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New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy (2003)

Chapter: Part I: Current Knowledge of the Solar System and Its Implications for Future Solar System Exploration

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Suggested Citation:"Part I: Current Knowledge of the Solar System and Its Implications for Future Solar System Exploration." National Research Council. 2003. New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10432.
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Suggested Citation:"Part I: Current Knowledge of the Solar System and Its Implications for Future Solar System Exploration." National Research Council. 2003. New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10432.
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Page 12

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

Part One Current Knowledge of the Solar System and Its Implications for Future Solar System Exploration The five chapters that make up Part One of this report are Me work of the Solar System Exploration Surveys (SSE Surveys) pmels. These Shapers provide ~ broad survey of We Hate of knowledge in each of the pmels' particular scientific areas' identify key scientific questions, md make recommendations to Me Surveys Steering Group on ~ wide variety of mission concept to Egress these questions. This large body of work' together win Me ad hoe community input received in various forms' is the basis for Me in~gra~d strategy for solar system exploration described in Part Two. [leaders interested primarily in Me final overall stringy may safely focus on Part Two md' as appropriate' use Me ma~rial in Part One as ~ basic reference. Although the SSE Survey encouraged use of ~ common forms for each ofthe pme} reports, Me specific topics discussed by each panel led to some variations in presentation. Nevertheless, each pme} chapter discusses Me current understanding of, impor~t questions for, md likely future avenues of progress in ~ small number of unifying scientific themes' md each pme} identifies the most relevmt ground- md space-~ased activities needed to advance understanding in id subject area. Each pme} chapter prioritizes needed initiatives md makes final recommendations to Me Steering Group. The SSE Surveys Leering Group also requested that each pme} identify the receive priorities among Me important seientif~e questions by sorting Hem into one of Tree Oratories' in order of descending priority. This approach was implemented by asking whether the new knowledge gained from answering ~ particular question posed the possibility of brewing or echoing ~ paradigm, 2. Having ~ pivotal effect on He direction of future research' or 3. Substantially strengthening He factual basis of current undersizing.

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Solar system exploration is that grand human endeavor which reaches out through interplanetary space to discover the nature and origins of the system of planets in which we live and to learn whether life exists beyond Earth. It is an international enterprise involving scientists, engineers, managers, politicians, and others, sometimes working together and sometimes in competition, to open new frontiers of knowledge. It has a proud past, a productive present, and an auspicious future. This survey was requested by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to determine the contemporary nature of solar system exploration and why it remains a compelling activity today. A broad survey of the state of knowledge was requested. In addition NASA asked for the identifcation of the top-level scientific questions to guide its ongoing program and a prioritized list of the most promising avenues for flight investigations and supporting ground-based activities.

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