Lori S. Glaze, Ph.D. NASA Planetary Science Division Director VEXAG Annual Meeting November 16, 2020 1 PSD Updates 3 EnVision • Proposed ESA Medium-Class mission For Cosmic Vision Programme (M5) • As oF October 2020, two mission concepts remain in competition (EnVision and THESEUS) • In Concept Study Phase; selection due 2021 For launch in 2032 • NASA has two members on the Science Study Team and a radar scientist as a member oF the System Engineering Working Group • Potential NASA contribution could include a Synthetic Aperture Radar, DSN support, and/or support For US scientists • Independent technical and science review oF radar completed September 2020 4 Venera-D • Venera-D workshop on landing site selection and cloud layer habitability was held in October 2019 (report) • A 3rd workshop will be tentatively organized For Fall 2021 • Members oF the Venera-D Joint Science DeFinition Team (JSDT) presented at the IKI Solar System Symposium in October 2020 • Venera-D JSDT co-chair Ludmila Zasova presented a Venera-D update to the Decadal Survey Venus Panel Akatsuki PSP • Akatsuki Participating Scientist Program aims to support and enhance the mission science objectives, to understand Venus atmospheric circulation through: • global mapping, with Akatsuki’s five camera (spanning UV to IR wavelengths) • measurements of atmospheric vertical structure, with radio occultation techniques • Akatsuki PSP ROSES-2019 selection was completed in January 2020 • Four US scientists were selected: • Armin Kleinoehl (JPL/Caltech) Venus weather and climate from Akatsuki thermal IR measurements • Kevin McGouldrick (University of Colorado) Complementing the Akatsuki mission goals to characterize Venusian clouds and dynamics through microphysical simulations and other spacecraft observations • Eliot Young (SWRI) Spectral image cubes in support of Akatsuki observations • Gerald Schubert (UCLA) Continued interpretation of Akatsuki observations with a state-of-the-art Venus general circulation model BepiColombo • 2019 AO For Interdisciplinary Scientists (IDSs) and Guest Investigators (GIs) – three US investigators were selected: • Nancy Chabot (JHU APL), IDS Interdisciplinary Investigations of Mercury’s Polar Deposits • Menelaos Sarantos (NASA GSFC), GI Multi-instrument synthesis of sodium observations from BepiColombo • Kandis-Lea Jessup (SWRI), GI BepiColombo-enabled studies of Venus’ energy budget and climate drivers • First Venus Flyby occurred 15 October 2020: • Minimum altitude: 10,720 km (about 2 Venus radii) • Closest approach on evening side • HandFul oF science instruments were operated (For about two days beFore and aFter the closest approach) • Second Venus Flyby will be 10 August 2021 • Closest approach will be ~550 km • Joint ground-based (IRTF/SpeX), BepiColombo (MERTIS), and Akatsuki (LIR) IR imaging • Rare opportunity For simultaneous observations • Obtained global map of thermal variations in cloud top • Other ground-based observations completed in support oF Flyby: • TNG/HARPS Doppler Spectroscopy (Machado et al.) • PVOL Network UV–NIR images (Hueso et al., amateur team) • STELLA Calibrated UV images (Lee & Granzer) Technology High Operating Temperature Technologies (HOTTech) Program • Broad portfolio of 12 complementary technologies needed for a long- lived spacecraft or surface lander on Venus, or for the exploration of gas-giants • Goal: Technology enables operation at 500ºC for 60 days • Current Status: 12 Projects will be coming to an end in FY21 • HOTTech-2 solicitation tentatively planned for 2021 Long-Lived In Situ Surface Explorer (LLISSE) • Prototypes of all sensors completed (temperature, gas chemistry, wind, pressure) • Demonstrated successful extended operations in Venus conditions (some for entire 60-day operations goal) • Demonstrated, via scaled test, a chemistry and multicell battery configuration that would meet 60-day life goal 9 EPSCoR Venus • Six Venus selections From EPSCoR 2019 Rapid Response Research (R3 ~$100K each) oF the EPSCoR Extreme Environment 2019 call • EPSCoR Research CAN (~$750K each) EPSCoR Extreme Environment, including aerial platForms will be released NLT December 2020 • EPSCoR Rapid Response Research (R3) was released August 