2021 Joint PAG Meeting January 8, 2021 Paul Hertz Director, Astrophysics Division Science Mission Directorate Charts to be posted on the PAG web pages Highlights of 2020 2 EARTH SCIENCE HELIOPHYSICS PLANETARY SCIENCE ASTROPHYSICS BIOLOGICAL & NASA SCIENCE PHYSICAL SCIENCE AN INTEGRATED PROGRAM JOINT AGENCY SATELLITE 3 NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launched on the Atlas V-541 rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on July 30, 2020, at 7:50 a.m. ET. Perseverance (and the Ingenuity Mars helicopter tech demo) will land on Mars on February 18, 2021, around 3:30 pm ET. :4 Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism OSIRIS-REx (TAGSAM) Oct 22 Touch-and-Go (‘TAG’) at Nightingale Crater Oct 20 Sample stowed in Sample Return Capsule Oct 28 5 The fully assembled and folded James Webb Space Telescope on the vibration table at Northrop Grumman Space Park (September 2020). This is the configuration that Webb will be in when it is mated to the Ariane 5 launch vehicle in 2021. 6 Nancy Grace Roman SCIENCE Space Telescope HIGHLIGHT February 28, 2020 – NASA confirmed the Wide Field Infrared Survey telescope (WFIRST) for development May 20, 2020 – NASA named its Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer, who paved the way for space telescopes focused on the broader universe 7 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 Black Holes (Penrose, Reinhard, & Ghez) 2019 Our Place in the Universe (Peebles, Mayor, & Queloz) 2017 Gravitational Waves (Weiss, Barish, & Thorne) 2011 Dark Energy (Perlmutter, Schmidt, Roger Penrose Reinhard Genzel Andrea Ghez & Riess) “for the discovery that "for the discovery of a "for the discovery of a black hole formation is supermassive compact supermassive compact a robust prediction of object at the centre of object at the centre of the general theory of our galaxy" our galaxy" relativity” Illustrations © Nobel Media. Ill. Niklas Elmehed 9 Building Excellent NASA Teams Requires Inclusion and Diversity • At NASA, we recognize that excellence is only achieved with inclusive and diverse teams. We are creating a multi-pronged approach. o Directorate level: Hosting incubator workshops and implementing actions from those workshops focused on short-term changes to how we are operating and how we grow our leaders. Studying barriers to inclusion in mission leadership. Standing up a long-term activity focused on sustained engagement, systemic, and lasting changes. o Division level: Division task forces working to align division-level practices with the NASA core value and SMD science strategy. Examining the R&A process for better inclusion and diversity. Adopting a Code of Conduct to improve the inclusion and process of our panels and teams. • Proposal Processes: Recognizing we have influence through our calls for proposals and what we reward in our selections. Piloting dual-anonymous peer review and seeking to expand that. Actively looking into how we can be a model for inclusivity. Enhancing Participation of Minority Serving Institutions in Space Science Monday, Jan 11 @ 6:50 pm ET 10 COVID-19 Impacts Research: NASA is focused on continuing our research programs and providing stability • Virtual review panels for ROSES solicitations and AO mission evaluations are going well; all-virtual review panels for ROSES programs will continue until at least June 1, 2021 • NASA is thinking about continuing virtual review panels, at least in part, even after in- person meetings cease to pose a health hazard NASA does not want the pandemic to derail careers of future leaders; we are focused on mitigating impacts • Given current funding constraints, NASA will prioritize up to 15% of the R&A funding available for new awards toward augmentations and funded extension requests for existing awards that: o Are in their last year (or the last year of their first no-cost-extension); o Have costed their funds in a timely manner; and o Are for the explicit support of near-finishing graduate students / post-docs (including third-year NPPs) and non-tenured / soft-money early career researchers 11 COVID-19 Impacts Missions: NASA continues to experience disruption in the development of all missions due to COVID- related restrictions • We assume these disruptions will continue for the foreseeable future Many missions are expected to stay within their cost commitments (known as the ABC or Agency Baseline Commitment, which includes HQ held reserves above project budget) • ABC is set at Confirmation Review • In astrophysics, this includes NASA contributions to Euclid and XRISM Some missions have experienced challenges that affect cost and schedule commitments • In astrophysics, this includes Webb, Roman, and IXPE • Missions that have been Confirmed since COVID began (e.g., SPHEREx), or will be