[meteorite-list] NASA Chooses Three Finalists for Future Space Science Mission to Venus, an Asteroid or the Moon

[Ron Baalke]

Dec. 29, 2009

Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1726 
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov 

RELEASE: 09-296

NASA CHOOSES THREE FINALISTS FOR FUTURE SPACE SCIENCE MISSION TO VENUS, 
AN ASTEROID OR THE MOON

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected three proposals as candidates for the 
agency's next space venture to another celestial body in our solar 
system. The final project selected in mid-2011 may provide a better 
understanding of Earth's formation or perhaps the origin of life on 
our planet. 

The proposed missions would probe the atmosphere and crust of Venus; 
return a piece of a near-Earth asteroid for analysis; or drop a 
robotic lander into a basin at the moon's south pole to return lunar 
rocks back to Earth for study. 

NASA will select one proposal for full development after detailed 
mission concept studies are completed and reviewed. The studies begin 
during 2010, and the selected mission must be ready for launch no 
later than Dec. 30, 2018. Mission cost, excluding the launch vehicle, 
is limited to $650 million. 

"These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, 
engineers and the public," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator 
for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in 
Washington. "These three proposals provide the best science value 
among eight submitted to NASA this year." 

Each proposal team initially will receive approximately $3.3 million 
in 2010 to conduct a 12-month mission concept study that focuses on 
implementation feasibility, cost, management and technical plans. 
Studies also will include plans for educational outreach and small 
business opportunities. 

The selected proposals are: 


The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer, or SAGE, mission to 
Venus would release a probe to descend through the planet's 
atmosphere. During descent, instruments would conduct extensive 
measurements of the atmosphere's composition and obtain 
meteorological data. The probe then would land on the surface of 
Venus, where its abrading tool would expose both a weathered and a 
pristine surface area to measure its composition and mineralogy. 
Scientists hope to understand the origin of Venus and why it is so 
different from Earth. Larry Esposito of the University of Colorado in 
Boulder, is the principal investigator. 


The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security 
Regolith Explorer spacecraft, called Osiris-Rex, would rendezvous and 
orbit a primitive asteroid. After extensive measurements, instruments 
would collect more than two ounces of material from the asteriod's 
surface for return to Earth. The returned samples would help 
scientists better undertand and answer long-held questions about the 
formation of our solar system and the origin of complex molecules 
necessary for life. Michael Drake, of the University of Arizona in 
Tucson, is the principal investigator. 


MoonRise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission would 
place a lander in a broad basin near the moon's south pole and return 
approximately two pounds of lunar materials for study. This region of 
the lunar surface is believed to harbor rocks excavated from the 
moon's mantle. The samples would provide new insight into the early 
history of the Earth-moon system. Bradley Jolliff, of Washington 
University in St. Louis, is the principal investigator. 


The proposals were submitted to NASA on July 31, 2009, in response to 
the New Frontiers Program 2009 Announcement of Opportunity. New 
Frontiers seeks to explore the solar system with frequent, 
medium-class spacecraft missions that will conduct high-quality, 
focused scientific investigations designed to enhance understanding 
of the solar system. 

The final selection will become the third mission in the program. New 
Horizons, NASA's first New Frontiers mission, launched in 2006, will 
fly by the Pluto-Charon system in 2014 then target another Kuiper 
Belt object for study. The second mission, called Juno, is designed 
to orbit Jupiter from pole to pole for the first time, conducting an 
in-depth study of the giant planet's atmosphere and interior. It is 
slated for launch in August 2011. 

For more information about the New Frontiers Program, visit: 

http://newfrontiers.nasa.gov 
	
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