The PI Launchpad: Expanding the base of potential Principal Investigators across space sciences
Erika Hamden, Michael H. New, D.E. (Betsy) Pugel, Michael Liemohn,, Randii Wessen, Richard Quinn, Paul Propster, Kirsten Petree, Ellen M., Gertsen, Paula Evans, and Nicole Cabrera Salazar

TL;DR
The PI Launchpad provides an accessible introduction for new Principal Investigators to understand space mission development, focusing on team building, partnerships, and concept maturity, to lower entry barriers in space sciences.
Contribution
It offers a structured workshop-based resource to help early-career scientists learn the mission proposal process without replacing hands-on experience.
Findings
Workshops held in 2019 and 2021 provided insights into mission development.
The resource helps reduce barriers for early-career scientists entering space sciences.
It covers topics from team building to proposal writing for various space missions.
Abstract
The PI Launchpad attempts to provide an entry level explanation of the process of space mission development for new Principal Investigators (PIs). In particular, PI launchpad has a focus on building teams, making partnerships, and science concept maturity for a space mission concept, not necessarily technical or engineering practices. Here we briefly summarize the goals of the PI Launchpad workshops and present some results from the workshops held in 2019 and 2021. The workshop attempts to describe the current process of space mission development (i.e. space-based telescopes and instrument platforms, planetary missions of all types, etc.), covering a wide range of topics that a new PI may need to successfully develop a team and write a proposal. It is not designed to replace real experience but to provide an easily accessible resource for potential PIs who seek to learn more about what…
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Taxonomy
TopicsTechnology Assessment and Management · Space exploration and regulation · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
