NASA investigates five science missions for possible flight in 2020

“Dynamic and exciting missions like these hold promise to unravel the mysteries of our solar system and inspire future generations of explorers”, Grunsfeld added.

The two other selections are: Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI). Three of those chosen have ties to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

VERITAS would produce global, high-resolution topography and imaging of VenuJohn Grunsfelds’ surface and produce the first maps of deformation and global surface composition.

The Psyche project, too, plans to investigate smaller space rocks, flying to the metal-rich asteroid of the same – believed to be the result of a nasty collision with another planetary body – to work out how planetary cores are formed. NASA said each investigation team would receive $3 million for further analysis and creation of concept designs.

Created in 1992, the Discovery Program sponsors frequent, cost-capped solar system exploration missions with highly focused scientific goals. Each selected mission is estimated to cost $500 million, excluding the cost of launch vehicle and post-launch operations, said NASA.

DAVINCI would study the chemical composition of Venus’ atmosphere during a 63-minute descent.

The five mission could examine Venus, asteroids, or the evolution of the solar system. Linda Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State is the PI of the mission, which would be managed by JPL.

Near Earth Object Camera (NEOCam) would discover 10 times more near-Earth objects than all NEOs discovered to date. Amy Mainzer of JPL is the principal investigator, and JPL would manage the project.

This satellite which would have been built and now definitely won’t be thanks to NASA, would have used an infrared space telescope to detect all the large moving objects that are currently freely roaming around the Solar System. NASA originally requested proposals for spaceflight investigations back in November 2014. Harold Levison of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado is the PI; NASA Goddard would manage the mission. The submissions that didn’t make it to the final round include a life-hunting mission to Saturn’s ocean-harboring moon Enceladus, a mission to Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, and several projects that would have explored Mars’ two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos.

It will of course also come as little to no consolation when you consider that NASA’s official projections actually put us at hundreds of years away from anything even resembling a risky asteroid impact.

The first Discovery mission was launched in 1996 with NEAR Shoemaker, a visit to the asteroid Eros.