Space Studies Board Annual Report 2005 (2006) / Chapter Skim
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4 Summaries of Major Reports
4 Summaries of Major Reports
Pages 43-94
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4 Summaries of Major Reports This chapter reprints the executive summaries of reports that were released in 2005 (note that the official publication date may be 2006)
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7. Where applicable, point out the relevance to NASA missions.
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The committee recommends that NASA continue to ensure that an appropriate diversity of topics is included within the astrophysics component of astrobiology and that its support be coordinated with funding through other relevant programs. NASA also should develop metrics to evaluate the degree to which truly interdisciplinary work involving astronomy and astrophysics is being done in the current NAI nodes.
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· Geological and geochemical work to identify ejecta material in the rock record surrounding large impact basins -- in particular, to study existing evidence and search for additional signs of impact at the Permian/Triassic boundary and to document various anomalies in noble gas isotopic signatures and rare earth and other metal abundances that can be clearly linked to extraterrestrial impactors. · Return to the Moon to acquire more lunar samples to help determine when the "impact frustration" of life's origin ended by sampling more sites -- particularly sites that are older than the six sites sampled by the Apollo astronauts and the three sites sampled by the Russian robotic sample-return missions and, especially, the oldest and largest impact basin on the Moon, the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
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· In order to provide opportunities for graduate training within and outside the NAI nodes, NASA should establish an astrobiology graduate student fellowship program similar to existing programs in space and Earth science. These fellowships should be open to students enrolled in any accredited graduate program within the United States.
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Summaries of Major Reports 49 4.2 The Atacama Large Millimeter Array: Implications of a Potential Descope A Report of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Science Requirements for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array Summary The Committee to Review the Science Requirements for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array conducted a study to evaluate the consequences of a descope of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) , which is intended to be the major, ground-based observational facility for millimeter and submillimeter astronomy for the next three decades.
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In this regard, recent changes in federal support for Earth observation programs are alarming. At NASA, the vitality of Earth science and application programs has been placed at substantial risk by a rapidly shrinking budget that no longer supports already-approved missions and programs of high scientific and societal relevance.
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Although NOAA has plans to modernize and refresh its weather satellites, NASA has no plan to replace its EOS platforms after their nominal 6-year lifetimes end (beginning with the Terra satellite in 2005) , and it has canceled, descoped, or delayed at least six planned missions, including the Landsat Data Continuity "bridge" mission.3 These decisions appear to be driven by a major shift in priorities at a time when NASA is moving to implement a new vision for space exploration.
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· Landsat Data Continuity. For more than 30 years, Landsat satellites have collected data on Earth's continental surfaces to support Earth science research and state and local government efforts to assess the quality of terrestrial habitats, their resources, and their changes due to human activity.
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The committee recommends that NASA, NOAA, and the USGS commission three independent reviews, to be completed by October 2005, regarding the Ocean Vector Winds, Landsat Data Continuity, and Glory missions.5 These reviews should evaluate: · The suitability, capability, and timeliness of the OLI and CMIS instruments to meet the research and operational needs of users, particularly those that have relied on data from Landsat and QuikSCAT; · The suitability, capability, and timeliness of the APS and TIM instruments for meeting the needs of the scientific and operational communities; · The costs and benefits of launching the Landsat Data Continuity and Glory missions prior to or independently of the launch of the first NPOESS platform; and · The costs and benefits of launching the Ocean Vector Winds mission prior to or independently of the launch of CMIS on NPOESS. If the benefits of an independent NASA mission(s)
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10This approach corresponds to the original intent of the Earth System Science Pathfinder program, which solicited proposals every 2 years for satellite measurements that were outside the scope of approved Earth science missions. Proposals were solicited in all Earth science disciplines, from which two missions and one alternate were selected based on scientific priority and technical readiness.
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If we succeed in implementing the near-term actions recommended above and embrace the challenge of developing a long-term observation strategy that effectively recognizes the importance of societal benefits, a strong foundation will be established for research and operational Earth sciences in the future, to the great benefit of society -- now and for generations to come. 11 R&A has customarily supplied funds for enhancing fundamental understanding in a discipline and stimulating the questions from which new scientific investigations flow.
