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Donald Savage<br />Headquarters, Washington July 16, 2004<br />(Phone: 202/358-1727)<br /><br />RELEASE: 04-228<br /><br />NASA SELECTS TWO "NEW FRONTIERS" MISSION CONCEPTS FOR FURTHER<br />STUDY<br /><br />NASA today announced the selection of two proposals for<br />detailed study as candidates for the next mission in the<br />agency's New Frontiers Program.<br /><br />The proposals are missions that would drop robotic landers<br />into a crater at the south pole of the moon and return<br />samples to Earth, and a mission that would orbit Jupiter from<br />pole to pole for the first time to conduct an in-depth study<br />of the giant planet.<br /><br />"These two outstanding proposals were judged to be the best<br />science value among the seven submitted to NASA in 2004,"<br />said Dr. Ed Weiler, associate administrator for space science<br />at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "It was a very tough<br />decision, but we're excited at the prospect of the<br />discoveries either of them could make in continuing our<br />mission of exploration of the solar system, and what they<br />could tell us about our place in the universe," he added.<br /><br />Each proposal will now receive up to $1.2 million to conduct<br />a seven-month implementation feasibility study focused on<br />cost, management and technical plans, including educational<br />outreach and small business involvement.<br /><br />Following detailed mission concept studies, due for<br />submission by March 2005, NASA intends to select one of the<br />mission proposals for full development as the second New<br />Frontiers mission by May 2005. The selected New Frontiers<br />science mission must be ready for launch no later than June<br />30, 2010, within a mission cost cap of $700 million.<br /><br />The selected full mission investigations, and the Principal<br />Investigators, are:<br /><br />o "Moonrise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return<br />Mission," Dr. Michael Duke Principal Investigator,<br />Colorado School of Mines, Boulder. This inv