Cosmic Origins
Searching for answers about our universe and its origins

Cosmic Origins Program Analysis Group
Mission Studies

Large Mission Concepts Studies for Decadal Survey 2020

Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) Membership

Presentations to PhysPAG

  • Far-IR Surveyor Concept [PDF]
  • X-ray Surveyor: Science drivers and strawman mission design [PDF]
  • Large UV/Optical/IR Telescope Surveyor [PDF]
  • HabEx: Notional Mission Properties and Science Applications [PDF]

White Paper Responses from the Community

COPAG White Papers, 18 May 2015
White Papers List
  • COPAG Merged White Papers (Single Document) [PDF]
Title Author
Science Cases for Ultraviolet Polarimetry in the 21st Century [PDF] B-G. Anderson
Mapping Turbulent Energy Dissipation through Shocked Molecular Hydrogen in the Universe [PDF] P. Appleton
Are Flagships the Best Way to Advance Astrophysics? [PDF] D. Ardila
Cubesats for Astrophysics [PDF] D. Ardila
The Dusty Co-evolution of Black Holes and Galaxies: A Science Case for a Large Far-IR Space Telescope [PDF] L. Armus
Actuated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Mirror Development [PDF] B. Baldauf et al.
Astrophysics Enabled by Extreme Contrast Ratio Technologies [PDF] D. Batcheldor
A FIR-Survey of TNOs and Related Bodies [PDF] J. Bauer et al.
Cryogenic Telescope for Far-Infrared Astrophysics: A Vision for NASA in the 2020 Decade [PDF] C. Bradford et al.
Imaging Polarimetry for ExoPlanet science & astrophysics [PDF] J. Breckinridge
Dust in Distant Galaxies – Overcoming Confusion Noise with a 5m FIR Facility [PDF] C. Casey et al.
Far-Infrared Spectral Line Studies of the Epoch of Reionization [PDF] A. Cooray et al.
A Joint Exoplanet & UVOIR Surveyor [PDF] J. Dalcanton
The earliest epoch of star-formation in the very young universe [PDF] D. Ebbets
Characterizing the Habitable Zones of Exoplanetary Systems with a Large Ultraviolet/Visible/Near-IR Space Observatory [PDF] K. France et al.
The bulk composition of exo-planets [PDF] Boris Gänsicke et al.
Flagship Missions for the Decadal Review [PDF] J. Green
Life Finder Telescope [PDF] S. Heap
Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Surveyor (GESS) [PDF] S. Heap
Precision Ages for Milky Way Star Clusters [PDF] J. Kalirai
Interferometry Concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor [PDF] D. Leisawitz et al.
Importance of Design Reference Missions for Developing the Next Large Mission Concepts [PDF] P. Lightsey and E. Wilkinson
An Evolvable Space Telescope for the Far Infrared Surveyor Mission [PDF] C. Lillie et al.
Exoplanet Environment Monitor [PDF] J. Linsky et al.
Definitive Determination of Galaxy Luminosity Functions at Energies Above the Hydrogen Ionization Edge, Covering 11 Billion Years of Evolution [PDF] S. McCandliss
Probing Transient Structures in the Universe [PDF] P. Natarajan
An Evolvable Space Telescope for Future UV/Opt/IR Astronomical Missions [PDF] R. Polidan et al.
A Rotating Synthetic Aperture (RSA) Space Telescope for Future UV/Opt/IR Astronomical Missions [PDF] – R. Polidan et al. R. Polidan et al.
UVOIR Surveyor: The need for high resolution, wide field, deep multi-wavelength imaging and IFU spectroscopy [PDF] R. Rampazzo et al.
Probe class missions in the far infrared [PDF] J. Rizzo et al.
The First Stars and the First Metals [PDF] I. Roederer et al.
The Origin of the Elements Heavier than Iron [PDF] I. Roederer et al.
HabX2: a 2020 mission concept for flagship science at modest cost [PDF] M. Swain et al.
Listening to the Cosmic Dawn [PDF] I. Thorpe et al.
A Large-Aperture UVOIR Space Telescope [PDF] H. Thronson et al.
Galaxy Fueling and Quenching: A Science Case for Future UV MOS Capability [PDF] J. Tumlinson and D. Schiminovich
UV/Optical/IR Surveyor: The Crucial Role of High Spatial Resolution, High Sensitivity UV Observations to Galaxy Evolution Studies [PDF] B. Williams and J. Dalcanton

Science Division Documents

Supporting Documents

  • TPF-C Levine paper (see Science Goals, Sec. 2) [PDF]
  • The New Worlds Observer [PDF]
  • AURA Report: From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths [PDF]
News
18 September 2025
Diffuse Gas & Cosmic Ecosystems SIG Seminar: Feedback and Expansion of Galactic Atmospheres | September 25th 2025 4:00pm ET
»  Details
2026A NASA IRTF Call for Proposals | Deadline: 5:00pm ET Wednesday, October 1st
»  Details
Call for Applications: NASA-DARES Task Force 2 | Monday, September 29th, 2025 11:59 PM ET
»  Details