Confirmed in the future (e.g., future Explorers) have assumed impacts from COVID included within their cost and schedule commitments To date, challenges to Flagships (Webb, Roman) have been accommodated with no impact to Explorers or R&A • Challenges to Explorers have been accommodated within the Explorers Program 12 The NASA Team 13 Not Pictured Paul Hertz Jeff Volosin E. Lucien Cox Ed Griego Shahid Habib Future Janet Letchworth Mark Sistilli Program Division Director Astrophysics Division Astrophysics Division SOFIA, GUSTO, Astrophysics COR, PCOS, ARIEL, Roman Explorers Program Director Deputy Director Executives XRISM, ExEP Operating Missions Athena, Euclid, LISA, IXPE, SPHEREx UltraSat Balloons Not Pictured Not Pictured Cross Cross Cutting Eric Smith Jeanne Davis Mario Perez Lisa Wainio Support Kelly Johnson Maria Washington Jackie Mackall Ingrid Farrell Chief Scientist Assoc Dir for Flight Chief Technologist Information Manager, Administrative Assistant Administrative Assistant Program Support Program Support Webb ASM Program Manager SAT, RTF Public Affairs Liaison Specialist Specialist Administrative Dominic Valerie Dan Evans Michael Garcia Thomas Hams Hashima Hasan Douglas Hudgins Stefan Immler Hannah Patricia Knezek Benford Connaughton PCOS Program APRA (UV/Optical), APRA (CR, Fund. Phys.) Education/Comms, Citizen ExEP Program Astrophysics Research Jang-Condell Astrophysics Explorers Program Mgr, Chandra, APRA Lead APRA (High Energy) NICER SmallSats/Pioneers Rockets/Balloons Science, Archives, ADAP Lead FINESST, ExEP, Program, SOFIA, XMM Roman XRISM, UltraSat Dual Anon.PR Hubble, Athena GUSTO, LISA Advisory Committees, TESS, ARIEL TESS Hubble Fellows NuSTAR, Keck Not NASA Astrophysics NASA Division Pictured Program Scientists Program William Latter Pamela Marcum Roopesh Ojha Aki Roberge Evan Kartik Sheth Linda Sparke Eric Tollestrup Heather Watson Future APRA (Lab Astro) Exoplanet Research Data Management, ASMP, Roman Scannapieco COR Program On detail to the Office APRA (IR/Submm) Dep. Technologist, Spitzer, SPHEREx, Program (XRP) FINESST, XMM ATP / TCAN Lead, of the Administrator Euclid, IXPE Explorers, Fermi Swift SmallSats/Pioneers 14 Astrophysics Program Abbreviations: ASM – Astrophysics Strategic Missions; COR – Cosmic Origins; ExEP – Exoplanet Exploration Program; PCOS - Physics of the Cosmos January 4, 2021 NASA Town Halls Session NASA Town Hall 220 Tuesday, Jan 12 @ 1:40 pm ET R&A Program Town Hall Splinter Wednesday, Jan 13 @ 12:00 pm ET STScI Town Hall 319 Wednesday, Jan 13 @ 1:40 pm ET Webb Space Telescope Town Hall 419 Thursday, Jan 14 @ 1:40 pm ET Science Activation Next Phase Splinter Thursday, Jan 14 @ 4:10 pm ET SOFIA Town Hall 519 Friday, Jan 15 @ 1:40 pm ET Roman Space Telescope Town Hall 520 Friday, Jan 15 @ 1:40 pm ET Program Analysis Groups (PAGs) COPAG Mon @ 12:00 pm PhysPAG Mon @ 12:00 pm SIGs Far-IR/Origins (Tue @ 12:00 pm) SIGs Multi-Messenger (Tue @ 12:00 pm) Low Freq Radio (Wed @ 12:00 pm) Inflation Probe (Wed @ 12:00 pm) UV/Vis/Tech (Thu @ 12:00 pm) X-ray (Wed @ 6:50 pm) Cosmic Origins (Fri @ 12:00 pm) Gravitational Wave (Thu @ 12:00 pm) Cosmic Structure (Thu @ 4:10 pm) Enhancing Participation of Minority Serving Institutions in Space Science (Mon @ 6:50 pm) 15 Join the Astrophysics Program Analysis Groups (PAGs) The Cosmic Origins PAG (COPAG), Exoplanet Exploration PAG (ExoPAG) and Physics of the Cosmos PAG (PhysPAG) want you Join the Executive Committee (EC), a Science Analysis Group (SAG), a Science Interest Group (SIG), or a Technology Interest Group (TIG) WHY? • The PAG provides NASA Astrophysics with analysis of community input and feedback on its programs; the PAG reports to NASA at meetings of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) • The EC coordinates the activities of the PAG and its SAGs, SIGs, and TIGs • The SIGs and TIGs are where the community gathers to discuss common areas of interest, and the SAGs are specific efforts to analyze a specific problem; these analyses have an impact, e.g. ADAP offerings, Great Observatories report • The PAG and its SIGs, TIGs, and SAGs will aid in analyzing and discussing the Decadal Survey; this will be important and impactful to NASA as it decides how to implement the recommendations WHAT? HOW? • NASA seeks ECs, SIGs, TIGs, and SAGs that are inclusive and diverse across a variety of axes to be representative of the broad astrophysics community • Each PAG has a letter to the community inviting applications • Please speak to the Program Scientists or Chief Scientists to learn more https://cor.gsfc.nasa.gov/copag/ https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/ https://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/physpag16/ Virtual NASA at the AAS 17 NASA Science Webinars Zoom Room Chats @ 2:40 – 3:10 pm ET Date Presenter(s)