NNH05ZDA002O
AO Release Date: January 3, 2006
Notice of Intent to Propose Due: March 6, 2006
Proposals Due: April 5, 2006

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing a NASA Announcement of Opportunity (AO), for the Discovery Program 2005 and Missions of Opportunity. NASA intends to select a Discovery mission to launch by October 1, 2013. A Mission of Opportunity may also be selected. The Discovery Program AO solicits investigations that meet the goals of planetary system(s) exploration encompassing the scientific objectives of the NASA Solar System Division (excluding Mars) and the search for extrasolar planetary systems element of the NASA Universe Division.

Investigation teams are to be led by a single Principal Investigator (PI), with participation open to all categories of organizations, foreign and domestic, including industry, educational institutions, nonprofit organization, NASA centers, and other Government agencies. This solicitation will be open from January 3, 2006, to April 5, 2006. A Discovery Preproposal Conference will be scheduled approximately three weeks after the AO is released. Details for this conference and an expanded version of this Announcement of Intent will be posted at http://discovery.larc.nasa.gov/discovery/. Upon the release date, the full text of the AO and all appendices will be available electronically at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/. Questions or comments about this intention to release a Discovery AO may be addressed to Mr. Andrew Dantzler, NASA Discovery Program Director, Solar System Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001; E-mail: Andrew.Dantzler@nasa.gov, Telephone: (202) 358-1024.

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