D/SCI/RMB/GC/val/11752, rev. 1 Paris, 8 March 2001
To the Science Community
CALL FOR IDEAS FOR THE RE-USE OF THE MARS EXPRESS PLATFORM
To be launched in 2005
1. Introduction
The search for more efficiency is a constant concern of the Science Directorate since the initiation of the Horizon 2000 programme. As shown to ESA’s SSAC and SPC, a number of scientific missions have led to considerable savings achieved by adopting new management procedures, exploiting cheaper industrial costs and accessing cheaper launchers.
Particularly efficient in lowering mission cost is the re-use of existing platforms and subsystems. Re-using a platform, however, presents the major constraint that the new missions must follow within a short amount of time (2 to 3 years) after the mission using the first platform.
Under the assumption that this trend may continue in the near future, and considering the existence of the Mars Express, First and Planck platforms the Executive would like to probe this concept and see first whether a re-use of the Mars Express platform without any modifications could yield a mission with a view to a possible launch in 2005.
It may well be that the funds available in the programme will not be sufficient to implement that mission, hence, pending the decision on the new Level of Resources (LoR), to be made at the next Ministerial Conference in November 2001, the Executive cannot guarantee at this moment the success of this approach. However, if all the necessary conditions will be satisfied, a final decision on the mission could be foreseen after the Ministerial Conference, at the end of 2001-beginning of 2002.
2. Constraints
2.1 Ideal launch date
The launch date is expected in the course of 2005, the date being dictated by the optimal re-use of the Mars Express (launch in 2003) platform.
2.2 Re-use of Mars Express Platform
To keep costs at the minimum the Mars Express Platform must be used without modification. This is of course easier if the concept of the mission will have the same technical requirements as the original mission, but other options cannot be excluded. Thus, in order to help the proposers this call for ideas includes precise specifications and describes for information purpose the Mars Express mission in detail (see Appendix 1). Even a second Mars mission, if proposed, would have to come to terms with the fact that the 2005 ballistic situation allows for a mass at launch inferior to that of Mars Express.
2.3 Payload availability
The stringent schedule requires that the proposed mission ideas are based on the use of readily available payloads whose provision will not have a negative financial or programmatic impact on other ESA Science Programme missions.
2.4 Admissible mission concepts
Any mission concept respecting the above conditions (2005 launch date, no modification to Mars Express platform, readily available payload) will be treated on the same footing.
The proposals should be made in the fields of space science covered by Horizons 2000. Annex 1 lists for memory the priorities indicated by the Survey Committee for Horizon 2000 Plus in 1994, but this does not exclude proposals in other science areas. However, approved Cornerstones or elements of already approved Cornerstones are NOT considered in the present call, as they have already been selected.
3. Proposal and evaluation cycle
3.1 Briefing meeting
On 23 March 2001, in Paris Headquarters, in room Cinema from 13h00 to 15h00 all prospective proposers are invited to a briefing. The briefing will be given by the Executive with the intention of providing assistance and guidelines to the mission proposers, covering such topics as:
(i) Mars Express platform characteristics,
(ii) optimal design of mission and instruments,
(iii) new Science Programme management practices,
(iv) advice regarding international cooperation, and technical maturity and realism of payload provision, from technical and financial viewpoints.
In order to proceed with the preparation of this briefing, prospective proposers who intend to attend are asked to send a confirmation of participation with their name and affiliation, by 19 March 2001. Please check the ESA science website for more details on the briefing, and especially if there are any changes in the date of the briefing.
3.2 Proposals of ideas
Following the briefing and taking account of the indications given thereby, the proposers are required to submit full mission ideas by the deadline of 18 May 2001, addressing all the points indicated in Annex 2.
3.3 Evaluation Process
A maximum of three mission ideas will be competitively selected via peer review and in full consultation with the Advisory structure of the Science Programme. The selected ideas will be studied in more detail in the period from 1 June to 15 October 2001.
3.4 Possible Selection of one mission for launch in 2005
The study results will be peer-reviewed competitively in October 2001.
The selection process, if appropriate, will be concluded after the Ministerial Conference, and the selected mission will be announced at the SPC meeting on 4-5 December at ESTEC at the earliest.
3.5 Recapitulation of the proposal schedule
1) Release of call for mission ideas 8 March 2001
2) Briefing to proposers at ESA Paris HO, room Cinema 23 March 2001
from 13h00 to 15h00
4) Responses due 18 May 2001
5) Peer Review selection of 3-4 mission ideas 1 June 2001
6) Study phase 1 June –15 October 2001
7) Peer group review October 2001– Nov. 2001
8) Recommendation by SSAC: November 2001
Conditional upon the results of the Ministerial Conference:
9) Selection of one mission by SPC 4-5 December 2001
10) Launch date 2005
4. Selection criteria
The proposals will be selected competitively.
