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
16 December 2020
The 237th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Virtually Anywhere, 11–15 January 2021, will include Physics of the Cosmos events. The PCOS AAS2021 Meeting page lists currently scheduled sessions, presentations, chats, and displays »
Details.
4 December 2020
Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) Step-2 Due Date. Step-2 proposals now due
3 February 2021. Step-1 proposal due date unchanged as
11 December 2020 »
Details.
4 December 2020
Release of Final text and Due Dates for ROSES Post-COVID Recovery program. Requests received by
4 January 2021 will be processed first. Final due date is
5 March 2021. »
Details.
4 December 2020
NICER seeks panel members for Cycle 3 proposal review »
Details.
4 December 2020
NASA Science seeking volunteer proposal reviewers in Earth and Space Science »
Details.
9 November 2020
SMD Community Town Hall on Tues 17 November to discuss updates to the Agency-wide science program. »
Details.
6 November 2020
NASA Fundamental Physics Program Virtual Town Hall on
3 December 2020, to discuss research priorities in advance of the Biological and Physical Sciences Division Decadal Survey. »
Details.
5 November 2020
Call for proposals for Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM). Step-1 Proposals are due
11 December 2020. »
Details.
28 October 2020
Call for proposals on Open-Source Tools, Libraries, and Frameworks. »
Details.
28 October 2020
Revised Text and Due Date for NuSTAR General Observer Program Cycle 7. »
Details.
22 Oct 2020
Principal Investigator Launchpad workshop in Summer 2021, targeted toward researchers developing their first flight mission concepts. »
Details.
21 October 2020
Revised submission date: Applications Sought for PhysPAG Executive Committee. Submissions now due
November 6. »
Details.
14 October 2020
Astrophysics Explorers Announcement of Opportunity Community Announcement »
Details.
17 September 2020
NASA announces major revisions in Astrophysics Research and Analysis opportunity. Due dates remain unchanged. »
Details.
29 July 2020
Community Announcement: Intention to Amend ROSES-20 via a Future Appendix for Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM). »
Details.
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