SSO Discovery Acquisition: Program Goals

Discovery Program Goal:

Provide frequent flight opportunities for high quality, high value scientific investigations that can be accomplished under a not to exceed cost cap.

Proposed Outcomes of the Discovery Program:

The Discovery Program strives to produce the following outcomes:

Advancement in scientific knowledge and exploration of the elements of our solar system and other planetary systems;
Addition of scientific data, maps, and other products to the Planetary Data System archive for all scientists to access;
Announcement of scientific progress and results in the peer-reviewed literature, popular media, scholastic curricula, and materials that can be used to inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics;
Expansion of the pool of well-qualified Principal Investigators and Project Managers for implementation of future missions in Discovery and other programs, through current involvement as CoIs and other team members; and
Implementation of technology advancements proven in related programs.