The Crisis in Astrophysics and Planetary Science: How Commercial Space and Program Design Principles will let us Escape

TL;DR

The paper discusses how commercial space and strategic program design can address the crisis in astrophysics and planetary science caused by high mission costs, enabling more rapid scientific progress.

Contribution

It proposes leveraging commercial space innovations and prudent research program principles as solutions to current funding and mission limitations.

Findings

Commercial space will lower mission costs significantly.

Adopting prudent program design maintains scientific vitality.

Parallel missions can be achieved within current planning horizons.

Abstract

Astrophysics and planetary science are in crisis. The large missions we need for the next generation of observations cost too much to let us do more than one at a time. This spreads the science out onto a generational timescale, inhibiting progress in both fields. There are two escape paths. In the long run, but still well within our planning horizon, commercial space will bring mission costs down substantially allowing parallel missions at multiple wavelengths or to multiple destinations. In the short run, adopting prudent principles for designing a research program will let us maintain vitality in the field by retaining breadth at a modest cost in depth.