… Technology Development?
PSTAR: If the technology is focused on exploring environments on Earth that are potentially analogous to habitable environments on other planetary bodies, the research would be most relevant to Planetary Science and Technology Through Analog Research (PSTAR).
PICASSO: If the technology is part of instrument development in the early stages, the research would be most relevant to Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO).
MatISSE: If the technology is part of maturation of instrument concepts through to the point where they could be proposed to future mission Announcements of Opportunity, the research would be most relevant to Maturation of Instruments for Solar System Exploration (MatISSE).
… Analog Research?
PSTAR: If the research is focused on the science environments on Earth that are potentially analogous to habitable environments on other planetary bodies, the research would be most relevant to Planetary Science and Technology through Analog Research (PSTAR).
… Understanding Habitability?
HW: Research that seeks to use the knowledge of the history of the Earth and life on it as a guide to determine habitability of environments beyond Earth, specifically on Mars, ocean worlds or exoplanets, would be most relevant to the interdivisional program, Habitable Worlds (HW).
… Building a Habitable Planet?
EW: Research into the formation of our Solar System, including studies of all aspects of materials and processes occurring in and affecting the protoplanetary disk, including those occurring on bodies of any size that may have formed at this stage of Solar System evolution and studies related to the accretion of Solar System bodies after dissipation of the protoplanetary disk, would be relevant to Emerging Worlds (EW).
HW or SSW: Understanding how processes that occur after planet formation may lead to habitable planets (e.g. volcanism, magnetospheres, global climate change, etc.), would be most relevant to Habitable Worlds (HW) or Solar System Workings (SSW).
… the Distribution of Volatiles in the Universe?
EW: Research into processes underlying the chemistry and physics of large and small bodies in the Solar System, and that lead to current distribution of volatiles in the Solar System up to the time that large planetary bodies were in or near their modern configuration, would be most relevant to Emerging Worlds (EW).
… Biosignatures?
EXO: Research into developing, testing, and elaborating biosignatures and how they might contribute to the search for life in the Universe would be most relevant to Exobiology (EXO). Research on understanding technosignatures, as specific types of biosignatures, would also be relevant. However, since the Exobiology Program does not solicit proposals to apply biosignatures to particular environments, proposals to search for technosignatures are also not solicited. It should also be noted that the use of ground-based telescopes is funded through the National Science Foundation and the use of space-based telescopes is funded through NASA’s Astrophysics Division.
… Prebiotic Chemistry?
EXO: Research, both laboratory and theoretical, into the chemical systems that served as precursors for biological molecules on the Earth or elsewhere, would be most relevant to Exobiology (EXO).
… the Evolution of Advanced Life?
EXO: Research specifically into the biological and environmental factors that lead to the origin of eukaryotes, multicellularity and the distribution of complex life in the universe, as well as those that are essential to multicellular life, would all be relevant to Exobiology (EXO). However, the evolution of intelligent life is not included. Additionally, research into specific groups of advanced organisms, or processes and features of this life that are not broadly applicable to life throughout the Universe are not included.
… Exoplanets?
XRP: Research into the compositions, dynamics, energetics and chemical behaviors of exoplanets, as well as the detection and characterization of other planetary systems, would be most relevant to the Exoplanets Research Program (XRP).
HW: Research (theoretical, experimental or field) that improves scientific understanding of the potential for the environment to support life on potentially habitable exoplanets that have conditions roughly comparable to those of Earth (i.e., an Earth analog), would be most relevant to the Habitable Worlds Program.
EXO: Research into biosignatures aimed at identification and characterization of signals on extrasolar planets that may harbor life would be most relevant to the Exobiology Program.
APRA: Laboratory (experimental) and computational efforts to explore the spectroscopic properties of atoms and molecules and particulate matter, as well as their chemical, physical, and dynamical properties under astrophysical conditions that could directly impact our understanding of exoplanetary systems in the current epoch would be most relevant to the Laboratory Astrophysics category of the Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program (APRA).
Will awards larger in scope than those appropriate to the current set of SMD R&A programs still be solicited?
The NASA Astrobiology Program funds grants for large teams with multi-year research plans through a ROSES solicitation named Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research (ICAR).