Editing Discovery Program (section)

=== Discovery 9 and 10 ===
[[File:Ceres and Vesta, Moon size comparison.jpg|alt=|thumb|Scale comparison of Vesta, Ceres, and the Moon]]
[[File:Kepler spacecraft artist render (crop).jpg|thumb|[[Kepler space telescope]], artist's impression]]
26 proposals were submitted to the 2000 Discovery solicitation, with budget initially targeted at US$300 million.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> Three candidates were shortlisted in January 2001 for a phase-A design study: [[Dawn (spacecraft)|''Dawn'']], [[Kepler space telescope]], and ''INSIDE Jupiter''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/7 |title=NASA announces Discovery mission finalists |website=Spacetoday.net |date=January 4, 2001 |access-date=January 11, 2016}}</ref> ''INSIDE Jupiter'' was similar to a later New Frontiers mission called ''[[Juno (spacecraft)|Juno]]''; ''Dawn'' was a mission to asteroids [[4 Vesta|Vesta]] and [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]], and ''Kepler'' was a space telescope mission aimed to discover [[extrasolar planet]]s. The three finalists received US$450,000 to further mature the mission concept.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Richard |last1=Stenger |url=https://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/01/05/discovery.missions/ |title=Space – NASA selects finalists for next Discovery mission – January 5, 2001 |website=CNN.com |access-date=January 17, 2023}}</ref>

In December 2001, Kepler and ''Dawn'' were selected for flight.<ref name="autogenerated2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2001/01_107AR.html |title=NASA |website=Nasa.gov |access-date=January 11, 2016 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126075755/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2001/01_107AR.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> At this time, only 80 exoplanets had been detected, and the main mission of Kepler to look for more exoplanets, especially Earth-sized.<ref name="autogenerated2001"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/science-analysis-support-nasa-discovery-programs-kepler-extended-mission |title=Science Analysis Support for NASA Discovery Program's Kepler Extended Mission &#124; SETI Institute |website=Seti.org |access-date=January 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151215105444/http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/science-analysis-support-nasa-discovery-programs-kepler-extended-mission |archive-date=December 15, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Both ''Kepler'' and ''Dawn'' were initially projected for launch in 2006.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web |author=Susan Reichley |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_245.html |title=2001 News Releases – JPL Asteroid Mission Gets Thumbs Up from NASA |website=Jpl.nasa.gov |date=December 21, 2001 |access-date=January 11, 2016 |archive-date=May 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501104328/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_245.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>