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Cosmic Origins UV/Visible Astrophysics Mission Concepts Study

2012

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About UV/Visible Astrophysics Mission Concepts Study

Science Objectives and Requirements for the Next NASA UV/Visible Astrophysics Mission Concepts

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, through the Astrophysics Division and its Cosmic Origins (COR) Program, is soliciting information through this Request for Information (RFI) pertaining to potential ultraviolet (UV) and visible wavelength astrophysics science investigations.

Cosmic Origins UV/Visible Astrophysics Mission Concepts Workshop and Meeting about Science Objectives and Requirements for the Next NASA UV/Visible Astrophysics Mission Concepts
Two spiral galaxies take up almost the entire view and appear to be overlapping. The galaxy at left, IC 2163, is smaller and more compact than the galaxy at right, NGC 2207. The black background of space is dotted with foreground stars and extremely distant galaxies.
The odd palette of these galaxies is owed to a mix of mid-infrared light from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, and visible and ultraviolet light from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The pair grazed one another millions of years ago. The smaller spiral on the left, catalogued as IC 2163, passed behind NGC 2207, the larger spiral galaxy at right.
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

On 25 May 2012, NASA released a Request for Information (RFI), NNH12ZDA008L, to solicit information pertaining to potential ultraviolet (UV) and visible wavelength astrophysics science investigations.

Specifically, NASA sought information that can be used to develop a cohesive set of science goals that motivate and support the development of the next generation of UV/Visible space astrophysics missions and requisite technologies. Information could include broad science goals, justifications for investigation that support Cosmic Origins science goals, specific measurements or proxy observing plans for well-defined astrophysical experiments, or any aspect of scientific inquiry in the UV/Visible that supports the above Cosmic Origins goals.

On 10 August 2012, this solicitation closed. A total of 34 compliant responses were submitted. In the document, Scientific Objectives for UV/visible Astrophysics Investigations: a Summary of Responses by the Community (2012), we summarize the submissions from the point of view of top-level science performance drivers (such as wavelength range, field of view, or the requirement for temporal sampling) in order to provide a means of quick comparison between responses. This summary is not guaranteed to be comprehensive and is the result of subjective analysis of the responses. Any errors are ours alone and shall be corrected online to provide the most accurate list possible.

A community workshop will be held at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) on 18 September 2012 to discuss these responses, and to work toward a cohesive set of science drivers for the next NASA UV/Visible mission concepts. This workshop can be attended virtually or in person.

The process of handling this RFI was accomplished by several people whose contributions we acknowledge here: Mario Perez (COR Program Scientist), John Gagosian (COR Program Executive), Ruth Carter (UV/Visible Study Manager), Beth Keer (COR Deputy Program Manager), Pat Tyler, Aaron McClesky, Michele Smith, and Susan Keddie.

We wish to thank the 222 individual respondents identified in the RFI submissions. It is a testimony to the vibrancy of the field that so many people contributed to this effort.

Dominic Benford
Chief Scientist
Cosmic Origins Program Office		Susan Neff
Deputy Chief Scientist
Cosmic Origins Program Office
August 29, 2012

Submissions in Response to the RFI

TitleSubmitted byDocument
How Do Molecules and Dust Form in Massive Interacting Winds?Theodore Gull[PDF]
The Importance of White Dwarf Stars as Tests of Stellar Physics and Galactic EvolutionJudith Provencal[PDF]
The Origin of the Elements Heavier than IronJames Lawler[PDF]
UVMag: Stellar Physics with UV and Visible SpectropolarimetryCoralie Neiner[PDF]
Response to Request for Information: NNH12ZDA008LRichard Ignace[PDF]
Mass Transport Processes and Their Roles in the Formation, Structure, and Evolution of Stars and Stellar SystemsKenneth Carpenter[PDF]
Understanding Global Galactic Star FormationPaul Scowen[PDF]
The Magellanic Clouds Survey — a Bridge to Nearby GalaxiesPaul Scowen[PDF]
Massive Stars: Key to Solving the Cosmic PuzzleAida Wofford[PDF]
Conditions for Life in the Local UniverseMartin Barstow[PDF]
The History of Star Formation in GalaxiesThomas Brown[PDF]
Space-Based UV/Optical Wide-Field Imaging and Spectroscopy: Near-Field Cosmology and Galaxy Evolution Using Globular Clusters in Nearby GalaxiesPaul Goudfrooij[PDF]
The Crucial Role of High Spatial Resolution, High Sensitivity UV Observations to Galaxy Evolution StudiesBenjamin Williams[PDF]
A Census of Local Group Ultraviolet Dust Extinction CurvesKarl Gordon[PDF]
The Baryon Census in a Multiphase Intergalactic MediumMichael Shull[PDF]
Quasar Absorption Lines in the Far Ultraviolet: An Untapped Gold Mine for Galaxy Evolution StudiesTodd Tripp[PDF]
Seeking Into the Anthropic PrincipleAna Gomez de Castro[PDF]
The Escape Fraction of Ionizing Photons from Dwarf GalaxiesClaudia Scarlata[PDF]
Science from IGM/CGM Emission MappingDavid Schiminovich[PDF]
Project Lyman: Quantifying 11 Gyrs of Metagalactic Ionizing Background EvolutionStephan McCandliss[PDF]
Synergistic Astrophysics in the Ultraviolet using Active Galactic NucleiGerard Kriss[PDF]
Active Galactic Nuclei and Their role in Galaxy Formation and EvolutionSteven Kraemer[PDF]
UV Spectroscopic Time Domain Studies of Active Galactic NucleiBradley Peterson[PDF]
Extragalactic Lyman-Alpha Experiments in the Nearby UniverseMatthew Hayes[PDF]
Galaxy Assembly and SMBH/AGN-Growth from Cosmic Dawn to the End of ReionizationPaul Scowen[PDF]
A UV/Optical/Near-IR Spectroscopic Sky Survey for Understanding Galaxy EvolutionSara Heap[PDF]
An Optical and Ultraviolet Cosmological MapperOlivier Doré[PDF]
Exoplanet Science of Nearby Stars on a UV/Visible Astrophysics MissionCharley Noecker[PDF]
Ultraviolet Imaging of ExoplanetsTimothy Cook[PDF]
From Protoplanetary Disks to Extrasolar Planets: Understanding the Life Cycle of Circumstellar Gas with Ultraviolet SpectroscopyKevin France[PDF]
Solar System Science Objectives with the Next UV/Optical Space ObservatoryMichael Wong[PDF]
Science Drivers for a Wide-Field, High-Resolution Imaging Space Telescope Operating at UV/Blue Optical WavelengthsPatrick Côté[PDF]
Unique Astrophysics in the Lyman UltravioletJason Tumlinson[PDF]
White Paper In Response To NSPIRES RFI For The Next Generation Space UV-Vis Space Observatory (NG-SUVO)Melville Ulmer[PDF]
Submissions Abstracts

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An illustration of Sun-like star HD 181327 and its surrounding debris disk. The star is at top right. It is surrounded by a far larger debris disk that forms an incomplete ellpitical path and is cut off at right. There’s a huge cavity between the star and the disk. The debris disk is shown in shades of light gray. Toward the top and left, there are finer, more discrete points in a range of sizes. The disk appears hazier and smokier at the bottom. The star is bright white at center, with a hazy blue region around it. The background of space is black. The label Artist's Concept appears at lower left.