2020 • Selection will be announced in Spring 2021 • Contact Adrian Ocampo ([email protected]) for more information Discovery and New Frontiers Discovery • Discovery 2019 remains on schedule, despite COVID-19 • Step-2 Concept Study Reports are due November 2020 • Step-2 selections planned For NET April 2021 New Frontiers #5 • To be released Fall 2022 (current schedule), with community engagement beginning this Fall • Community announcement with planning parameters released November 5 11 CAPS New Frontiers report • PSD requested CAPS evaluate changes in scientiFic understanding and external Factors that would warrant reconsidering Four oF the mission themes For New Frontiers 5 • Summary oF target body Findings: • Ocean Worlds (Enceladus): retain, since changes in scientiFic understanding and/or external Factors do not warrant reconsideration • Ocean Worlds (Titan): remove Titan, since DragonFly addresses preponderance oF the science objectives and For programmatic balance • Trojan Tour and Rendezvous: remove, since Lucy addresses the preponderance oF the science objectives • Io Observer: remove iF IVO selected by Discovery, iF science objectives remain so similar; retain iF not selected by Discovery or science objectives signiFicantly changed • Lunar Geophysical Network: retain, since changes in scientiFic understanding and/or external Factors do not warrant reconsideration • SMD places great weight on the CAPS report and respects their role as the keepers oF the Decadal Survey; community announcement released November 5 12 Community Initiatives • COVID-19 augmentations and Funded extensions to existing SMD- funded grants • Will be prioritized to help graduate students and postdocs; soFt- money, early-career researchers • Call For requests coming soon – please read careFully! • Statement oF Task sent to Space Studies Board oF NASEM to address topic oF increasing diversity and inclusion in the leadership oF competed space missions • As part oF a PSD pilot study Psyche, Europa Clipper, and DragonFly have provided the opportunity For early-career scientists to observe their next science team meetings • Next PI Launchpad event being tentatively planned as a virtual workshop For early Summer 2021 • Call For applications will be posted on NSPIRES in early 2021 (see 2019 Launchpad details For reFerence) Decadal Survey 14 Decadal Survey on Planetary Science and Astrobiology • Co-Chairs: Robin Canup (SWRI) and Philip Christensen (ASU) • Steering Committee and panels have begun their meetings • Meeting schedules posted online: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/planetary- science-and-astrobiology-decadal-survey-2023-2032 • Planetary Mission Concept Study reports were received and sent to NASEM • Including Venus Flagship Mission Study (Gilmore et al.) • Science Definition Team reports for VeneraD, Europa Lander, Ice Giants, Mars Ice and Climate Evolution Science Analysis Group, and Next Orbiter Science Analysis Group were also sent 15 Notional Timeline For 2023 Decadal Survey 2019 September Organizing meeting and town hall at EPSC-DPS October Draft statement of task received from NASA November LPI launches community paper proposal website December Town hall at AGU meeting 2020 January National Academies posts Statement of Task February Funding proposal to NASA, NSF agree to support March Early-career event and town hall at LPSC Spring Community paper submission begins, chair announced Fall Community paper deadline and meetings started 2021 Fall Complete draft of survey report assembled 2022 Spring Survey report released, dissemination starts 2023 End of dissemination/NASA contract 16 with us 17 ESCAPADE Escape, Plasma and Acceleration SIMPLEx Dynamics Explorers SIMPLEx-1 Q-PACE: • Will launch on next flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne (could be as soon as September 30) LunaH-Map: • Will launch on Artemis-1, NLT November 2021 • Delivery required January 2021 SIMPLEx-2 Janus: • PDR held in July; Passed KDP-C on September 3 ESCAPADE: • PDR was August 11–13; KDP-C will be April 27, 2021 Lunar Trailblazer: • PDR will be week of October 19; KDP-C will be November 24 SIMPLEx-3 • Release of next opportunity will be NET April 2021 18.