NOTICE: This program element is released as a draft for community comment. Please send any questions or comments regarding this draft text by October 1, 2024 to Dominic.Benford@nasa.gov, with the subject line "D.14 Roman Draft".
This program element solicits proposals to work on preparation for the operational phase of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, using one of two categories depending on the type of work being proposed. These are:
● Wide Field Science (WFS) ○ Supports investigations that prepare for and/or enhance the science return of Roman that can be addressed with its Wide Field Instrument (WFI) ○ Two different scales of project: Regular (two-year term, up to $150K/year) and Large (two-year term, ≲$500K/year) ○ Expect to award ≈12 WFS proposals with a roughly 2:1 balance of Regular:Large, subject to budgetary limits and sufficient meritorious proposals
● Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP) ○ Solicits individuals or very small teams to work with the Coronagraph Instrument team to plan and execute its technology demonstration observations. ○ Selected proposals will have three-year terms; available funding can support ≲$200K/year awards ○ Expect to select two or three CPP proposals, which will join the single team that plans and executes Coronagraph Instrument technology demonstration observations
This Program Element solicits proposals aimed at supporting the progress of and exploiting the scientific and technical data from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, hereafter Roman (http://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/). Roman, formerly known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope or WFIRST, is NASA’s implementation of the top-ranked large space mission recommended by the National Academies decadal survey of astronomy and astrophysics for 2012-2021, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics (NWNH; National Academies Press, http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12951). Roman is currently in development, with a launch commitment no later than May 2027 and with launch currently planned for late 2026. The mission science objectives are fulfilled by a large-area, agile telescope with a large field-of-view near-infrared camera. Roman also includes a coronagraph technology demonstration instrument.
Comments due October 1, 2024.