The 2020 Astrophysics Decadal: NASA’s preparations

The astrophysics community relies on the Astrophysics Decadal Survey (ADS) to set priorities for its science and technology investments. The 10 year cadence of the ADS implies that the next Decadal survey is upon us, with a projected date for its report in ~2020. The community has been invited to provide input in the form of science white papers, and will be invited to submit community input on technology, missions, and the state of the profession. To help the community prepare for the 2020 ADS, NASA has sponsored several multi-year studies for both large (>\$1B and medium-size(<\$1B) mission concepts, spanning a broad range of science disciplines. In addition, NASA’s Program Analysis Groups have facilitated community preparations of white papers. In this talk, I will summarize the NASA efforts towards the 2020 Decadal, with particular emphasis on PCOS-related disciplines.