NASA selects proposals to study cosmic collisions
“These promising proposals under the Explorers Program bring out some of the most creative, innovative ways to help uncover the secrets of the universe,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “From studying stars and planets outside our solar system to seeking answers to the largest cosmic mysteries, I look forward to the breakthrough science from these modest size missions.”
Two astrophysics (SMEX) missions and two Missions of Opportunity (MO) proposals were competitively selected, based on potential science value and feasibility of development plans, said Nasa.
The four selected proposals, which will each receive $2 million to conduct a nine-month mission concept study, are:
- The Extreme-ultraviolet Stellar Characterization for Atmospheric Physics and Evolution (ESCAPE) Mission
- The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI)
- The Gravitational-wave Ultraviolet Counterpart Imager Mission
- LEAP – A LargE Area burst Polarimeter
Following detailed evaluations, says Nasa, it intends to select two proposals in 2021 to be the next astrophysics missions under the Explorers Program. These missions will be targeted for launch in 2025.
“Each of these missions would take the next steps in some of the hottest areas of astrophysics today,” said Paul Hertz, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters. “With the high science rewards for low dollar amounts, Explorers missions successfully fill the scientific gaps in our current fleet of space observatories.”
Since the launch in 1958 of Explorer 1, which discovered Earth’s radiation belts, the Explorers Program has launched more than 90 missions, including the Uhuru and Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) missions that led to Nobel Prizes for their investigators.
You can read more on the NASA website.
Image: NASA image (top) shows the diffuse infrared background, anisotropy, and spectrum result from the previous COBE mission