National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs

Engines for Innovation and Synthesis

Task Group on Research and Analysis Programs

Space Studies Board

Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications

National Research Council


NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1998

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the task group responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Support for this project was provided by Contract NASW 96013 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-06275-6

Copyright 1998 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Copies of this report are available from:

Space Studies Board

National Research Council

2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20418

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

TASK GROUP ON RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS PROGRAMS

ANTHONY W. ENGLAND,

University of Michigan,

Chair

JAMES G. ANDERSON,

Harvard University

MAGNUS HÖÖK,

Texas A&M University

JURI MATISOO,

IBM Research (retired)

ROBERTA BALSTAD MILLER,

CIESIN-Columbia University

DOUGLAS D. OSHEROFF,

Stanford University

CHRISTOPHER T. RUSSELL,

University of California at Los Angeles

STEVEN W. SQUYRES,

Cornell University

PAUL G. STEFFES,

Georgia Institute of Technology

JUNE M. THORMODSGARD,

U.S. Geological Survey

EUGENE H. TRINH,

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

ARTHUR B.C. WALKER, JR.,

Stanford University

PATRICK JOHN WEBBER,

Michigan State University

PAMELA L. WHITNEY, Study Director

RONALD M. KONKEL, Consultant

ANNE K. SIMMONS, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

SPACE STUDIES BOARD

CLAUDE R. CANIZARES,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

Chair

MARK R. ABBOTT,

Oregon State University

FRAN BAGENAL,

University of Colorado at Boulder

JAMES P. BAGIAN,*

Environmental Protection Agency

DANIEL N. BAKER,

University of Colorado at Boulder

LAWRENCE BOGORAD,*

Harvard University

DONALD E. BROWNLEE,*

University of Washington

ROBERT E. CLELAND,

University of Washington

JOHN J. DONEGAN,*

John Donegan Associates, Inc.

GERARD W. ELVERUM, JR.,

TRW Space and Technology Group (retired)

ANTHONY W. ENGLAND,*

University of Michigan

MARILYN L. FOGEL,

Carnegie Institution of Washington

MARTIN E. GLICKSMAN,*

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

RONALD GREELEY,

Arizona State University

BILL GREEN, former member,

U.S. House of Representatives

CHRISTIAN JOHANNSEN,

Purdue University

ANDREW H. KNOLL,

Harvard University

JANET G. LUHMANN,*

University of California at Berkeley

JONATHAN I. LUNINE,

University of Arizona

ROBERTA BALSTAD MILLER,

CIESIN-Columbia University

BERRIEN MOORE III,*

University of New Hampshire

KENNETH H. NEALSON,*

University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

GARY J. OLSEN,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

MARY JANE OSBORN,

University of Connecticut Health Center

SIMON OSTRACH,*

Case Western Reserve University

MORTON B. PANISH,*

AT&T Bell Laboratories (retired)

CARLÉ M. PIETERS,*

Brown University

THOMAS A. PRINCE,

California Institute of Technology

MARCIA J. RIEKE,*

University of Arizona

PEDRO L. RUSTAN, JR.,

U.S. Air Force (retired)

JOHN A. SIMPSON,*

University of Chicago

GEORGE L. SISCOE,

Boston University

EUGENE B. SKOLNIKOFF,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

EDWARD M. STOLPER,

California Institute of Technology

NORMAN E. THAGARD,

Florida State University

ALAN M. TITLE,

Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center

RAYMOND VISKANTA,

Purdue University

PETER VOORHEES,

Northwestern University

ROBERT E. WILLIAMS,*

Space Telescope Science Institute

JOHN A. WOOD,

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

JOSEPH K. ALEXANDER, Director (as of February 17, 1998)

MARC S. ALLEN, former Director (through December 12, 1997)

*  

 Former member.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS, AND APPLICATIONS

ROBERT J. HERMANN,

United Technologies Corporation,

Co-chair

W. CARL LINEBERGER,

University of Colorado,

Co-chair

PETER M. BANKS,

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan

WILLIAM BROWDER,

Princeton University

LAWRENCE D. BROWN,

University of Pennsylvania

RONALD G. DOUGLAS,

Texas A&M University

JOHN E. ESTES,

University of California at Santa Barbara

MARTHA P. HAYNES,

Cornell University

L. LOUIS HEGEDUS,

Elf Atochem North America, Inc.

