EVI-5 Selection News: NASA Targets Coastal Ecosystems with New Space Sensor

NASA has announced the science investigation selected as a result of the Earth Venture Instrument-5 solicitation. NASA Press Release 19-065, Aug. 1, 2019 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-targets-coastal-ecosystems-with-new-space-sensor

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Amendment #4 to the SALMON-3 AO creates a new proposal opportunity via PEA K: Earth Venture Instrument (EVI)-5.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate announces the addition of Program Element Appendix (PEA) K to the omnibus NASA Announcement of Opportunity entitled Third Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-3 NNH17ZDA004O). PEA K is the Earth Venture Instrument (EVI)-5, a new opportunity to propose complete PI-led science investigations requiring spaceflight instrument or CubeSat(s) development. The full text of the EVI-5 PEA K of SALMON-3 is available on the NSPIRES page for NNH17ZDA004O-EVI5.

SALMON-3 PEA K is a Focused Mission of Opportunity that addresses a specific, NASA-identified flight opportunity that fulfills the solicited objectives and includes all of the elements specified in the PEA and in the SALMON-3 AO.

The investigation PI is responsible for conducting the proposed science investigation which includes, but is not limited to: (i) development and delivery of the instrument, instrument package, and/or CubeSat(s); (ii) working with NASA to integrate the instrument on the NASA-chosen platform and/or the complete CubeSat(s) onto the NASA-determined launch vehicle; (iii) commissioning, validating, and operating the instrument and/or CubeSat(s) on-orbit and required ground systems to carry out the proposed science investigation; (iv) preparing and delivering appropriate data analysis software, including required calibration data, analyzing the data, archiving all the proposed investigation data at one or more NASA-chosen Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for public distribution to the scientific community, and reporting the results of the science investigation in the scientific literature.

The science goals and questions are described in Section 2 of the PEA. Any appropriate science question relevant to NASA's Earth science goals may be addressed with the proposed investigations.

A Pre-Proposal Web Conference for EVI-5 is scheduled for July 19, 2018 at 1:00 PM (eastern time). Additional information regarding this web conference will be posted on the EVI-5 Acquisition Homepage.

Mandatory Notices of Intent are Due: August 1, 2018
Last Date for Submission of Questions: September 26, 2018
Proposals are Due: October 10, 2018
Due Date for Receipt of Proposal CD-ROMs: October 16, 2018

Questions specifically concerning this PEA should be directed to Hank Margolis at hank.a.margolis@nasa.gov (subject line to read "EVI-5 AO"). Responses to all inquiries will be posted in the EVI-5 Q&A section of the EVI-5 Acquisition Homepage at https://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVI-5/. Anonymity of those who submit questions will be preserved.

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Earth Venture Programmatic Overview

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Earth Science Division's Earth Venture portfolio is an element within the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program. Earth Venture investigations consist of a series of regularly solicited, competitively selected, cost and schedule constrained Earth science investigations. They are described in the 2017 report, Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017), available in the EVI-5 Library at https://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVI-5/evi-5_library.html. In this PEA, we henceforth refer to this report as the 2017 Decadal Survey. The 2017 Decadal Survey recommended that the existing Earth Venture portfolio be continued and expanded over the coming decade.

Initiated in 2007, the goal of NASA's Earth Venture portfolio is to provide frequent flight opportunities for high quality, high value, focused Earth science investigations. These investigations need to be accomplished under a not-to-exceed cost cap and that can be developed and flown relatively quickly, generally within five years. The investigations are Principal Investigator (PI) led and are selected through an open competition to ensure broad community involvement and encourage innovative approaches.

The programmatic objectives of the Earth Venture mission portfolio are to implement missions that will:

• advance scientific knowledge of Earth science processes and systems;
• add scientific data and other knowledge-based products to data archives for all to access;
• result in scientific progress and results published in the peer-reviewed literature to encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the fullest commercial use of the knowledge gained;
• develop information products, demonstrate relevant applications, and provide data to key applications communities to enhance the overall benefits of a mission;
• provide opportunities to expand the pool of well-qualified Principal Investigators and Project Managers for implementation of future NASA missions;
• implement technology advancements that have been accomplished through related programs; and
• communicate scientific progress and results through popular media, scholastic curricula, and outreach materials that can be used to inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

 

The EV investigations will accomplish high quality Earth science investigations utilizing efficient management approaches to contain mission cost through commitment to, and control of, design, development, and operations costs.

 

This solicitation calls for proposals for complete PI-led science investigations requiring spaceflight instrument or CubeSat(s) development. The term "complete" encompasses investigation phases from project initiation, through development and science operations, to scientific analysis of space based data. These spaceflight missions will be used to conduct innovative, integrated, hypothesis or scientific question-driven investigations addressing pressing Earth system science issues.

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