Dear Physics of the Cosmos (PhysCOS) community members-

NASA’s greatest telescopes continue to expand our frontiers in both literal and metaphorical ways. They advance the limits of humanity’s views of the cosmos while they address profound questions: How does the universe work? How did we get here? Are we alone? They also advance the frontiers of our technologies and capabilities by making the previously impossible routine, and in the process advancing US strategic interests consistent with the President’s national space policy. NASA’s Astrophysics Division (APD) pursues implementation plans for these frontier-expanding missions with guidance from: decadal surveys by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine including “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s” (Astro2020); internal NASA reports, including the Large Strategic Science Missions (LSSM) Report; and independent assessments including the Government Accountability Office’s Assessment of Major Projects (AMP).

To ensure continued US leadership in expanding humanity’s knowledge of the Universe, NASA Astrophysics Division is creating the Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) Initiative, to: 1) identify strategic (flagship/probe) mission concepts that expand our frontier to dramatically advance astrophysics; 2) study those concepts at a low fidelity level to inform strategic decisions; and 3) advance the concepts ahead of formal pre-Phase A activities for potential projects. At each stage of this initiative, NASA will work with our industry, commercial, philanthropic, and academic partners to advance the technologies and manufacturing capabilities required to make these missions possible and will explore domestic and international partnerships that could reduce their costs to the agency. These preparatory activities are designed to follow the guidance from Astro2020, the LSSM, and AMP. This initiative is structured to reduce the total cost of future strategic missions, their time from conception-to-science, and their cost and schedule, in advance of formal project formulation.

More details on ASTRA, including an anticipated timeline, can be found in the announcement document [PDF].

Wishing you the best,

Dr Francesca Civano & Dr Brian Humensky

PhysCOS Chief Scientists, NASA GSFC

Dr Bernard Kelly

PhysCOS Support Scientist, NASA GSFC