JOHN E. HOPCROFT,

Cornell University

CAROL M. JANTZEN,

Westinghouse Savannah River Company

PAUL G. KAMINSKI,

Technovation, Inc.

KENNETH H. KELLER,

University of Minnesota

KENNETH I. KELLERMANN,

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

MARGARET G. KIVELSON,

University of California at Los Angeles

DANIEL KLEPPNER,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

JOHN KREICK,

Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company

MARSHA I. LESTER,

University of Pennsylvania

NICHOLAS P. SAMIOS,

Brookhaven National Laboratory

CHANG-LIN TIEN,

University of California at Berkeley

NORMAN METZGER, Executive Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

Foreword

The charter of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Public Law 85-568, is known as the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 with its several amendments. Title I gives a "Declaration of Policy and Purpose" listing several objectives "of the aeronautical and space activities of the United States." The first of these is "the expansion of human knowledge of the Earth and of phenomena in the atmosphere and space." It provides the rationale for most of NASA's scientific research.

One component of NASA's approach to meeting the objective of Tide I is to conduct space missions. These missions consume the majority of the agency's attention and resources and are most evident to the public; they are certainly necessary for collecting the data that can drive the expansion of knowledge.

Equally important components, but ones that are generally less visible and less well appreciated, are the programs in research and analysis and in data analysis. The former provides the scientific underpinnings and often the enabling technology for NASA missions, and the latter turns their raw data into scientific understanding. Both programs are really aggregations of numerous investigations by individuals or consortia at universities, NASA centers, other federal and not-for-profit laboratories, and industry, covering a broad range of topics and kinds of activity. Each one is generally modest, but the total is a significant fraction of NASA's science expenditures.

This report takes a broad look at the research and data analysis (R&DA) programs across all the science disciplines addressed by NASA. It considers the role of R&DA, examines as much as possible the historical trends in funding, and considers ways in which R&DA programs could be improved in the context of the current space research environment.

It seems inevitable that specific space missions will continue to occupy the foreground of NASA's image, especially for those who look at the agency from some distance. Officials and policy makers, however, must give equal attention to the activities of R&DA, which are essential in meeting the agency's overarching mission to expand human knowledge.

Claude R. Canizares

Chair, Space Studies Board

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×

Acknowledgment Of Reviewers

This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's (NRC's) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the authors and the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The contents of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:

George Clark, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

Arthur Code, WIYN Consortium, Inc.,

Thomas M. Donahue, University of Michigan,

Richard Goody, Harvard University (emeritus),

Jeanne Griffith, National Science Foundation,

Kenneth C. Jezek, Byrd Polar Research Center,

Adrian D. LeBlanc, Baylor College of Medicine, Methodist Hospital,

Ronald F. Probstein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

Roland W. Schmitt, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (retired), and

George Wetherill, Carnegie Institution of Washington.

We also wish to thank Kathryn Schmoll, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, for her review comments on the data sections of the report.

Although the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, responsibility for the final content of this report rests solely with the authoring committee and the NRC.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1998. Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/6311.
×
Page R12
Next: Executive Summary »
Supporting Research and Data Analysis in NASA's Science Programs: Engines for Innovation and Synthesis Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $42.00 Buy Ebook | $33.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Effective science, clearly a mandate for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), involves asking significant questions about the physical and biological world and seeking definitive answers. Its product is new knowledge that has value to the nation. NASA's flight projects are highly visible and usually the most costly elements of this process, but they are only a part of the science enterprise. Flight projects are founded on research that defines clear scientific goals and questions, designs missions to address those questions, and develops the required technologies to accomplish the missions. This research is funded primarily by NASA's research and analysis (R&A) programs. Data from flight projects are transformed into knowledge through analysis and synthesis-research that is funded both by R&A and by the data analysis (DA) portion of mission operations and data analysis (MO&DA) programs. R&A and DA programs are the subject of this report and are grouped for convenience under the heading of research and data analysis (R&DA).

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!