Thread 3: Major #astro2020 NASA recommendations.
1. An integrated Great Observatories Mission and Technology Maturation Program. Future missions are big. Before they can formally commence, the technology and mission architecture must be mature.
1. An integrated Great Observatories Mission and Technology Maturation Program. Future missions are big. Before they can formally commence, the technology and mission architecture must be mature.
Mature enough that realistic costs and schedules and feasibility can be assessed. This proposed process ties technology to specific missions and architectures; evolving a mission as technology matures.
The first and highest priority mission is a 6-m (inscribed) IR/O/UV telescope capable of imaging earthlike worlds with broad astrophysics capabilities (especially in the UV) - see this thread
https://twitter.com/bmac_astro/status/1456278582959902726?s=20
After maturation, this would begin formulation and implementation before the end of the decade. And would fly in the early 2040s.
While the IR/O/UV mission moves begins formulation, X-ray and FIR missions would enter the Great Observatories maturation program, so one or both would be ready for the next Decadal survey to consider
3, A program of $1.5B Probe-class missions, roughly once per decade. These fill the gap between $300M explorers and the grand strategic missions.
Similar to the New Horizons program, the focus areas would be defined by the Decadal Survey. In this case, based on technological readiness and scientific needs, X-ray and far-infrared concepts are prioritized for the first call
As a historical note, Spitzer and Compton and @NASAFermi would be Probes by this definition. Probes can still have enormous scientific capability.
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