The prerequisites will be:
· Use of the unmodified Mars Express Platform
· Readiness for launch in 2005
· Payload availability
Once the pre-requisites are satisfied, the following criteria will be adopted:
· Scientific value;
· Programmatic validity, i.e. conformity with the priorities established by Horizons 2000 (Annex 1), and possibility of contributing to a balanced and continuous science return;
· High “science for money” rating;
· Outreach/Communication potential;
· Technical feasibility;
· Cost to Member States (including payload, data processing and distribution, archives etc.)
5. Deadlines and format for the Replies
Deadlines:
· Notification of intention to attend the briefing are expected to reach ESA HQ by 19 March 2001. Please check the confirmation of the date on the ESA science website, and the other details of the briefing.
· Proposals shall reach ESA HQ by 18 May 2001.
Format
Proposals should not exceed 30 (thirty) pages in length (including a one page executive summary) and should address the topics listed in Annex 2, plus any other topics as suggested by the Executive at the 23 March 2001 briefing.
Notifications of intention to attend the briefing and Proposals should be written in English and submitted as an e-mail attachment to , preferably in Adobe Acrobat PDF (version 2 or higher) format. Microsoft Word 97 format or, if the latter is not available, ASCII TEXT are also acceptable.
6. Address for submissions
Dr. G. Cavallo
e-mail:
Proposers should send a copy of their proposals to their respective national authorities, in the format the latter prefer.
Annex 1
Existing priorities
The priorities which were set to the science Programme at the time of the formulation of Horizons 2000, and were broadly endorsed by the European scientific community in the course of 1995, were in addition to the objectives of the cornerstones:
Other Missions
· Mars: Participation at the level of a medium-size mission in opportunities that may arise in the international context of Mars exploration.
· Solar physics: Participation in an International solar mission or taking advantage of opportunities provided by the Space Station or the small and medium class missions of Horizon 2000 Plus.
· Continued participation in the HST programme and in possible successor programmes. The traditional procedures for medium-size missions might provide an adequate basis for this.
· Analysis of a major high-energy astrophysics facility in the context of the space station. Access to small and medium-class missions should be fully exploited.
Technological Developments
· Infrared astronomy: development of lightweight, passively cooled, high-optical-quality mirrors for use in the 2-100 micron part of the spectrum; monitoring of the development of infrared detectors.
· Studies aimed at the development of Cornerstone-level missions in X-ray, gamma-ray and infrared astronomy, soon after the conclusion of Horizon 2000 Plus.
Annex 2
Topics to be addressed in the proposal submission
Scientific objectives
The ideas proposed should be described and discussed in relation to current scientific knowledge and technological challenges. Their timeliness as well as the relationship to other existing or planned missions in the same discipline should also be examined.
Requirements
The main requirements on mission design should be described, such as: preferred orbits and/or trajectories, operational mode, mission lifetime, particular communication requirements.
Payload concept
An example of an instrument complement meeting the scientific objectives should be given. Indication of instrument performance, basic technical parameters (mass, dimensions, power, data rate) and special requirements (such as viewing conditions, pointing requirements and electromagnetic cleanliness) should be provided.
(Guidelines on optimal and cost-effective experiment design, as well as indication about the realism of the funding expectation from member States will be provided by the Executive at the Paris ESA HO briefing on 23 March 2001.)
Technological development requirements
The technological development requirements should be identified from the earliest planning stages. It is clear that in this case the demand for technological development should be kept to the barest minimum, due to proximity of the 2005 launch date.
Science operations and Archiving
Expected volume and format of data, site of the active and historical archives, proposed funding source(s) (e. g., PI institutes, national funding agencies, ESA Science Programme).
Communication and Outreach
The Communication potential of the proposed ideas should be stressed, and the foreseen communication-outreach activities, as well as the means to carry them out should be outlined.
Management and Funding
Information regarding special capabilities and experience in scientific institutes, potential collaborative arrangements and any other relevant programmatic or financial information (e.g. payload, operations and archiving funding).
International Partners
It will be expected that the interest of international partners in the proposed ideas be demonstrated at the time of proposal submission, albeit in a preliminary way. (At the ESA Paris HO briefing advice will be provided regarding this issue.)