2 Board and Standing Committees: Activities and Membership
The Board and its standing committees provide strategic direction and oversee activities of ad hoc study committees (see Chapter 3), interact with sponsors, and serve as a communications conduit between the government and the scientific community. They do not provide formal advice and recommendations, and therefore are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Section 15.
During 2012, the Space Studies Board (SSB) had four standing committees representing various disciplines: Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS), the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA; jointly with the Board on Physics and Astronomy, BPA), the Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space (CESAS), the and the Committee on Solar and Space Physics (CSSP).
HIGHLIGHTS OF SPACE STUDIES BOARD ACTIVITIES
The Space Studies Board did not meet in person during the first quarter of 2012. The SSB spring meeting was held in the second quarter, April 4-5, in Washington, D.C. The first day of the meeting was a joint session with the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board where the boards heard from Gale Allen from NASA’s Office of the Chief Scientist, Mason Peck, NASA’s Chief Technologist, and Bill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, as well as NASA’s Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot. The boards also received updates from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and staffers from the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. On April 5 the boards met individually. SSB had discussions with NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Deputy Associate Administrator Chuck Gay, and SMD Division directors (or their representatives) and also received updates from Mary Kicza, Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Tim Killeen, Assistant Director for Geosciences, National Science Foundation (NSF).
The Board did not meet in person during the third quarter; however, the Executive Committee of the Board (XCOM) met on August 8-9 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, for its annual planning session. In addition to other strategic planning discussions, the XCOM met with former chairs and vice chairs of the SSB, current chairs of the SSB standing committees, staff from OSTP, the U.S. Senate, and NASA SMD for a discussion on the impact and roles of the SSB and future challenges for the space science community. The XCOM also received a briefing from Doug McCuistion (NASA) and Jim Green (NASA) on the status of the Curiosity/Mars Science Laboratory, which had just landed on August 5, 2012.
The Board met on November 14 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California, following the November 12-13 Workshop on Lessons Learned in Decadal Planning in Space Science. The morning session focused on a discussion of the Board’s impressions from the workshop and how the information that was gathered could be used in a potential follow-on study with recommendations for future decadal surveys and midterm assessments. The afternoon session was a discussion with the leadership of SSB’s four standing committees on topics and issues that are of concern in their respective communities.
SPACE STUDIES BOARD MEMBERSHIP
July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012
Charles F. Kennel, University of California, San
Diego (chair) John M. Klineberg, Space Systems/Loral (retired) (vice chair)
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University
Steven J. Battel, Battel Engineering
Yvonne C. Brill, Aerospace Consultant
Elizabeth R. Cantwell, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Andrew B. Christensen, Dixie State College of Utah
Alan Dressler, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution
Jack D. Fellows, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Heidi B. Hammel, AURA
Fiona A. Harrison, California Institute of Technology
Anthony C. Janetos, University of Maryland
Joan Johnson-Freese, Naval War College
Robert P. Lin, University of California, Berkeley*
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future
John F. Mustard, Brown University
Robert T. Pappalardo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
James Pawelczyk, Pennsylvania State University
Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona
David N. Spergel, Princeton University
Warren M. Washington, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Clifford M. Will, Washington University
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013
Charles F. Kennel, University of California, San Diego (chair)
John M. Klineberg, Space Systems/Loral (retired) (vice chair)
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University
James Anderson, Harvard University
James Bagian, University of Michigan
Yvonne C. Brill, Aerospace Consultant
Elizabeth R. Cantwell, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Andrew B. Christensen, Dixie State College of Utah
Alan Dressler, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution
Thomas R. Gavin, California Institute of Technology
Heidi B. Hammel, AURA
Fiona A. Harrison, California Institute of Technology
Joseph S. Hezir, EOP Group, Inc.
Anthony C. Janetos, University of Maryland
Joan Johnson-Freese, Naval War College
Robert P. Lin, University of California, Berkeley*
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future
John F. Mustard, Brown University
Robert T. Pappalardo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona
David N. Spergel, Princeton University
Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University
Clifford M. Will, University of Florida
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
Ex Officio and Liaison Participants
Lester Lyles, The Lyles Group (ex-officio, chair, NRC Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board) Jean-Pierre Swings, Universite de Liege (liaison, chair of the European Space Science Committee)
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* Dr. Lin, also the U.S. Representative to COSPAR, passed away on November 17, 2012.
Membership of the SSB Executive Committee
July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012
Charles F. Kennel, University of California, San Diego (chair)
John M. Klineberg, Space Systems/Loral (retired) (vice chair)
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University
Elizabeth R. Cantwell, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Fiona A. Harrison, California Institute of Technology
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future, Inc.
Robert T. Pappalardo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013
Charles F. Kennel, University of California, San Diego (chair)
John M. Klineberg, Space Systems/Loral (retired) (vice chair)
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University
Elizabeth R. Cantwell, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Fiona A. Harrison, California Institute of Technology
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future, Inc.
