New Opportunities in Solar System Exploration: An Evaluation of the New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity

Project Scope

The Space Studies Board will create an ad hoc study committee to conduct an analysis on a number of issues that relate to NASA's next New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity (AO) and provide criteria and guiding principles to NASA for determining the list of candidate missions. These issues include the following: -Should the next New Frontiers solicitation be completely open relative to any planetary mission (excluding missions to Mars), or should it state a candidate list of missions as was done in the previous AO? -If a candidate list of missions is preferred, what is the process by which candidate missions should be determined? Specifically, there is a need to review the mission categories identified in the previous AO and see if the list needs to be revised or augmented in light of developments since the release of the last AO. Should consideration be made to a candidate list of appropriate science themes from the NRC decadal survey on solar system exploration rather than specific missions? Opening New Frontiers in Space: Choices for the Next New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity