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NASA SMEX: selection announced

By catdynamics on June 19, 2009.

NASA has announced the selection of the Small Explorer Missions for the current round of competition.

And the winners are...

The Small Explorer class missions are small (under $105 million including MODA but excluding launcher) fast science missions, there was a competition for two slots, with six concepts selected for further study last year. Final selection was just announced

IRIS: Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph
Solar physics mission - spectroscopy of the chromosphere
PI Alan Title from LockMart ATC in Palo Altoo

and

GEM: Gravity and Extreme Magnetism
the x-ray polarimetry mission!

PI Jean Swank from NASA Goddard

I'll be darned, the polarimetry concept finally made the cut.
We'll see if it works.

Tags
astro
Categories
Physical Sciences

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Surprised us too. The story I heard is that the alternatives failed their technical reviews.

So much for TESS.

I'm quite happy that GEMS got selected. I think X-ray polarimetry is exactly the kind of thing that NASA should be doing with SMEX missions; opening up completely new discovery spaces. Granted GEMS won't be able to study very many sources, but I bet it'll find some really interesting things.

By Craig Heinke (not verified) on 21 Jun 2009 #permalink

Well, it did turn out to be one solar and one universe SMEX.
If the panel was convinced polarimetry tech is ready, then so be it.

I don't suppose Harvard feels like doing TESS privately, this year?
Shame about JANUS. Hopefully there will be an opportunity to recompete a NIR/GRB mission.

I am finding it interesting that there is essentially no news coverage of this selection and nothing in the blogosphere either beyond Steinn's post. There should be another SMEX/MIDEX call in the next few years, but it will depend on what direction the new NASA director decides to take. The losing teams have not yet received an official debrief which means no feedback into the decision making process.

At AAS (not long before selections were announced) rumor was that there could be one selection or there could be three. It would be nice to know which was the possible number three and whether the final number was determined by scientific merit, technical readiness, or budget constraints.