[UPDATE: The ICPAE maintained a website throughout the ESA L2/L3 science case white paper process, designed to serve as a point of contact for those writing the white papers and wishing to support other initiatives. These papers are now all available from ESA’s website:
http://sci.esa.int/cosmic-vision/52030-white-papers-submitted-in-response-to-esas-call-for-science-themes-for-the-l2-and-l3-missions/ The text from the original website is included below.]
In March 2013 ESA issued a call for white papers for the definition of the L2 and L3 science themes of the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Plan, for launch opportunities in 2028 and 2034 respectively. See the following website for the details of the call:
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=51454
“The L2 and L3 missions will be defined through a two-step process: first selecting the science areas and questions that should be addressed by each of the two missions through this Call, and then selecting, in due time, the actual mission and payload consortia through dedicated Calls for Missions, issued at a later time.” The deadline for these science theme proposals is May 24th 2013.
Rather than submit multiple white papers from small teams covering similar science topics, we believe that it would be better to coordinate papers across a wide cross-section of the European planetary science community, providing ESA with well-focussed papers with broad support. Below we provide an (incomplete) list of proposed white papers, along with the relevant points of contact. The purpose of this list is to communicate our ideas broadly, and to seek support from interested parties (please contact the Point of Contact listed against each area). The more support each area has the better - so if you are interested please contact us and consider signing up as a supporter as soon as possible. It’s important to stress that this is a call for science themes, with one or more strawman mission concepts.
Finally, if you would like your white paper to be included in this list, please contact the ICPAE bureau () with the proposed title, paper lead and a very short description.
PROPOSED WHITE PAPERS:
Joint Exploration of Titan and Enceladus
(Gabriel Tobie and Nick Teanby; ; )
Exploration of Titan and its Lakes
Earth-orbiting UV telescope for planetary/exoplanetary science
(Jon Nichols and Emma Bunce: ; )
UV-FUV Space Telescope
Planetary Science Infrared Telescope
(Pat Irwin and Leigh Fletcher: ; )
In Situ Exploration of Giant Planet Atmospheres: Saturn Probe
(Olivier Mousis and Leigh Fletcher: ; )
Uranus Orbital Mission
Neptune mission
Venus Exploration
Main Belt Comet Mission
In Situ Exploration of the Diversity of the Asteroid Belt
Mars Sample Return
Blue Dots: Exoplanets and Habitability
Lunar Science as a Window into the Early History of the Solar System
Interstellar Probe