19 August 2022

Serve on ESA’s NewAthena Science Redefinition Team

Kartik Sheth NASA HQ

NASA is soliciting applications and nominations for individuals affiliated with US institutions to participate in a European Space Agency (ESA)-led NewAthena Science Re-definition Team. Athena is ESA’s next large X-ray astrophysics mission. ESA, with NASA as a partner, has been formulating the Athena mission since 2014. ESA recently noted that the mission, in its current form, has greater complexity (and associated costs) and therefore has become unaffordable within its science program. ESA wishes to define an affordable, yet ambitious X-ray observatory mission on a similar timeframe as the one originally envisioned for Athena. This revised mission is referred to as NewAthena.

NASA seeks to appoint one US science re-definition team member to bring in fresh perspectives for the NewAthena design. Please see details on the Athena web page. Applications are due by Tuesday, 16 September 2022, at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT. If you have any questions, please email the NASA HQ Athena Program Scientist Dr. Kartik Sheth.