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Program Analysis Group (PhysPAG)

The PhysPAG serves as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for soliciting and coordinating community analysis and input in support of Physics of the Cosmos objectives and of their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization and for future exploration. It provides findings of analyses to the NASA Astrophysics Division Director.

Objectives
Executive Committee

Objectives

The PhysPAG enables direct regular communication between NASA and the community, and within the community, through public meetings that give the community opportunities to provide its scientific and programmatic input. Structurally, the PhysPAG Chair and the PhysPAG Executive Committee (EC) are appointed members whose responsibilities include organizing meetings and collecting and summarizing community input with subsequent reporting to the Astrophysics Division Director. The full PhysPAG consists of all members of the community who participate in these open meetings. The PhysPAG has eight Science Interest Groups (SIGs), described in more detail at PhysPAG Science Groups.

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A cluster of multicolored stars

The ASTRA Initiative

The Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) Initiative will streamline future strategic missions by lowering overall costs, shortening the time required to achieve scientific results, and minimizing schedule risks.

The two stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 produce shells of dust every eight years that look like rings, as seen in this image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. Each ring was created when the stars came close together and their stellar winds collided.

PhysPAG Terms of Reference

Details on the operation and organization of the PhysPAG (updated March 2017).

Gaseous yellow-orange filaments look like a rose seen from the side and tilted slightly from upper left to lower right, slightly higher than the center of the frame. Extending from the rose to upper left and lower right are gaseous outflows that appear as red lobes that have an overall shape of tall, narrow triangles with rounded tips. Each red triangle is made up of wavy, irregular lines. Dozens of stars are scattered across the field. One particularly bright white star with eight diffraction spikes is located at the top of the yellow rose. Another bright blue star with even more prominent diffraction spikes is to its lower left. The background of space is black.

Science Groups

Learn more about Physics of the Cosmos community science groups.

The Blue Ring Nebula consists of two expanding cones of debris. The base of one cone is moving toward Earth. Both bases are outlined in magenta, revealing shockwaves created as the debris races through space.

Science Gaps

Read more about the science gaps, research areas where additional work relevant to future great observatories is needed.

Executive Committee

The PhysPAG Chair and the PhysPAG Executive Committee (EC) are appointed members of the PhysPAG whose responsibilities include organizing meetings and collecting and summarizing community input with subsequent reporting to the Astrophysics Division Director.

NameInstitutionExpertiseTerm
Manel Errando (Chair)Washington U. St. LouisGR SIGFeb 2023 – Dec 2027
Chien-Ting Chen (Vice Chair)USRA / MSFCXR SIGFeb 2023 – Dec 2028
David Pooley (Chair Emeritus)Trinity UniversityXR SIGDec 2021 – Dec 2026
Jeremy PerkinsNASA / GSFCGR SIGJan 2024 – Dec 2026
Stephanie WisselPenn StateCRN SIGJan 2024 – Dec 2026
Igor AndreoniUNCTDAMM SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Tom Essinger-HilemanGSFCIP SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Dida MarkovicJPLCoS SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Francois FoucartNew HampshireTDAMM SIG / GW SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Scott RandallSAOX-rayJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Tiffany LewisMichigan TechGR SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Fabio PacucciHarvardHWO SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Philip von DoetinchemHawaii ManoaCRN SIGJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Veronica DexheimerKent StateNuclear/Astro TheoryJan 2026 – Dec 2028
Former Executive Committee Members

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This cropped horizontal image has layers of semi-opaque rusty red colored gas and dust that starts at the bottom right and goes toward the top left. There are three prominent pillars rising toward the top left. The left pillar is the largest and widest. The peaks of the second and third pillars are set off in darker shades of brown and have red outlines.