If you
are affiliated with a university, industry or other government
agencies, there are significant ways you can participate in
Discovery missions, even if you are outside the United States.
Discovery missions are designed by members of the scientific
community and selected by NASA through competitive peer review as complete packages. The Principal Investigator is the
leader of the team and has responsibility and accountability to accomplish the mission on time and on budget. Each mission
has a science team typically composed of university scientists. They carry out laboratory, theoretical and computational
studies required to interpret and understand the data returned from space missions. Interactions with undergraduate and
graduate students can introduce new ideas, perspectives, and approaches. Students can provide assistance with data analysis
and observing campaigns.
Industry plays a critical role in the planning, development
and implementation of Discovery missions. With the fast turn around times inherent in Discovery missions, industry
capabilities in design, development, engineering, testing and manufacturing of instruments and spacecraft have
proven to be essential. Strong partnerships also facilitate the transfer of NASA-developed technologies to industry,
tapping into their commercial potential and contributing to the capabilities and competitiveness of American industry.
NASA is not the only
government agency pursuing knowledge about the origin, evolution and destiny
of life. The Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are just some of the agencies that
work closely with NASA to identify shared needs and opportunities for technology
development to maximize the value provided to the American public.
NASA plays a leading role in promoting
international cooperation in space research, recognizing that scientific expertise and capabilities
have no boundaries. A challenge for the principal investigator-led Discovery missions is how to forge
effective international collaborations when the total time from selection to flight is only two to
three years and governments are not involved in assembling the mission team. One solution is by participating
in a Discovery Mission of Opportunity investigation. These missions are typically sponsored by non-U.S.
governments and provide funding for a complete science instrument or components of a science instrument.
