<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:106%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">NASA intends to support a limited number of mission concept studies for development ahead of the next decadal survey. A draft solicitation will be released in the near future, followed by a
final solicitation with a proposal deadline in March/April 2021. These studies are anticipated to last ~6 months, and will result in a science white paper and a mission concept white paper submitted by the community to the Decadal Survey Committee.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Due to the constrained timeline, the current public health situation, and other considerations, NASA strongly encourages the use of mission design capabilities within the community and beyond
the NASA system. For reasons of community representation and diversity of ideas, NASA strongly encourages institutions with design capabilities to explore partnerships with interested community members.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Mission concepts for study should be able to address focused science objectives relevant to the Heliophysics Division’s two strategic mission programs. For Solar Terrestrial Probes, a mission
concept should address the weakest links in the chain of understanding in order to fundamentally advance the entire heliophysics field. For Living With a Star, a mission concept should provide understanding of specific aspects of the interconnected space environment
that impacts life and society, including pre-application space weather, life and habitability (on and beyond Earth), and space environment impacts on robotic and human exploration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">NASA strongly encourages innovative, compelling science investigations that significantly advance and expand the frontiers of the field of heliophysics. Mission concepts for study are not expected
to be constrained to a particular cost range, but should not have core science achievable within a MIDEX budget.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Any questions about NASA-supported mission concept studies should be directed to Jared Leisner (jared.s.leisner@nasa.gov).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>