Robert T. Pappalardo, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
Staff in 2012
Michael H. Moloney, Director
Joseph K. Alexander, Senior Program Officer
Arthur A. Charo, Senior Program Officer
Sandra J. Graham, Senior Program Officer
Ian W. Pryke, Senior Program Officer
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer
Dwayne A. Day,* Senior Program Officer, ASEB
David Lang,* Program Officer, BPA
Abigail A. Sheffer, Associate Program Officer
Lewis Groswald, Research Associate
Amanda Thibault,* Research Associate, ASEB (to January 2013)
Danielle Piskorz, Research Assistant (from May 2012 to December 2012)
Celeste A. Naylor, Information Management Associate
Tanja E. Pilzak, Manager, Program Operations
Christina O. Shipman, Financial Officer
Sandra Wilson, Senior Financial Assistant
Catherine A. Gruber, Editor
Carmela J. Chamberlain, Administrative Coordinator
Andrea Rebholz,* Program Associate, ASEB
Dionna Williams, Program Associate
Terri Baker, Senior Program Assistant (until April)
Rodney N. Howard, Senior Program Assistant
Linda M. Walker, Senior Program Assistant
Space Policy Interns
Michael W. Barton, 2012 Summer Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Miles Lifson, 2012 Summer Space Policy Intern
Joseph G. O’Rourke, 2012 Summer Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Danielle Piskorz, 2011 Fall Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Christine Mirzayan Fellows
Chase Estrin,* Winter 2011 Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow, ASEB
Cheryl Moy,* Fall 2012 Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow, ASEB
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* Staff from other NRC Boards who are shared with the SSB.
U.S. NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR COSPAR
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) held its annual business meetings in Paris, France, on March 12-15. These meetings included the initial discussions of the agenda for the first COSPAR Symposium—to focus on the themes of the planets of the solar system and extrasolar planetary systems and the future of space astronomy—and the final deliberations of the Science Program Committee for the Mysore Scientific Assembly. Additional meetings included the COSPAR Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC) and the Bureau. A major topic of discussion during the meetings of the Bureau was a series of proposed revisions to COSPAR bylaws. The revisions included proposals to elect the COSPAR president via a postal ballot, enhancing the status and responsibilities of the chairs of COSPAR’s scientific commissions, recognizing the important role played by CSAC, and the removal of gender-specific and other outmoded language. The revisions were accepted by the Bureau and remanded to the Council for final approval.
The 39th COSPAR Scientific Assembly was held in at the Narayana Murthy Center of Excellence on the Infosys campus in Mysore, India, on July 14-22, 2012. A total of 3,504 abstracts were received, and 2,838 delegates from 73 countries attended the assembly. As per its usual custom, the Council met twice during the assembly. Topics addressed during the Council meetings included the adoption of the proposed bylaw changes and the selection of the site for the 2016 Scientific Assembly. Italy’s Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica proposed Rome as the site for the 2016 assembly. The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey issued a invitation on behalf of Istanbul. Following presentations and discussions, the Turkish bid was accepted by a vote of 30 to 13.
The year 2012 ended on a sad note with the sudden death of Robert P. Lin, the U.S. representative to and vice president of COSPAR. Lennard Fisk was appointed as the U.S. representative to COSPAR in February 2013. The vice presidency will likely remain vacant until the COSPAR elections in 2014.
COSPAR events scheduled to occur in 2013 include the annual round of business meetings in Paris, France, on March 18-21, and the inaugural COSPAR Symposium, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 11-15. COSPAR’s 40th Scientific Assembly will be held at the Lomonosov Moscow State University in Moscow, Russia, on August 2-10, 2014.
U.S. Representative to COSPAR
Robert P. Lin, University of California, Berkeley*
Staff
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer, SSB (executive secretary for COSPAR)
Carmela J. Chamberlain, Administrative Coordinator, SSB
COMMITTEE ON ASTROBIOLOGY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE
The Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science is a new activity combining the responsibilities formerly exercised by the Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration (COMPLEX) and the Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life (COEL). The committee’s co-chairs and 17 members were appointed during the first quarter of 2012.
The committee’s first meeting, at the National Academies’ Keck Center in Washington, D.C., on May 23-25 was devoted to familiarizing the committee with NASA’s current programs in the areas of planetary science and astrobiology. Particular attention was paid to the administration’s proposed fiscal year 2013 budget for NASA’s Planetary Science Division and its implications for the implementation of the scientific and programmatic recommendations contained in the planetary science decadal survey Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022. In addition, the committee heard presentations on re-planning activities in NASA’s post-MAVEN Mars exploration activities and the restructuring of the Jupiter Europa Orbiter mission into flyby and orbital elements.
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* Dr. Lin, also an SSB member, passed away on November 17, 2012.
