Space Studies Board Annual Report 2003 (2004) / Chapter Skim
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4 Short Reports
Pages 73-98
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From page 73... ...
In response to your request of January 7, 2003, I am pleased to transmit a review by the National Research Council's Space Studies Board of the draft "2003 Space Science Enterprise Strategy." The Board concluded that the document provides a thorough, informative summary of scientific objectives, goals, and the associated missions sponsored by the Office of Space Science (OSS)
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Signed by John H McElroy Chair, Space Studies Board Assessment of NASA's Draft 2003 Space Science Enterprise Strategy In a letter dated January 7, 2003 (Attachment 1~)
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survey, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics. In addition, the Board believes that the OSS draft document could be clarified and strengthened by making explicit the process used to create the OSS program and the priorities for the program it presents.
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From page 76... ...
and the perception of this mission as a priority of the NRC's SSE survey. According to the presentation by the chair of NASA's Space Science Advisory Committee to the NASA Advisory Council on March 20, 2003, "This mission [JIMO]
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program, and how this research is implemented within the broader NASA (Earth Science Enterprise) and national (e.g., Climate Change Research Initiative)
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From page 78... ...
For example, the 2001 NRC report Assessment of the Usefulness and Availability of NASA is Earth and Space Science Mission Data states: The successful implementation of methods for making complex queries of multiple databases is likely to be technically challenging and costly. The level of appropriate investment by NASA in federated data systems should be evaluated at regular intervals and should be based on 1)
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The OSS may also wish to consider how the text might be revised to highlight the unique capabilities of NASA to generate the excitement and enthusiasm necessary for a successful EPO program and to attract the audience it is intending to reach. In the broader context of education and public outreach, the Board believes that the OSS should prepare a comprehensive, forward-looking plan that defines the level of human resources required to accomplish the OSS program; how education and training efforts, including the recruitment and training of women and minorities, will meet those demands; and the resources required to retain this skilled labor force.
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From page 80... ...
For example, the survey recommends that NSF and NASA establish "bridged positions" to support faculty positions in solar and space physics and that NASA support undergraduate research in solar and space physics through grant programs.33 Efforts to address the future needs for scientific and technical human resources require a long-term commitment beyond awards associated with individual research and analysis grants or NRC postdoctoral fellows. A follow-up evaluation mechanism would be required to appraise the effectiveness of these human resources processes and their impact on the future of the OSS program and the space science community.
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From page 81... ...
2. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003, in press; Space Studies Board, National Research Council, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003, in press.
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7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Space Science, "2003 Space Science Enterprise Strategy," Draft 2, February 6, 2003, p.
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programs within the Office of Space Science that the data returned by flight missions is converted into new understanding, advancing the boundaries of what is known. The research supported by these programs also creates the knowledge necessary to plan the scientific scope of future missions.
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27. National Research Council, The Sun to the Earthbound Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, Republication copy, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2002, p.
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34. Space Studies Board, National Research Council, New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003, in press; Space Studies Board, National Research Council, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003, in press.
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From page 86... ...
Serafin Chair, Committee to Review the NASA Earth Science Enterprise Strategic Plan Assessment of NASA,s Draft 2003 Earth Science Enterprise Strategy EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction This report by the Committee to Review the NASA Earth Science Enterprise Strategic Plan responds to a request from the NASA Associate Administrator for Earth Science for a review of the most recent draft of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) Strategy, Understanding and Protecting Our Home Planet (hereinafter referred to as "the ESE draft document".
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87 The ESE draft document does not clearly and compellingly articulate the Earth Science Enterprise's rationale, scope, relationships, and programmatic approaches. To transform the ESE draft document and the strategy that it embodies into a coherent and effective plan, the committee recommends that the draft document be revised to address the following issues: .
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From page 88... ...
The committee believes that development of the programs presented in the ESE draft document would have benefited from a broader engagement of the external Earth science community. Prior to the development of ESE's 2006 Strategy, the committee recommends that ESE take new approaches to engaging the Earth science community, modeled perhaps on the outreach and roadmap efforts made by the Office of Space Science in developing its own strategy.
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INTRODUCTION In response to a letter of request from NASA's Associate Administrator for Earth Science 4 the National Research Council (NEC) appointed an ad hoc committees to review the draft Earth Science Enterprise Strategy (the ESE draft document)
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From page 90... ...
At the highest level, the ESE draft document outlines a program to study Earth as a global system, integrating technology-enabled measurements and comprehensive models to yield greatly improved predictive capabilities for climate, weather, and natural hazards. The draft document extends beyond scientific research to include the ESE program's Earth Science Applications theme, which identifies a set of application areas, partner agencies, and activities, including education.
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From page 91... ...
i4National Research Council, 2003, The Sun to the Earth—and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., and National Research Council, 2003, New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
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In addition, a clear and concise description of the Earth Science Applications theme is not found until deep into Section III (lines 589 ff.~. These top-level summaries within the ESE draft document should (and could)
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From page 93... ...
of the draft document addresses "identifying and prioritizing frontier science questions" as an essential component of the ESE framework, the draft document describes neither the criteria nor the processes for setting relative priorities among the six science focus areas. Similarly, the draft document gives no indication of the relative priorities of the three elements of the ESE's Earth Science Applications theme, nor does it prioritize between the ESE program's Earth System Science and Earth Science Applications themes.
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The ESE draft document describes a program that has two parts, Earth System Science and Earth Science Applications, and that is clearly important both scientifically and in terms of its contribution to broader, societally relevant national priorities. However, because many of ESE's objectives are qualitative their value may be difficult to assess.
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From page 95... ...
Interdisciplinary Aspects The draft document emphasizes many interdisciplinary aspects, beginning most importantly with the compelling need to treat Earth as a single system consisting of continents, atmosphere, oceans, ice, and life and extending to the influence of solar variability on Earth in collaboration with NASA's Space Science Enterprise. Each of the identified six science focus areas is, independently, also fundamentally interdisciplinary.
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Breadth and inclusiveness are essential in ESE's strategy document, which needs to convey the full range of possible scientific components and interactions. In the draft document, solid Earth science stands somewhat apart from, and independent of, the other science focus areas.
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The committee believes that this important strategic principle should be explicitly stated in the ESE draft document. The importance of open competition could be included as part of a general discussion of the principles for the overall ESE strategy.
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Recommendation 5 of the NRC's Review of NASA,s Earth Science Enterprise Research Strategy for 2000-20103 recommends "matrices that map the detailed science questions to measurement parameters, implementation procedures, models, calibration/validation/verification requirements, and potential partners." The ESE draft document should address these issues in order to demonstrate the links between key science questions and the research missions designed to address them. This suggestion responds to a concern raised above by the committee namely, that the strategic paths to the achievement of goals should be addressed in more detail.
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