Proposed Science Themes for NASA’s Fifth New Frontiers Mission
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NASA’s New Frontiers (NF) program plays a crucial role in solar system exploration by soliciting principal investigator (PI)-led missions at a more frequent cadence of two per decade than flagship missions, but with a larger budget and scope than Discovery missions.
Mission themes for the New Frontiers 5 (NF-5) announcement of opportunity (AO) were evaluated in the 2011 planetary science decadal survey Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022 and reevaluated in Report Series – Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science: Options for the Fifth New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity.
The most recent planetary science decadal survey, Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032, recommended mission themes for NF-6 and NF-7 for the current decade (2023–2032). Since the completion of the Origins, Worlds, and Life report, the timing for the upcoming NF-5 AO has been delayed to no earlier than 2026, overlapping with the timeframe expected for NF-6.
Therefore, NASA requested that the National Academies investigate and report on any scientific, programmatic, and technological advances that have a significant impact on the mission themes prioritized for the next NF AO.
Download the report here “Proposed Science Themes for NASA’s Fifth New Frontiers Mission”
Excerpts:
Recent major programmatic and scientific developments identified as relevant to the mission theme prioritization for the next NF AO were the outcome of the Endurance-A concept study, the recent flight history of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP), the scientific priorities outlined for the Artemis missions, the selection and readjusted timeline of the NF-4 Dragonfly mission, the selection and readjusted timelines of the DAVINCI and VERITAS missions to Venus, and the science results of the Juno flyby of Io. A summary of each mission theme under consideration for the next NF-5 AO is found in Chapter 2 of this report.
Additionally, the significance of these advancements for each mission theme is outlined in Findings 1 through 7 and discussed in Chapter 3.
Finding 1: Endurance-A, identified in Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023–2032 (NASEM 2023) as the highest-priority medium- class mission for the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP), addresses multiple decadal survey priority science questions. Because the Endurance-A mission scope encompasses the objectives outlined in the New Frontiers (NF)-5 draft announcement of opportunity (AO) Lunar South Pole–Aitken Basin Sample Return mission theme, the absence of this theme from the next NF AO is warranted.
Finding 2: The science proposed by the Lunar Geophysical Network (LGN) addresses multiple decadal survey priority science questions. There are currently no programmatic avenues, including the NASA Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program (LDEP) and the Commercial Lunar Payload Services, that could accomplish LGN other than the New Frontiers (NF) program. Therefore, the inclusion of LGN as a theme in the next NF announcement of opportunity is warranted.
Finding 3: Comet Surface Sample Return, Centaur Orbiter and Lander, and Ceres Sample Return address multiple decadal survey priority science questions. Inclusion of these missions in the next New Frontiers announcement of opportunity is warranted.
Finding 4: Enceladus Multiple Flyby and Saturn Probe address multiple decadal survey priority science questions. Inclusion of these missions in the next New Frontiers announcement of opportunity is warranted.
Finding 5: The broad objectives of Io Observer continue to address multiple decadal survey priority science questions. Recent advances in Io science, including those from the Juno flybys, do not warrant reconsideration or removal of Io Observer from the next New Frontiers (NF) announcement of opportunity (AO). Therefore, inclusion of Io Observer in the next NF AO is warranted.
Finding 6: Titan Orbiter addresses several decadal survey priority science questions that are distinct from the Dragonfly mission to Titan selected in the New Frontiers (NF)-4. However, to maintain programmatic balance, the absence of Titan Orbiter from the next NF announcement of opportunityis warranted. Titan Orbiter remains a high priority for future NF mission opportunities as recommended by Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023–2032 (NASEM 2023).
Finding 7: Venus In Situ Explorer (VISE) addresses several decadal survey priority science questions that are distinct from those addressed by recently selected missions (DAVINCI, VERITAS, and EnVision) to Venus. However, to maintain programmatic balance, the absence of VISE from the next New Frontiers (NF) announcement of opportunity (AO) is warranted. VISE remains a high priority for future NF mission opportunities as recommended by Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023–2032 (NASEM 2023).
The committee recognizes that a healthy NF program is critical to NASA’s Planetary Science portfolio. The cadence of NF missions, the growth in the number of mission themes, the resource limitations on developing mission proposals, and the budgetary constraints on the program are all crucial aspects of the program’s success and were considered in developing the committee’s findings.
Finding 8: Given that NASA anticipates that the New Frontiers (NF)-5 announcement of opportunity will be announced no earlier than 2026, it is important to assemble a mission list for this upcoming call that can address the broadest range of priority science questions identified in Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023– 2032 (NASEM 2023). Finding 9: Based on the findings of the committee, the next New Frontiers announcement of opportunity would be most effective if it includes the following themes, listed alphabetically:
- Centaur Orbiter and Lander
- Ceres Sample Return
- Comet Surface Sample Return
- Enceladus Multiple Flyby
- Io Observer
- Lunar Geophysical Network
- Saturn Probe
Astrobiology,