Announcement of Opportunity for Astrophysics Medium Explorer Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing an Astrophysics Explorer 2016 Medium Explorer Announcement of Opportunity (NNH16ZDA010O). The Astrophysics Explorers Program conducts Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations relevant to SMD's astrophysics programs. Astrophysics Explorers investigations must address NASA's strategic objective to discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other stars.

This solicitation will be open from September 15, 2016, through December 15, 2016. Upon the release date, the full text of the AO and all appendices will be available electronically at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/. A preproposal conference will be held in early October; see http://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/APMIDEX2016/MIDEX for details.

NASA will release simultaneously a solicitation for an Astrophysics Explorer 2016 Mission of Opportunity (MO) through the NASA Second Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-2) Announcement of Opportunity (NNH12ZDA006O) and a solicitation for Astrophysics Explorer U.S. Participating Investigators (APEX USPI) through the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 2016 (ROSES-16) NASA Research Announcement (NNH16ZDA001N).

Participation is open to all categories of organizations or institutions, U.S. or non-U.S., including educational, industrial, and not-for-profit institutions, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies.

NASA expects to select one Astrophysics Medium Explorer mission to proceed into Phase B and subsequent mission phases.

This AO incorporates a number of changes relative to the previous Explorers Program AO and to the Draft 2016 Medium Explorer AO. All proposers must read this AO carefully, and all proposals must comply with the requirements, constraints, and guidelines contained within the AO.

Comments and questions may be addressed in writing or by E-mail to: Dr. Wilton T. Sanders, Astrophysics Explorers Program Scientist, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001; E-mail: wilton.t.sanders@nasa.gov (subject line to read "Explorer MIDEX AO"); Phone: 202-358-1319; FAX: 202-358-3062. Responses to all inquiries will be answered by E-mail and also posted to the Questions and Answers (Q&A) location of the 2016 Astrophysics Explorers Program Acquisition website at http://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/APMIDEX2016/MIDEX; anonymity of persons and institutions who submit questions will be preserved.

This notice constitutes a NASA Research Announcement as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)(2).