NEW HORIZONS NASA’s New Frontiers Program With the New Frontiers Program, NASA aims to explore the solar system with frequent, medium-class, scientifically focused spacecraft missions. NASA established the program in 2003 while building on the innovative approaches used in its Discovery and Explorer programs – providing a way to identify and select missions too challenging within Discovery’s cost and time constraints. New Frontiers missions will tackle specific exploration goals identified as Naming New Horizons top priorities in the landmark 2002 National Research Council study, New What’s in a name? For the first mission to Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy. Also known Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, a lot of thought, as the “Decadal Survey,” the study was conducted by the Space Studies creativity and weeks of hard work! Read the Board of the National Research Council at NASA’s request. In doing so, NASA inside story of how New Horizons earned its sought to examine the big picture of solar system exploration, survey the moniker on the mission Web site, at http:// current knowledge of our solar system, compile the scientific questions pluto.jhuapl.edu/overview/piPerspectives/ that should guide solar system exploration in the next decade, and list (in piPerspective_05_2005_1.html. order) the most promising avenues for flight investigations and supporting ground-based activities. The high-priority scientific goals identified by the study related to the exploration of Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, Venus, Jupiter, the south pole of the Moon (including the Aitken Basin) and comets. Open Competition New Frontiers missions start as proposals – sent to NASA after an open Historic Selection announcement – and are chosen through a competitive peer review process. A principal investigator (PI), typically affiliated with a university or research New Horizons was proposed to AO-OSS-01, institution, leads each mission. The PI selects team members from industry, NASA’s Jan. 20, 2001, request for flyby small businesses, government laboratories and universities to develop the mission proposals to Pluto-Charon and the science objectives and instrument payload. The PI is responsible for the Kuiper Belt. New Horizons was one of overall success of the project by assuring it will meet all cost, schedule and two proposals chosen for further concept performance objectives. study in June 2001, and NASA selected The New Frontiers Program encourages use of validated new technologies, New Horizons as its Pluto mission on Nov. efficient management, and control of design, development and operations 29, 2001. Led by Principal Investigator costs while maintaining a strong commitment to flight safety. Total mission cost (PI) Alan Stern of the Southwest Research must be under $700 million. Institute’s Space Studies Department, Boulder, Colo., the mission team included Missions major partners at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in With its mission plan and management structure already closely aligned to Laurel, Md.; Stanford University, Palo Alto, the program’s goals, New Horizons became the first New Frontiers mission Calif.; Ball Aerospace Corp., Boulder; NASA when the program was established. The second New Frontiers mission is Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Juno, scheduled to launch in 2011 and conduct an in-depth study of Jupiter. Md.; and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Juno plans to place a spacecraft in a polar orbit around the giant planet to Pasadena, Calif. look for an ice-rock core, determine how much water and ammonia exists in New Horizons is the first-ever PI-led mission the atmosphere, study convection and deep wind profiles in the atmosphere, to the outer planets and the first mission of examine the origin of the Jovian magnetic field, and explore the polar the New Frontiers Program. magnetosphere. NASA’s Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., assists the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters with program management, technology planning, systems assessment, flight assurance and public outreach. The Marshall Center assures the availability of the technical expertise to quickly assess needs and manage the support structure to provide oversight to these missions. For more information on the New Frontiers Program, visit http://newfrontiers.nasa.gov NASA’s First Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt 15

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