The committee’s second meeting, at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, California, on September 24-25, was devoted primarily to briefings and discussions concerning the current status of NASA’s Mars exploration plans for the post-2016 period and the most recent results from the Europa flagship mission rescoping activities. Among the other agenda topics were briefings on the initial results from the Mars Science Laboratory and planning for the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter mission.
CAPS did not meet during the fourth quarter of 2012 but, rather, held the first of a planned series of bimonthly conference calls. The first such call took place on November 26 where three topics were discussed: (1) a status report by Co-Chair Philip Christensen on the CAPS presentations at the meetings of the SSB and the Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council; (2) a brief report by James Green on recent activities of NASA’s Planetary Science Division; and (3) possible topics for joint sessions with CAA during NRC Space Science Week. With respect to the third topic, CAPS is coordinating with CAA to schedule a joint session on the topic of exoplanets. The next conference call was scheduled to take place on 23 January, 2013. The next meeting of CAPS will take place at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C., on March 6-8, 2013, during the SSB’s Space Science Week.
A historical summary of NRC-SSB advice on astrobiology and planetary protection is presented in Figure 2.1. A historical summary of NRC-SSB advice on solar system exploration is presented in Figure 2.2.
Membership
Philip R. Christensen, Arizona State University (co-chair)
J. Gregory Ferry, Pennsylvania State University (co-chair)
Sushil K. Atreya, University of Michigan
Amy C. Barr, Brown University
Richard P. Binzel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
John Clarke, Boston University
Geoffrey Collins, Wheaton College
Pascale Ehrenfreund, George Washington University
Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Carnegie Institution for Science
G. Scott Hubbard, Stanford University
Laurie A. Leshin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute
Michael Russell, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Gary Ruvkun, Massachusetts General Hospital
Gerald Schubert, University of California, Los Angeles
Barbara Sherwood Lollar, University of Toronto
Norman H. Sleep, Stanford University
Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, University of New Mexico
Roger V. Yelle, University of Arizona
Staff
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Amanda Thibault, Research Associate, ASEB
Rodney N. Howard, Senior Program Assistant, SSB
FIGURE 2.2 NRC-SSB advice on solar system exploration (1969-2012). Origins of life topics are covered in Figure 2.1.
COMMITTEE ON ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
The Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which operates under the joint auspices of the SSB and the BPA, was on hiatus during the decadal survey but was reconstituted in the first quarter of 2012. The committee’s first meeting of the year was on June 4-6 at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, the committee heard presentations from the NASA Astrophysics Division and NASA SMD, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of High Energy Physics, and the NSF’s Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST), Scott Gaudi, James Kasting, Sarah Church, Steven Ritz, Ed Feddeman, and Alan Dressler. The committee held roundtable discussions with representatives from NASA, DOE, and NSF. Of particular note, NASA announced that the Astrophysics Division had acquired two telescopes with 2.4-meter mirrors, and will begin to contemplate the use of the telescopes for advancing WFIRST scientific priorities.
CAA held a WebEx meeting on July 27 to hear a presentation on the final report of the WFIRST Science Definition Team. Neil Gehrels, NASA WFIRST Study Scientist, presented the report’s findings. Paul Hertz, Director of the Astrophysics Division also spoke about what NASA is doing in response to the report. The committee held another WebEx meeting on September 7 to hear a presentation on the report of the Portfolio Review Committee. Daniel Eisenstein, chair of the committee, delivered the presentation. Jim Ulvestad, Director of the NSF/AST, discussed how the NSF was going to move forward procedurally.
During the fourth quarter, CAA held two WebEx meetings: (1) October 16 to hear presentations on the final reports of the NASA Gravitational Wave Mission Concept Study from Tuck Stebbins (NASA) and the NASA X-ray Mission Concepts Study from Rob Petre (NASA) and (2) on November 7 to hear about NASA Astrophysics’ work on its Astrophysics Implementation Plan. The CAA also held a town hall at the January 2013 meeting of the American Astronomical Society. CAA will meet again on March 6-8, 2013 during the NRC Space Science Week.
A historical summary of reports from CAA and related committees is presented in Figure 2.3.
