A Cornell-led project is one of two finalists contending for nearly one billion dollars of NASA funding for a universe exploration mission to be launched in the mid-2020s. The proposal was submitted in April 2017 to NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which funds large-scale universe exploration missions. After months of reviewing 12 total proposals, NASA selected the CAESAR mission to be one of two finalists for further review. This allowed the project to cut costs on diagnostic tests and focus on bringing the sample home. “This is something that I think is going to be a big deal for Cornell,” said Squyres.

Source: Daily Sun February 12, 2018 01:24 UTC