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NESS science is compelling, derived from the recommendations of three space science Decadal Surveys, the NASA Astrophysics Roadmap, and the Global Exploration Roadmap.

NESS fulfills the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute's (SSERVI) goals of “innovative, broadly-based basic and applied research” that “enable human exploration at target destinations.” We address important, cutting edge topics including:

• Human-assisted telerobotic operation of planetary surface science and exploration assets from platforms orbiting the Moon and Mars
• Generation and monitoring of energetic solar particle events that are potentially harmful to life in interplanetary space and in extrasolar systems
• Dust environments of space and exploration target bodies
• Detection of the first stars and galaxies in the early universe
• Characterization of habitable exoplanets

NESS proposes a transformative space science agenda supported by NASA's exploration objectives at target destinations. Our technical approach includes humans and robots working in tandem to explore at target bodies as well as building, operating, and servicing scientific instrumentation by using cis-lunar space as a science-enabling stepping-stone towards a “Journey to Mars.” Our four interconnected key projects focus on:

• Discovery science, including exploration science and surface telerobotics
• Heliophysics and space physics
• Astrophysics and cosmic dawn
• Habitable exoplanets

This work is directly supported by the NASA Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute cooperative agreement 80ARC017M0006.