorites (e.g., sediments and water-altered rocks) Read the entire page →
From page 567... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 567 The IRB described MSR as "arguably the most technically difficult and operationally demanding robotic space mission NASA and ESA have ever undertaken," and asserted that, given its ambitious goals and complexity, it is essential that MSR be conducted with mission success as its top priority. In such a situation, there is clearly potential for mission cost growth, particularly if the 2026–2028 launch window is not achieved. Read the entire page →
From page 568... ... 568 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE tremendous opportunities for frequent missions with increasingly sophisticated payloads, growing commercial and international partnerships, and advancement of decadal-level science6 through coordination with near-term human exploration activities planned for the next decade. Finding: Mars and the Moon are currently unique in the breadth of activities focused on them. Read the entire page →
From page 569... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 569 The committee recommends above that completion of MSR be the top priority for NASA's scientific exploration of Mars in the next decade. MSR is managed as a separate program outside of MEP, a logical approach given the size and complexity of this international endeavor. Read the entire page →
From page 570... ... 570 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE The complex interplay among Mars science, human exploration, and international partnerships requires carefully crafted collaborations. High potential synergy of objectives exists between the science of martian climate change (Q5, Q6, and Q10) Read the entire page →
From page 571... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 571 are currently limited but have the potential to meet additional NASA needs such as lunar night survival, mobility, delivery of larger payloads, and sample return. The CLPS model for purchasing delivery services to the Moon, once landing systems have proven to be reliable, is a promising and innovative procurement model within SMD that can benefit planetary science, if used as one component of a PSD-integrated program to accomplish important science objectives. Read the entire page →
From page 572... ... 572 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE BOX 22-1 Science Themes for Lunar Exploration The central goal of a science-driven program of lunar discovery and exploration is to reveal the his tory of major events and processes that have shaped the Earth–Moon system and the solar system. The committee prioritizes three overarching science themes that address (1) Read the entire page →
From page 573... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 573 and international missions, execute a healthy and comprehensive technology pipeline at the architectural (versus individual mission) level, and ensure sustenance of foundational infrastructure. Read the entire page →
From page 574... ... 574 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE through strategic coordination with Artemis exploration efforts. This would be a forward-looking, inspirational partnership to deliver ground-breaking science not possible through the local collection of limited samples. Read the entire page →
From page 575... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 575 are best suited for driving innovation, responding rapidly to new developments, identifying the most meritorious ideas worthy of support, and attracting new and increasingly diverse individuals into the field. These programs are identified in Table 17-1 of the Research and Analysis chapter. Read the entire page →
From page 576... ... 576 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE mission themes. Significant advances have occurred in astrobiology over the past decade, as discussed in the NASA Astrobiology Strategy (NASA 2015) Read the entire page →
From page 577... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 577 synergistic relationship, wherein scientific knowledge about the characteristics and population of small bodies, as well as experience in successful implementation of small body space missions, is applied to developing methods to assess the risk, and protect the planet from, hazardous objects. While not primarily science-driven missions, NASA's recently launched Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Read the entire page →
From page 578... ... 578 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE TABLE 22-2 Discovery Program Mission Selections to Date Year of AO Mission Selected Launch Date Description n/a Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous February 17, 1996 Asteroid orbiter and rendezvous n/a Mars Pathfinder December 4, 1996 Mars lander and Sojourner rover 1994 Lunar Prospector January 6, 1998 Lunar orbiter 1994 Stardust February 7, 1999 Comet particle sample return 1996 Genesis August 8, 2001 Solar wind sample return. 1996 CONTOUR July 3, 2002 Comet nuclei flybys (lost contact 6 weeks after launch) Read the entire page →
From page 579... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 579 allowing infusion of new technologies that will ultimately benefit larger missions. In addition, SIMPLEx represents an entry-level mission that could allow early career scientists and nontraditional institutions to participate and gain experience in the NASA mission process. Read the entire page →
From page 580... ... 580 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE objectives achievable at the current cost, a larger cost cap will be needed to ensure the breadth of breakthrough science that has driven the success of the Discovery program. Finding: A single Discovery cost cap that covers Phase A–F activities will allow each proposing team to allocate their costs between hardware development and operations in a manner that best suits the specific mission and maximizes the science that is achieved. Read the entire page →
From page 581... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 581 return their samples to Earth. Even in a quiet cruise operational mode (defined below) Read the entire page →
From page 582... ... 582 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE by science definition teams and identified additional mission concepts needed to address the full breadth of the priority science questions, including input from white papers submitted by the scientific community (Appendix B) Read the entire page →
From page 583... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 583 single targets. As part of the prioritization process, the committee carefully considered flagship missions to perform system science at either Uranus or Neptune. Read the entire page →
From page 584... ... 584 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE and satellites. The orbital science on the study payload includes visible and thermal imaging, visible/near-infrared imaging spectroscopy, fields and particles science, and radio/gravity science. Read the entire page →
From page 585... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 585 centimeters beneath the icy surface, with supporting context imaging observations. This mission would significantly advance our understanding of Europa as an ocean world, even in the absence of any definitive signs of life, and would provide the foundation for the future robotic exploration of Europa. Read the entire page →
From page 586... ... 586 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE orbiter/lander mission was evaluated. However, the TRACE cost of the descoped mission is estimated to be $5.7 billion (see Box C-2) Read the entire page →
From page 587... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 587 was ultimately considered as a flagship mission, leaving a total of 16 mission concepts to be considered for inclusion in New Frontiers. The panels prioritized NF mission themes based on how well each would address the priority science questions. Read the entire page →
From page 588... ... 588 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE • Perform in situ elemental, isotopic, and organic analyses of a Centaur to develop a comprehensive understanding of the composition and initial conditions of the protoplanetary disk. • Determine the shape, topography, geological landforms, and density of a Centaur to understand the evolutionary history of this population of objects. Read the entire page →
From page 589... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 589 Enceladus Multiple Flyby seeks to characterize Enceladus's habitability and look for evidence of life via multiple flybys and analysis of plume material. Enceladus, an active icy moon with a subsurface ocean in a relatively benign radiation environment, provides the best opportunity to directly sample a potential habitable subsurface ocean. Read the entire page →
From page 590... ... 590 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE • Determine the global heat-flow budget for the Moon in order to constrain more precisely the distribution of heat-producing elements in the crust and mantle, the origin and nature of the Moon's asymmetry, its thermal evolution, and the extent it was initially melted. The mission shall address all three objectives. Read the entire page →
From page 591... ... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 591 to be studied by Dragonfly along its flightpath. Cassini was not a Titan orbiter and did not achieve global coverage, and Titan's upper atmospheric composition is not known and will not be measured by Dragonfly. Read the entire page →
From page 592... ... 592 ORIGINS, WORLDS, AND LIFE time as power systems and launch vehicles continue to evolve. These factors placed this theme at lower priority for NF-6 and NF-7 than other themes that clearly require a medium-class mission to complete their core science. Read the entire page →

From page 563...

... RECOMMENDED PROGRAM: 2023–2032 563 emphasis is placed on maintaining a high cadence of launches on average every 24 months. The Discovery program does not specify mission objectives or destinations, and proposers may address any science that can be accommodated within a specified cost cap.