An Assessment of Balance in NASA's Science Programs
An Assessment of Balance in NASA's Science Programs

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-06-30

Total Pages: 58

ISBN-13: 0309102219

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When the space exploration initiative was announced, Congress asked the NRC to review the science NASA proposed to carryout under the initiative. It also asked the NRC to assess whether this program would provide balanced scientific research across the established disciplines supported by NASA in addition to supporting the new initiative. In 2005, the NRC released three studies focusing on a portion of that task, but changes at NASA forced the postponement of the last phase. This report presents that last phase with an assessment of the health of the NASA scientific disciplines under the budget requests imposed by the exploration initiative. The report also provides an analysis of whether the science budget appropriately reflects cross-disciplinary scientific priorities.

NASA's Space Science Programs
NASA's Space Science Programs

Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology (2007). Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NASA's Science Programs
NASA's Science Programs

Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology (2007). Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute
Assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2008-04-20

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 0309114977

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Astrobiology is a scientific discipline devoted to the study of life in the universe - its origin, evolution, distribution, and future. In 1997, NASA established an Astrobiology program (the NASA Astrobiology Institute - NAI) as a result of a series of new results from solar system exploration and astronomical research in the mid-1990s together with advances in the biological sciences. To help evaluate the NAI, NASA asked the NRC to review progress made by the Institute in developing the field of astrobiology. This book presents an evaluation of NAI's success in meeting its goals for fostering interdisciplinary research, training future astrobiology researchers, providing scientific and technical leadership, exploring new research approaches with information technology, and supporting outreach to K-12 education programs.

NASA Budget and Programs
NASA Budget and Programs

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Subcommittee on Science and Space

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A Performance Assessment of NASA's Astrophysics Program
A Performance Assessment of NASA's Astrophysics Program

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-06-21

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 0309104904

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

While a number of remarkable discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics have taken place over the past 20 years, many important questions remain. Continued progress in these fields will require NASA's leadership. To help determine if NASA can meet this challenge, Congress, in the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, directed the agency to have "[t]he performance of each division in the Science directorate...reviewed and assessed by the National Academy of Sciences at 5-year intervals." In early 2006, NASA asked the NRC to conduct such an assessment for the agency's Astrophysics Division. This report presents an assessment of how well NASA's current program addresses the strategies, goals, and priorities outlined in previous Academy reports. The report provides an analysis of progress toward realizing these strategies, goals, and priorities; and a discussion of actions that could be taken to optimize the scientific value of the program in the context of current and forecasted resources.

Review of the Restructured Research and Analysis Programs of NASA's Planetary Science Division
Review of the Restructured Research and Analysis Programs of NASA's Planetary Science Division

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-06-22

Total Pages: 75

ISBN-13: 0309458730

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Research and Analysis (R&A) program managed by NASA's Planetary Science Division (PSD), supports a broad range of planetary science activities, including the analysis of data from past and current spacecraft; laboratory research; theoretical, modeling, and computational studies; geological and astrobiological fieldwork in planetary analog environments on Earth; geological mapping of planetary bodies; analysis of data from Earth- and space-based telescopes; and development of flight instruments and technology needed for future planetary science missions. The primary role of the PSD R&A program is to address NASA's strategic objective for planetary science and PSD's science goals. Recently, PSD reorganized the R&A program to provide better alignment with the strategic goals for planetary sciences. The major changes in the R&A program involved consolidating a number of prior program elements, many of which were organized by subdiscipline, into a smaller number of thematic core research program elements. Despite numerous efforts by PSD to communicate the rationale for the reorganization and articulate clearly the new processes, there has been significant resistance from the planetary science community and concerns in some sectors regarding the major realignment of funding priorities. Review of NASA's Planetary Science Division's Restructured Research and Analysis Programs examines the new R&A program and determines if it appropriately aligns with the agency's strategic goals, supports existing flight programs, and enables future missions. This report explores whether any specific research areas or subdisciplinary groups that are critical to NASA's strategic objectives for planetary science and PSD's science goals are not supported appropriately in the current program or have been inadvertently disenfranchised through the reorganization.

Visions into Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022
Visions into Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-11-30

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 0309479363

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In spring 2011 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine produced a report outlining the next decade in planetary sciences. That report, titled Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022, and popularly referred to as the "decadal survey," has provided high-level prioritization and guidance for NASA's Planetary Science Division. Other considerations, such as budget realities, congressional language in authorization and appropriations bills, administration requirements, and cross-division and cross-directorate requirements (notably in retiring risk or providing needed information for the human program) are also necessary inputs to how NASA develops its planetary science program. In 2016 NASA asked the National Academies to undertake a study assessing NASA's progress at meeting the objectives of the decadal survey. After the study was underway, Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 which called for NASA to engage the National Academies in a review of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. NASA and the Academies agreed to incorporate that review into the midterm study. That study has produced this report, which serves as a midterm assessment and provides guidance on achieving the goals in the remaining years covered by the decadal survey as well as preparing for the next decadal survey, currently scheduled to begin in 2020.