Membership
Paul L. Schechter, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (co-chair)
David N. Spergel, Princeton University (co-chair)
Jeremiah K. Darling, University of Colorado, Boulder
Megan Donahue, Michigan State University
Debra Fischer, Yale University
Joshua A. Frieman, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and University of Chicago
Charles F. Gammie, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Timothy M. Heckman, Johns Hopkins University
Lynne Hillenbrand, California Institute of Technology
Robert P. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Christopher F. McKee, University of California, Berkeley
Rene A. Ong, University of California, Los Angeles
Eve C. Ostriker, Princeton University
Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona
J. Craig Wheeler, University of Texas, Austin
Eric M. Wilcots, University of Wisconsin, Madison
A. Thomas Young, Lockheed Martin (retired)
Staff
David B. Lang, Program Officer, BPA
Lewis Groswald, Research Associate, SSB
Dionna Williams, Program Associate, SSB
COMMITTEE ON EARTH SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS FROM SPACE
The Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space (CESAS) did not meet during the first quarter; however, several former members of the committee previously served on an ad hoc committee assessing NASA’s progress in implementing the 2007 Earth science and applications from space decadal survey at the mid-point of the decadal survey cycle (the 2007 decadal survey in Earth science, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, was the first Earth science decadal survey published by the NRC). The resulting mid-decade review report was published in mid-2012. Nominations to the newly reconstituted CESAS were approved by the NRC shortly before the first quarter of 2012 ended.
CESAS held its first meeting of the year on July 10-11 at the Keck Center of the National Academies in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, CESAS was updated on the status of current and future NASA Earth science programs and missions. CESAS received presentations from representatives of NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD): Michael Freilich (ESD Director), Lawrence Friedl (Director, NASA Applied Sciences Program), and Jack Kaye (ESD Associate Director for Research). The committee also heard from Peter Colohan and Johannes Loschnigg from OSTP; Byron Tapley, chair of the NASA Earth Science Subcommittee (by teleconference); and Jeremy Weirich, a staff member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. In addition, CESAS received a briefing from Robert Winokur, chair of the NOAA Science Advisory Board’s Satellite Architecture Study. During the meeting, CESAS discussed—among other items—the recently released report Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA’s Implementation of the Decadal Survey. The committee had lengthy discussions with ESD leadership on its potential role in following up on the findings and recommendations in the report as well as other areas of mutual interest.
CESAS held a teleconference with NASA ESD Director Mike Freilich on November 26 to discuss possible new activities for the committee. Planning has also begun for the committee’s second in-person meeting on March 6-8, 2013 as a part of the NRC Space Science Week in Washington, DC.
A historical summary of NRC-SSB advice on Earth science and applications in space is presented in Figure 2.4.
Membership
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University (chair)
Joyce E. Penner, University of Michigan (vice chair)
Steven A. Ackerman, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Stacey W. Boland, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Antonio J. Busalacchi, Jr., University of Maryland
Lennard A. Fisk, University of Michigan
Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Lee-Lueng Fu, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Inez Y. Fung, University of California, Berkeley
Chelle L. Gentemann, Remote Sensing Systems
Kenneth C. Jezek, Ohio State University
Michael D. King, University of Colorado, Boulder
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future
Walter S. Scott, Digital Globe, Inc.
David L. Skole, Michigan State University
William F. Townsend, Independent Aerospace Consultant
Steven C. Wofsy, Harvard University
Staff
Arthur A. Charo, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Lewis Groswald, Research Associate, SSB
Terri Baker, Senior Program Assistant, SSB (until April)
Andrea Rebholz, Program Associate, ASEB
COMMITTEE ON SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS
The Committee on Solar and Space Physics was on hiatus until the completion of the solar and space physics (heliophysics) decadal survey. During the first quarter, plans were underway to nominate new members to the committee. Co-chairs J. Todd Hoeksema, Stanford University, and Mary K. Hudson, Dartmouth College, were appointed during the third quarter. Appointment of the rest of the committee continued during the fourth quarter. The first in-person meeting of the newly appointed committee will occur on March 6-8, 2013, during the NRC Space Science Week.
A historical summary of reports from CSSP and related committees is presented in Figure 2.5.
J. Todd Hoeksema, Stanford University (co-chair)
Mary K. Hudson, Dartmouth College (co-chair)
Timothy S. Bastian, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Amitava Bhattacharjee, Princeton University
Stephen A. Fuselier, Southwest Research Institute
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research, High Altitude Observatory
George M. Gloeckler, University of Maryland (emeritus)
David L. Hysell, Cornell University
Thomas Immel, University of California, Berkeley
Louis J. Lanzerotti, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Judith L. Lean, Naval Research Laboratory
Robyn Millan, Dartmouth College
Terrance G. Onsager, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
Aaron Ridley, University of Michigan
Nathan A. Schwadron, University of New Hampshire
Michelle F. Thomsen, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Staff
Arthur A. Charo, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Abigail Sheffer, Associate Program Officer, SSB
Amanda Thibault, Research Associate, ASEB
Linda M. Walker, Senior Program Assistant, SSB
SPACE RESEARCH DISCIPLINES WITHOUT STANDING COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION
Although there are no longer standing committees representing microgravity research or space biology and medicine, a decadal survey on biological and physical sciences in space was conducted and published in 2011. A historical summary of NRC-SSB advice in space biology and medicine is presented in Figure 2.6, and a historical summary of NRC-SSB advice microgravity research is presented in Figure 2.7.
