Mission Descriptions

• The Heavy Nuclei Explorer (HNX), a space laboratory for determining the properties of the high energy atomic particles which are present in interstellar space. Space particles called cosmic rays are the nuclei of atoms which are propelled into space by the shock waves from a supernova explosion which act as natural particle accelerators. HNX will directly sample and measure the properties of these atomic particles from across the galaxy using both silicon and glass detectors. Because the glass detectors capture cosmic rays for laboratory analysis, HNX would be launched by the Space Shuttle and retrieved three years later. HNX would be led by Dr. Robert Binns of Washington University in St. Louis, MO, at a total mission cost to the NASA Office of Space Science of $75M.
• The mission for Spectroscopy and Photometry of the Intergalactic Medium's Diffuse Radiation (SPIDR), a mission to map the "cosmic web" of hot gas which spans the Universe. Half of the normal matter in the nearby Universe is in filaments of hot gas, and SPIDR would observe it for the first time. SPIDR's data would answer fundamental questions concerning the formation and evolution of galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and other large structures in the Universe. An innovative and sensitive spectrograph design would be placed into a high earth orbit to observe emission lines from important atomic tracers of mass in the intergalactic medium. SPIDR would be led by Dr. Supriya Chakrabarti of Boston University in Boston, MA, at a total cost to the NASA Office of Space Science of $75M.
• The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP), a landmark experiment to test one of the most fundamental principles of physics. The Equivalence Principle, which assumes that gravity affects different materials equivalently, is one of the foundations of Einstein's theory of gravity. STEP would test the Equivalence Principle at an accuracy which is more than 100,000 times better than that achieved in laboratories on Earth. Cutting edge technology would be developed to measure the difference in the orbital paths of two masses made of different materials. STEP would be led by Dr. Francis Everitt of Stanford University in Stanford, CA, at a total mission cost to NASA Office of Space Science of $75M.
• Joule, an X-ray observatory that would open a unique window on the violent universe. Joule would obtain detailed energy spectra from extreme environments in the Universe ranging from the million degree coronae of nearby stars to the supermassive black holes at the cores of distant galaxies. The observatory would contain a lightweight foil mirror telescope focusing X-rays into a cryogenically cooled detector array. Joule would be led by Dr. Richard Kelley of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, at a total mission cost to the NASA Office of Space Science of $75M.
• Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM), a mission to determine the causes of the highest altitude clouds in the earth's atmosphere. The number of clouds in the middle atmosphere (mesosphere) over the Earth's poles has been increasing over the past couple of decades, and it is hypothesized that this results from increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases at high altitudes. AIM would measure atmospheric temperatures and water vapor concentrations in the cloud forming region, as well as the properties of the clouds themselves. This would determine the connection between the clouds and their environment and lead to the study of long-term changes in the upper atmosphere and global climate change. AIM would be led by Dr. James Russell III of Hampton University in Hampton, VA,, at a total mission cost to the NASA Office Space Science of $75M.
• The Jupiter Magnetospheric Explorer (JMEX), a mission to study the magnetosphere of Jupiter. JMEX would be an Earth-orbiting ultraviolet telescope optimized for detecting light from Jupiter's aurora, from Io's atmosphere, and from the plasma ring around Jupier which is generated by Io. JMEX would be led by Dr. Nicholas Schneider of the University of Colorado at Boulder at a total mission cost to the NASA Office Space Science of $75M.
• The Primordial Explorer (PRIME), a mission to investigate the formation of the first quasars, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. PRIME is a 75 cm telescope with a large near-infrared camera which will obtain images in four colors, surveying 25% of the sky. PRIME is 300 times more sensitive than any previous near-infrared survey. PRIME would establish the epoch during which the first galaxies and quasars formed in the early Universe, discover hundreds of Type Ia supernovae to be used in measuring the acceleration of the expanding Universe, and detect hundreds of small, cool stars known as brown dwarfs. PRIME would be led by Dr. Wei Zheng of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, at a total mission cost to the NASA Office of Space Science of $75M.
• The Spectroscopy of Plasma Evolution from Astrophysical Radiation( SPEAR), an instrument to trace the energy flow in the gas between stars. The project would form a critical part of the Korean KAISTSAT-4 mission. The SPEAR spectrograph would observe million degree gas in the interstellar medium of our Galaxy in order to identify the sources of the thermal energy and determine how this energy is transported through the gas. By observing the emission lines of critical trace elements, the mission would provide unique insight in to the physics processes governing the heating and cooling of interstellar gas clouds and other structures in the local interstellar medium. SPEAR would be led by Dr Jerry Edelstein of the University of California at Berkeley at a total project cost to NASA Office of Space Science of $5M.
• The Coupled Ion-Neutral Dynamics Investigations (CINDI), a mission to understand the dynamics of the Earth's ionosphere. The interaction between electrically neutral and electrically charged gases in the upper atmosphere has a major influence on the structure of the ionosphere. CINDI will provide two instruments for the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) satellite. C/NOFS, a project of the United State Air Force, will predict the behavior of equatorial ionospheric irregularities which can cause major problems for communications and navigation systems. The addition of CINDI to the C/NOFS payload will enable the investigation and understanding of the fundamental physical processes involved in the generation and evolution of these irregularities. CINDI will be led by Dr. Roderick Heelis of the University of Texas at Dallas at a total mission cost to the NASA Office Space Science of $9.2M.