PCOS Mission Studies
2013-2014 X-ray Probe Study
NASA's Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS) Program established a Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) to study concepts for a potential reduced-scale strategic spectroscopy X-ray mission with total mission cost less than $1B in FY 2013 constant year dollars. The X-ray Probe (XAP) STDT was constituted to assist the Astrophysics Division, through its PCOS Program Office, in developing a reference mission concept of high scientific, technical, and programmatic merit that would both address the X-ray science goals and program prioritizations of the Decadal Survey New World New Horizons (NWNH) for X-ray astrophysics and be executable within the Astrophysics Division's notional budget profile. For further details, see the Call for Letters of Application for Membership in the Science and Technology Definition Teams for Reduced Scale X-ray Mission Concepts.
The mission study was ended with the 2014 selection of the Athena mission in Europe, at which point NASA began efforts to partner with ESA on Athena. Please see the Athena study page for more information.
Announcing: XAP STDT Membership
PCOS is pleased to announce the names of the 16 members of the XAP STDT. There was a tremendous positive response from the community, thank you to all those who applied.
XAP STDT Membership:
- Jay Bookbinder (CfA), Co-chair
- Niel Brandt (PSU)
- Laura Brenneman (CfA)
- Sebastian Heinz (U. Wisconsin)
- Ann Hornschemeier (NASA GSFC), Co-chair
- John Hughes (Rutgers)
- Hironori Matsumoto (Nagoya), ISAS/JAXA Representative
- Dan McCammon (U. Wisconsin)
- Richard Mushotzky (U. Maryland)
- Rachel Osten (STScI)
- Paul Plucinsky (CfA)
- Brian Ramsey (NASA MSFC)
- Christopher Reynolds (U. Maryland)
- Mark Schattenburg (MIT)
Ex Officio:
- Robert Petre (NASA GSFC), XAP Study Scientist
- Rita Sambruna (NASA HQ), PCOS Program Scientist
Reference documents for the X-ray Probe Study
PCOS News
Program News and Announcements
1 February 2019
Dr Terri Brandt confirmed as PCOS Chief Scientist.
17 December 2018
NASA HQ has publicly
posted an updated
Astrophysics Implementation Plan (AIP), detailing progress made by NASA's Astrophysics Division in implementing the 2010 Decadal recommendations since the previous update in 2016. Please see »
full details
29 November 2018
The National Academies has released updated
information about the 2020 Decadal Survey call for Community Science White Papers. They are now due 7 January–19 February 2019. See
here for further instructions. Further, it is our pleasure to announce that the President of the National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt has
appointed Dr. Fiona Harrison and Dr. Robert Kennicutt, Jr. to serve as co-chairs of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey committee.
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