Dear Astrophysics Strategic Technology & Research Accelerator (ASTRA) community members-

There will be a seminar on Friday 22 May at 12 noon Eastern (9a Pacific) by John Ziemer (JPL) on “How to Think about Mission Concepts: An Introduction to Concept Maturity Levels”.

Abstract: Concept Maturity Levels (CMLs) are a set of guidelines, products, and best practices to help science and engineering teams develop mission and instrument concepts in pre-formulation, prior to Phase A. There are eight concept maturity levels through the project Preliminary Design Review and 6 dimensions that need to be considered equally: science, engineering, implementation, cost, story, and strategy as the concept matures.  Using CMLs has been recommended by NASA's Science Mission Directorate’s Large Mission Study and the 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics to define and mature a concept prior to any NASA commitment. They provide teams with a set of goals to reach at each level, setting common expectations, helping to eliminate silos in expertise, preventing extra work from diving too deep in any one area too early, and focusing teams' efforts on developing required products in a stepwise fashion.

This talk will provide a short background of CMLs that have been used and are continuing to be improved at JPL and NASA for over 15 years. We will describe the levels and dimensions of pre-formulation concept maturity, including recommended objectives and products the pre-formulation team should produce at each level.

Connection details can be found on the event webpage.

Wishing you the best,

Dr Ron Gamble

Cosmic Origins Support Scientist, NASA GSFC

Dr Bernard Kelly PhysCOS Support Scientist, NASA GSFC