COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT ON ASTROPHYSICS EXPLORER MISSIONS OF OPPORTUNITY | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this NASA announcement?

This is a community announcement from NASA Headquarters (Science Mission Directorate) giving advance notice that NASA intended to seek new Astrophysics Explorer Missions of Opportunity (MOs) under the Explorer Program. It is meant to help the community plan ahead.

2) Is this announcement a formal solicitation for proposals?

No. NASA explicitly stated this notice is not itself a solicitation for proposals. It is a planning announcement indicating that a formal call was expected later through an amendment to an existing Announcement of Opportunity (AO).

3) Which program is involved?

The opportunity is within NASA's long-running Explorer Program, which is designed around Principal Investigator (PI) led missions. A PI and their team propose and manage a focused space science investigation.

4) What science areas are these missions intended to address?

In the astrophysics context described, Explorer missions are aimed at major science themes such as understanding the origin, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe, as well as searching for Earth-like planets.

5) How was the formal solicitation expected to be released?

NASA indicated the planned solicitation would be issued as an appendix amendment to the Second Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON 2), AO number NNH12ZDA006O.

6) When was the solicitation expected to be released?

The solicitation was expected in late summer or early fall of 2012 (as described in the announcement), with additional milestones laid out relative to the release date.

7) Will NASA release a draft of the appendix in advance?

No. NASA explicitly noted it would not release a draft of the program element appendix ahead of time.

8) What types of Astrophysics Missions of Opportunity (MOs) were expected to be eligible?

The planned call was intended to solicit astrophysics investigations that fit the SALMON 2 Missions of Opportunity framework, including three main categories:

• Partner Missions of Opportunity (NASA participates in or contributes to a mission led by another entity)
• New missions that make use of existing spacecraft
• Small complete mission MOs (full missions within a constrained cost and scope)

9) Are Ultra Long Duration Balloon (ULDB) concepts included?

Yes. NASA stated the call would allow concepts that fly on Ultra Long Duration Balloons (ULDB).

10) Are International Space Station (ISS) investigations included?

Yes. NASA indicated the call would allow investigations that could operate from the International Space Station, broadening access beyond traditional free-flying spacecraft.

11) Were any partner mission concepts specifically excluded?

Yes. Partner Missions of Opportunity tied to ESA's Euclid or JUICE missions were specifically excluded from this planned call.

12) What does the Euclid/JUICE exclusion mean for proposers?

Teams hoping to propose U.S. participation linked to ESA's Euclid or JUICE parent missions were told not to expect to compete under this particular Explorer MO solicitation.

13) What was the anticipated cost cap for an Explorer MO?

NASA anticipated a PI-managed mission cost cap of no more than $60 million in FY 2013 dollars for an Explorer Mission of Opportunity.

14) What was the anticipated cost cap for ULDB-based missions?

NASA anticipated a lower PI-managed cost cap of $30 million for ULDB-based missions.

15) What does "PI-managed" cost cap mean in this context?

The announcement emphasizes that the cap is based on "PI-managed" costs under the competition's rules, which affects what costs count against the cap and what NASA might provide outside the cap (as defined in the eventual solicitation).

16) How many selections did NASA expect to make?

Based on NASA's then-current Explorer planning budget, NASA indicated it would likely support selecting and executing either:

• One MO at the $60 million level, or
• Two MOs if both were ULDB missions or otherwise came in well below the $60 million cap

17) Were the solicitation policies expected to follow any prior call?

Yes. NASA stated that solicitation policies were expected to resemble those used in the most recent prior Explorer Mission of Opportunity call (released November 1, 2010, as Appendix H7 of SALMON AO NNH08ZDA009O), with a noted change for ULDB missions.

18) What was the key policy change mentioned for ULDB proposals?

For ULDB proposals, NASA planned to provide balloon and standard balloon services and to exclude those services from the PI-managed cost cap.

19) Why does excluding balloon services from the cost cap matter?

As described, balloon and standard balloon services can be significant cost drivers for balloon missions. Excluding those services from the PI-managed cost cap could make ULDB investigations more feasible within the capped PI-managed budget.

20) Was there a separate opportunity for U.S. Participating Investigators?

Yes. NASA anticipated releasing an amendment to the ROSES 2012 NASA Research Announcement to solicit proposals for U.S. Participating Investigators pursuing astrophysics objectives.

21) How does the ROSES 2012 amendment relate to the Explorer MO call?

The announcement signals two complementary pathways: (1) full mission or mission-opportunity proposals under the Explorer MO framework via the SALMON 2 appendix amendment, and (2) U.S. Participating Investigator proposals via a ROSES 2012 amendment.

22) Was the Explorer MO selection expected to be one-step or multi-step?

NASA stated the Explorer MO selection was expected to be a one-step process with no competitive downselect, meaning full proposals would be submitted up front rather than going through a preliminary phase followed by a finalist downselect.

23) What schedule did NASA provide?

NASA provided a high-level schedule expectation:

• AO release targeted for late summer/early fall 2012
• Preproposal conference about two weeks after release
• Full proposals due 90 days after formal release
• Selections targeted for late spring 2013

24) Who could participate (eligibility)?

Eligibility was described as intentionally broad, with participation open to U.S. and non-U.S. organizations across academia, industry, nonprofits, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), NASA centers, and other government agencies, subject to any specific rules in the final amended SALMON 2 appendix.

25) Is cost sharing required?

No. The opportunity information indicates no cost sharing requirement.

26) What were NASA's caveats about this announcement?

NASA emphasized the notice was preliminary and not binding. NASA stated the final SALMON 2 amendment could differ substantially from what was described, and if there is a difference, the language in the actual amendment controls.

27) Was NASA obligated to issue the amendment or fund selections?

No. NASA stated it had not yet approved issuing the amendment at the time of the notice, and the announcement did not obligate NASA to release the call or to fund anything.

28) Who bears the risk of proposal preparation costs?

NASA stated that any costs incurred by prospective proposers while preparing for a potential submission would be entirely at their own risk.

29) Where would updates and FAQs be posted?

NASA directed the community to the Explorer Program Acquisition website at soma.larc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/index, where additional information and weekly-posted FAQ responses would appear.

30) Who was the point of contact for questions?

Questions were to be sent to the Astrophysics Explorer Program Scientist, Dr. Wilton T. Sanders, with instructions for email subject line labeling.

31) Would questioners be identified when FAQs are posted?

No. NASA noted that questioners' identities would be kept anonymous when FAQs are posted.

32) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this opportunity?

The opportunity is cataloged under Funding Opportunity Number NNH12ZDA011J.

33) What CFDA program is referenced?

The notice references CFDA 43.001 (Science).

34) When was this opportunity posted and when was it archived?

The opportunity was posted June 20, 2012, and had an archive date of June 20, 2013.