donald
headquarters
washington
december
phone
release
nasa
seeks
proposals
for
pluto
mission
plans
restructure
outer
planet
program
nasa
announced
today
that
the
agency
seeking
proposals
from
principal
investigators
and
institutions
around
the
world
develop
the
first
mission
pluto
this
announcement
opportunity
marks
the
first
time
the
office
space
science
has
solicited
proposals
for
mission
outer
planet
such
jupiter
saturn
uranus
neptune
and
pluto
selected
competitive
basis
similar
the
agency
discovery
program
that
program
features
lower
cost
highly
focused
missions
with
rapid
development
the
scientific
spacecraft
the
proposals
are
due
nasa
headquarters
march
competition
has
worked
quite
well
other
nasa
space
science
programs
and
expect
that
through
this
approach
will
see
number
creative
ideas
from
innovative
thinkers
and
organizations
that
have
not
been
able
participate
outer
planet
exploration
before
said
weiler
associate
administrator
for
space
science
nasa
headquarters
washington
the
past
decade
number
organizations
outside
nasa
have
gained
the
expertise
successfully
fly
deep
space
missions
and
the
past
few
months
have
heard
the
calls
from
many
the
scientific
community
favor
open
competition
our
outer
planet
program
weiler
added
think
time
try
this
new
approach
hope
that
opening
these
missions
competition
will
greatly
benefit
science
and
space
exploration
colleen
hartman
currently
the
deputy
director
the
research
division
for
the
office
space
science
has
been
selected
outer
planets
program
director
and
will
the
single
point
contact
nasa
headquarters
for
budget
content
and
policy
direction
the
decision
solicit
proposals
comes
three
months
after
unacceptably
large
cost
increases
the
pluto
kuiper
express
pke
mission
led
nasa
issue
stop
order
the
project
sept
nasa
jet
propulsion
laboratory
jpl
pasadena
weiler
made
the
decision
earlier
this
week
open
the
pluto
mission
competition
the
europa
orbiter
mission
will
continue
developed
jpl
the
announcement
opportunity
will
solicit
proposals
for
investigations
that
require
the
development
complete
mission
the
pluto
charon
system
and
the
kuiper
belt
beyond
including
expendable
launch
vehicle
and
spacecraft
its
bus
and
systems
and
the
science
instrumentation
package
following
peer
review
nasa
will
select
two
more
the
top
proposals
for
more
detailed
study
and
will
downselect
the
winning
proposal
august
there
are
restrictions
the
launch
date
but
there
goal
reach
pluto
nasa
will
cap
the
cost
the
pluto
mission
million
dollars
nasa
sponsoring
two
and
half
day
workshop
for
scientists
engineers
technologists
and
others
from
academia
nasa
centers
federal
laboratories
the
private
sector
and
international
partners
held
early
february
the
workshop
will
provide
open
forum
for
presentation
discussion
and
consideration
various
concepts
options
and
innovations
associated
with
strategy
for
outer
planet
exploration
encourage
new
ideas
including
use
space
propulsion
technical
soundness
timeliness
science
return
and
science
merit
the
pluto
kuiper
express
mission
will
the
first
mission
explore
the
solar
system
most
distant
planet
and
moon
charon
and
study
smaller
icy
bodies
the
kuiper
belt
vast
region
space
encircling
the
sun
beyond
pluto
the
pke
mission
will
study
the
composition
the
planet
surface
and
thin
atmosphere
the
europa
orbiter
mission
will
probe
the
surface
jupiter
moon
europa
determine
whether
there
fact
liquid
ocean
beneath
deep
icy
crust
recent
evidence
from
nasa
galileo
mission
suggest
there
may
water
under
the
ice
perhaps
distance
few
miles
the
existence
such
ocean
can
proven
and
there
are
organic
materials
and
source
energy
available
under
the
surface
europa
could
prime
location
look
for
signs
life
future
missions
the
draft
announcement
opportunity
will
available
after
dec
http
spacescience
nasa
gov
research
htm
