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Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
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OCR for page 1
Executive Summary
Since the late 1960s, the post-Apollo future of human space exploration has
been a subject of ongoing debate, incremental decisions, variable political sup-
port, ceaseless studies, and little progress or commitment toward a well-defined
long-term goal. In 1989, President Bush attempted to establish a direction by
announcing a long-term goal for the U.S. space program of returning humans to
the Moon and then voyaging to Mars early in the 21st century. His proposal did
not win political support. Indeed, implementation of human exploration of the
solar system for a time virtually disappeared from public discussion, largely as a
result of greatly increased federal budget pressures and the end of the Cold War,
which in combination have brought about a de facto reprioritization of national
goals, including an examination of the entire rationale for the U.S. civil space
program.
Recently, steps have been taken to initiate integrated planning for the explo-
ration of Mars. In parallel, the goals of the International Space Station (ISS)
program include the conduct of life science research and the acquisition of prac-
tical operational experience needed to resolve issues related to long-duration hu-
man spaceflight. Concurrently, robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars is
being pursued by the United States and other countries.
The Space Studies Board (SSB) constituted the Committee on Human Ex-
ploration (CHEX) in 1989 to examine the general question of the space science
component of a future human exploration program. The first CHEX report,
Scientific Prerequisitesfor the Human Exploration of Space, addressed the ques-
tion of what scientific knowledge is required to enable prolonged human space
missions. The second CHEX report, Scientific Opportunities in the Human Ex
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2
SCIENCE MANAGEMENT IN THE HUMAN EXPLORATION OF SPACE
proration of Space,2 addressed the question of what scientific opportunities might
derive from prolonged human space missions.
During the development of these first two reports, it became evident to the
committee that the mode of interaction between space science and human explo-
ration has varied over the years, as evidenced by a succession of different NASA
organizational structures. The committee reviewed the history of this interaction
with the objective of developing a "lessons-learned" set of principles and recom-
mendations for the future. The principles and recommendations thus evolved for
managing the science component of a Moon/Mars program, whenever and how-
ever it is pursued, transcend political and administrative changes.
While this report is not intended to dictate precise organizational models,
application of these principles and recommendations should facilitate a produc-
tive integration of science into a program of human exploration.
PRINCIPLES FOR SCIENCE MANAGEMENT
Three broad principles emerged from the committee's survey of past pro-
grams:
INTEGRATED SCIENCE PROGRAM The scientific study of specific planetary
bodies, such as the Moon and Mars, should be treated as an integral part of an
overall solar system science program and not separated out simply because there
may be concurrent interest in human exploration of those bodies. Thus, there
should be a single Headquarters office responsible for conducting the scientific
aspects of solar system exploration.
CLEAR PROGRAM GOALS AND PRIORITIES A program of human space-
flight will have political, engineering, and technological goals in addition to its
scientific goals. To avoid confusion and misunderstandings, the objectives of
each individual component project or mission that integrates space science and
human spaceflight should be clearly specified and prioritized.
JOINT SPA CEFLIGHT/SCIENCE PROGRAM OFFICE The offices respon-
sible for human spaceflight and space science should jointly establish and staff a
program office to collaboratively implement the scientific component of human
exploration. As a model, that office should have responsibilities, functions, and
reporting relationships similar to those that supported science in the Apollo,
Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) missions.
MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
In addition to these broad principles, the committee developed a number of
specific recommendations on managing space research in the context of a human
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
exploration program. Divided into three general categories, these recommenda-
tions are as follows.
Science Prerequisites for Human Exploration (Enabling Science)
1. The program office charged with human exploration should establish the
scientific and programmatic requirements needed to resolve the critical research
and optimal performance issues enabling a human exploration program, such as a
human mission to Mars. To define these requirements, the program office may
enlist the assistance of other NASA offices, federal agencies, and the outside
research community.
2. The scientific investigations required to resolve critical enabling research
and optimal performance issues for a human exploration program should be se-
lected by NASA's Headquarters science offices, or other designated agencies,
using selection procedures based on broad solicitation, open and equitable com-
petition, peer review, and adequate post-selection debriefings.
3. NASA should maintain a dedicated biomedical sciences office headed by
a life scientist. This office should be given management visibility and decision-
making authority commensurate with its critical role in the program. The option
of having this office report directly to the NASA Administrator should be given
careful consideration.
Science Enabled by Human Exploration
4. Each space research discipline should maintain a science strategy to be
used as the basis for planning, prioritizing, selecting, and managing science, in-
cluding that enabled by a human exploration program.
5. NASA's Headquarters science offices should select the scientific experi-
ments enabled by a human exploration program according to established prac-
tices: community-wide opportunity announcements, open and equitable compe-
tition, and peer review.
6. The offices responsible for human exploration and for space science
should jointly create a formal organizational structure for managing the enabled
science component of a human exploration program.
Institutional Issues
7. Officials responsible for review of activities or protocols relating to hu-
man health and safety and planetary protection on human and robotic missions
should be independent of the implementing program offices.
8. The external research community should have a leading role in defining
and carrying out the scientific experiments conducted within a human explora-
tion program.
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4
SCIENCE MANAGEMENT IN THE HUMAN EXPLORATION OF SPACE
9. A human exploration program organization must incorporate scientific
personnel to assist in program planning and operations, and to serve as an inter-
face between internal project management and the external scientific community.
Such "in-house" scientists should be of a professional caliber that will enable
them to compete on an equal basis with their academic colleagues for research
opportunities offered by human exploration missions.
10. Working through their partnership in a joint spaceflight/science program
office, the science offices should control the overall science management pro-
cess, including the budgeting and disbursement of research funds.
REFERENCES
1. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, Scientific Prerequisites for the Human
Exploration of Space, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1993.
2. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, Scientific Opportunities in the Human Ex-
ploration of Space, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
exploration program
