NASA's Physics of the Cosmos (PhysCOS) Program initiated two studies to develop mission concepts that could meet some or all of the objectives outlined in the New Worlds, New Horizons decadal report for the areas of X-ray astronomy and gravitational-wave science. The PhysCOS Program worked with these communities to define mission concepts that achieve these science objectives at multiple price points.
This began with the release of a formal Request for Information (RFI) on each topic. In parallel, NASA released an open solicitation inviting members of the science community to participate in a Community Science Team (CST) for the X-ray mission or the gravitational-wave mission. The Program Office worked with each CST to review the RFI responses. In December 2012, workshops, which were open to the community, were held to discuss the RFI responses and define the mission concepts to be studied.
A PhysCOS Program study team, working with each CST, identified the requirements relevant to each concept, defined the mission configuration options, executed mission design runs at mission design laboratories, refined the mission concepts, and drafted a mission concept study reports.
Details relevant to each of these architecting studies can be found by following the links below: