Editing Discovery Program (section)

===Discovery 15 and 16===
On December 22, 2018, NASA released a draft of its Discovery 2019 Announcement of Opportunity, which outlined its intent to select up to two missions with launch readiness dates of July 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026, and/or July 1, 2028 – December 31, 2029, as Discovery 15 and 16, respectively.<ref name="NASA 19AO">{{cite web|title=NASA SOMA: Discovery 2019 AO Homepage|publisher=[[NASA]]|url=https://discovery.larc.nasa.gov/|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NSPIRES: DRAFT Discovery AO (Solicitation: NNH19ZDA009J)|publisher=[[NASA]]|url=https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId={858E0901-4A66-3391-60AE-3EF0779AE750}&path=open|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref> The final Announcement of Opportunity was released on April 1, 2019, and proposal submissions were accepted between then and July 1, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=NASA Announcement: Release of the 2019 Announcement of Opportunity for Discovery Program |url=https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=544eb5d82b65bcddaf467e61c668f179&tab=core&_cview=0 |publisher=NASA |access-date=23 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510195634/https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=544eb5d82b65bcddaf467e61c668f179&tab=core&_cview=0|archive-date=10 May 2019}}</ref>

Finalists, announced on February 13, 2020, were:<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA Selects Four Possible Missions to Study the Secrets of the Solar System|publisher=[[NASA]]|date=13 February 2020|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-four-possible-missions-to-study-the-secrets-of-the-solar-system|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

*[[DAVINCI]] (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), a Venus atmospheric probe.<ref>[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/venus-earths-evil-twin-beckons-space-agencies/ Venus, Earth's Evil Twin, Beckons Space Agencies]. By Shannon Hall, ''Scientific American''. 12 June 2019.</ref>
*[[Io Volcano Observer]], an orbiter to Jupiter to perform at least nine flybys of Jupiter's volcanically active moon [[Io (moon)|Io]].<ref>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-996-1.pdf "Follow the Heat: Io Volcano Observer".] A.S. McEwen, E. Turtle, L. Kestay, K. Khurana, J. Westlake, etal. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-996-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019.</ref>
*[[Trident (spacecraft)|''Trident'']], a probe that would conduct a flyby of [[Neptune]] and its moon [[Triton (moon)|Triton]].<ref name="Trident_Description">{{cite web |url=https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/3188.pdf |title=Exploring Triton With Trident: A Discovery-Class Mission |date=2019-03-23|website=Universities Space Research Association |access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref>
*[[VERITAS (spacecraft)|VERITAS]] (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), a Venus orbiter to map the surface of Venus in high resolution.<ref>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-1124-1.pdf VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography And Spectroscopy): A Proposed Discovery Mission.] Suzanne Smrekar, Scott Hensley, Darby Dyar, Jörn Helbert, and the VERITAS Science Team. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-1124-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019.</ref>
On June 2, 2021, NASA administrator [[Bill Nelson]] announced in his "State of NASA" address that the two Venus missions, '''[[VERITAS (spacecraft)|VERITAS]]''' and '''[[DAVINCI]]''', had been selected for development.<ref name="space-20221104" /><ref name=":4">{{cite press release |last=Potter |first=Sean |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus |title=NASA Selects 2 Missions to Study 'Lost Habitable' World of Venus |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=June 2, 2021 |access-date=June 2, 2021}}</ref> The two missions will launch between 2031 and 2032.<ref name="aas-20240325" />

Other proposal submissions for Discovery 15 and 16 missions included:

;Asteroids, comets, Centaurs, interplanetary dust
*''[[Centaurus (spacecraft mission)|Centaurus]]'', a reconnaissance mission to explore multiple [[Centaur (small Solar System body)|Centaurs]] via flybys as a way to learn about Solar System and planet formation.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Singer|first1=Kelsi|title=Centaurus: A Spacecraft Discovery Mission Proposal to Explore Centaurs and More, Messengers from the Era of Planet Formation|date=2019|url=https://figshare.com/articles/Centaurus_A_Spacecraft_Discovery_Mission_Proposal_to_Explore_Centaurs_and_More_Messengers_from_the_Era_of_Planet_Formation/9956210|doi=10.6084/m9.figshare.9956210|access-date=2019-10-08|last2=S. Alan Stern|publisher=Figshare }}</ref><ref>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-2025.pdf Centaurus: Exploring Centaurs and More, Messengers from the Era of Planet Formation]. Kelsi N. Singer, S. Alan Stern, Daniel Stern, Anne Verbiscer, Cathy Olkin, and the Centaurus Science Team. (. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-2025-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019</ref>
*''[[Chimera (spacecraft)|Chimera]]'', a mission concept to orbit the highly active [[Centaur (small Solar System body)|Centaur]] 29P/[[29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann|Schwassmann-Wachmann 1]], to study the evolutionary middle ground between the [[Trans Neptunian Object]]s (TNOs) and Jupiter Family Comets.<ref>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-1094-1.pdf "Chimera: A Mission of Discovery to the First Centaur".] Walter Harris, Laura Woodney, Geronimo Villanueva and the Chimera Science team. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-1094-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019.</ref>
*FOSSIL (Fragments from the Origins of the Solar System and our Interstellar Locale), a spacecraft to be placed in an Earth-trailing orbit to determine the composition of the local and [[interplanetary dust cloud]].<ref>"[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-1202-6.pdf Fragments from the Origins of the Solar System and our Interstellar Locale (FOSSIL): A Discovery Mission Concept."] Mihaly Horányi, Neal J. Turner, Conel Alexander, Nikolas Altobelli, Tibor Balint, Julie Castillo-Rogez, Bruce Draine, Cecile Engrand, Jon Hillier, Hope Ishii, Sascha Kempf, Tobin Munsat, David Nesvorný, Larry Nittler, Peter Pokorný, Frank Postberg, Ralf Srama, Thomas Stephan, Zoltan Sternovsky, Jamey Szalay, Andrew Westphal, Diane Wooden. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-1202-6, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting. 2019</ref>
*[[MANTIS (spacecraft)|MANTIS]] (Main-belt Asteroid and NEO Tour with Imaging and Spectroscopy), a mission that would flyby 14 asteroids covering a wide range of types and masses.<ref>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-1277-1.pdf The Main-belt Asteroid and NEO Tour with Imaging and Spectroscopy (MANTIS)]. Andrew S. Rivkin, Barbara A. Cohen, Olivier Barnouin, Carolyn M. Ernst, Nancy L. Chabot, Brett W. Denevi, Benjamin T. Greenhagen, Rachel L. Klima, Mark Perry, Zoltan Sternovsky, and the MANTIS Science Team. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-1277-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019</ref>

;Venus:
*HOVER (Hyperspectral Observer for Venus Reconnaissance), a Venus orbiter that would perform spectral studies from the top of the atmosphere to the surface. Its main goal is understanding the mechanics of the Venus climate and atmospheric super-rotation.<ref name='HOVER EPSC 2019'>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-340-2.pdf Hyperspectral Observer for Venus Reconnaissance (HOVER)]. Larry W. Esposito, and the HOVER Team. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-340-2, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019.</ref>

;Moon:
*[[Moon Diver (spacecraft)|''Moon Diver'']], a lunar lander which would deploy a rover to rappel down a deep pit, analyzing the exposed geological layers and investigate if the pit connects to a [[lunar lava tube|lava tube]].<ref name='Issa 2019'>[https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8741788 Moon Diver: A Discovery Mission Concept for Understanding the History of Secondary Crusts through the Exploration of a Lunar Mare Pit.] Issa A. Nesnas, Laura Kerber, Aaron Parness, Richard Kornfeld, Glenn Sellar, etal. 2019 IEEE Aerospace Conference. 2–9 March 2019. Big Sky, MT, USA. {{doi|10.1109/AERO.2019.8741788}}</ref>
*''Lunar Compass Rover,'' a rover designed to explore a nearside magnetic region and [[Lunar swirls|swirl]], and would answer some questions in planetary science, including planetary magnetism, [[Plasma (physics)|space plasma]] physics, space weathering, planetary geology, and the [[lunar water]] cycle. A proposal for Lunar Compass was not submitted to this Discovery round.<ref>[https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/347040 Key Questions in Planetary Science to be Addressed by Exploration of a Lunar Magnetic Anomaly: The Lunar Compass Rover Discovery Mission Concept.] David T. Blewett, Jasper S. Halekas, Benjamin T. Greenhagen, etal. AGU Fall Meeting, Washington DC, 14 December 2018.</ref>
*[[ISOCHRON (spacecraft)|ISOCHRON]] (Inner SOlar system CHRONology), a mission that would perform a robotic lunar sample-return of the youngest [[Lunar mare|mare basalts]].<ref>[https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/1110.pdf The Inner Solar System Chronology (ISOCHRON) Discovery Mission: Returning Samples of the Youngest Lunar Mare Basalts.] D. S. Draper, R. L. Klima, S. J. Lawrence, B. W. Denevi, and the ISOCHRON Team. 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019 (LPI Contrib. No. 2132).</ref>
*NanoSWARM, a lunar orbiter to investigate [[lunar swirls]], space weathering, [[lunar water]], lunar magnetism, and small-scale magnetospheres.<ref>[https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/2786.pdf NanoSWARM: A Proposed Discovery Mission to Study Space Weathering, Lunar Water, lunar magnetism, and small-scale magnetospheres.] 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2019 (LPI Contrib. No. 2132).</ref>

;Mars
*COMPASS (Climate Orbiter for Mars Polar Atmospheric and Subsurface Science) is a mission concept for a Mars orbiter to research the Martian climate record through the study of its ice deposits and their interaction with current climate.<ref name='Byrne EPSC 2019'>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-912-1.pdf Climate Orbiter for Mars Polar Atmospheric and Subsurface Science (COMPASS): Deciphering the Martian Climate Record.] S. Byrne, P. O. Hayne, P. Becerra, The COMPASS Team. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-912-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019.</ref> This mission is led by the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.<ref name="Byrne EPSC 2019" />
*[[Icebreaker Life]], a mission concept led by the [[Ames Research Center]] for a lander to search for direct signs of life on Mars via biomarker detection, with a focus on sampling ice-cemented ground for its potential to preserve and protect biomolecules or biosignatures.<ref name="LPI 2012">{{Cite journal|author=McKay, C. P.|author2=Carol R. Stoker|author3=Brian J. Glass|author4=Arwen I. Davé|author5=Alfonso F. Davila|author6=Jennifer L. Heldmann|author7=Margarita M. Marinova|author8=Alberto G. Fairen|author9=Richard C. Quinn|author10=Kris A. Zacny|author11=Gale Paulsen|date=2012|title=THE ICEBREAKER LIFE MISSION TO MARS: A SEARCH FOR BIOCHEMICAL EVIDENCE FOR LIFE|url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/marsconcepts2012/pdf/4091.pdf|journal=Concepts and Approaches for Mars Exploration|publisher=[[Lunar and Planetary Institute]]|author17=Wayne H. Pollard|name-list-style=amp|author16=Denis Lacelle|author15=Michael H. Hecht|author14=Dale T. Andersen|author13=Victor Parro|author12=Peter H. Smith}}</ref>

;Jupiter

*MAGIC (Magnetics, Altimetry, Gravity and Imaging of Callisto) is an orbiter reconnaissance concept to Jupiter's moon [[Callisto (moon)|Callisto]].<ref name='Smith EPSC MAGIC 2019'>[https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-363-1.pdf MAGIC, A Proposed Geophysical Mission to Jupiter's Icy Moon, Callisto.] David E. Smith, Terry Hurford, Maria T. Zuber, Robin Canup, Francis Nimmo, Mark Wieczorek, Edward Bierhaus, Antonio Genova, Erwan Mazarico and the MAGIC Team. EPSC Abstracts Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-363-1, 2019 EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019.</ref>