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This report by the National Research Council's Committee on Extending the Effective Lifetimes of Earth Observing Research Missions reviews the current process and provides recommendations for adapting this process to the specific needs of NASA's Earth science missions. Finding.
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Summaries of Major Reports 57 · The overall process should be built around a 5-year rolling approach to evaluations (see Figure ES.1) , involving incremental evaluations beginning several years in advance of the final decision, so as to increase community visibility and facilitate partner commitments, with a biennial status briefing that includes all potential partners.
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. The Mars science community's Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG)
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In addition, the committee found that scientific data from ongoing Mars missions may point toward the possibility that Mars could have locales that would permit the growth of microbes brought from Earth, or that could even harbor extant life (although this remains unknown) ,5 and that these intriguing scientific results raise potentially important questions about protecting the planet Mars itself, in addition to protecting the scientific investigations that might be performed there.
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Studies of bioburden reduction methods should also use naturally occurring microorganisms associated with spacecraft and spacecraft assembly areas in tests of the methods. (Recommendation 8, Chapter 8)
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The most critical issue regarding Mars science and the potential forward contamination of Mars concerns socalled special regions. A "special region" is defined by COSPAR planetary protection policy as being "a region within which terrestrial organisms are likely to propagate, or a region which is interpreted to have a high potential for the existence of extant martian life forms" (COSPAR, 2003, p.
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. · NASA should ensure that all category IVs missions to Mars satisfy at least level 2 bioburden reduction requirements.10 For each IVs mission, NASA's planetary protection officer should appoint an independent, external committee with appropriate engineering, martian geological, and biological expertise to recommend to NASA's planetary protection officer whether a higher level of bioburden reduction is required.
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For that reason, the committee recommends increased requirements for bioburden reduction until the results of new research and development make it possible to reduce the uncertainty in preventing the forward contamination of Mars. There remains the potential that lower standards of bioburden reduction permitted for spacecraft that do not include life-detection experiments may permit the introduction of terrestrial organisms into sensitive environments where they may reproduce over long time scales -- posing a potential long-term threat to any indigenous biosphere that may exist.
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Hence, there will be an opportunity during Fiscal Year 2008, when development of both the 2011 and the 2013 Mars missions is expected to start, to begin to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of new bioburden reduction requirements and procedures. Implementation of a new, completely validated planetary protection protocol that employs advanced bioassay and 11 A FY 2006 start date for the committee's recommended time line could depend on NASA's ability to access or reprogram resources to devote to research efforts.
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A complete transition to applying modern methods (without concurrent application of existing bioassay and bioburden reduction techniques) would most realistically be accomplished on a mission developed for launch early
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ESA WPP-243, ISSN 1022-6656, June. MEPAG (Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group)
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To that end, NASA asked the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council to explore the factors contributing to the successes and challenges of PI-led missions. The Committee on Principal-Investigator-Led Missions in the Space Sciences undertook this task with the understanding that such missions are an essential, scientifically productive component within NASA's suite of missions that complements the strategic missions emerging from the decadal survey and roadmap processes.
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The committee's findings and recommendations are presented below and organized into five themes: the selection process, funding profiles, international contributions, program management, and project management. SELECTION PROCESS Information gathered by the committee indicates that the scientific and technical communities invest excessive effort in preparing proposals for PI-led mission programs and that few institutions can or should maintain the infrastructure support (administrative, management, cost estimation)
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At the same time, the committee found that opportunities -- for example, availability of competed funds -- for developing technologies for PI-led missions outside the actual mission were limited. Explicit, competed technology development components for each PI-led program (Discovery, New Frontiers, Explorer, Mars Scout)
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The Discovery Program Office has been relocated on more than one occasion and is in a state of flux, which has led to difficulties for some Discovery missions. A recently merged Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office is in the process of being reestablished at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
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Threat of Cancellation If a PI-led mission is projected to exceed its cost cap for reasons that NASA Headquarters judges to be within the project, the PI-led program office (Explorer, Discovery/New Frontiers, Mars Scout) and NASA Headquarters may call a termination review.
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Finding. The threat of cancellation in a termination review is no longer an effective way of keeping PI-led missions within their cost caps, because few missions have been canceled as a result of exceeding their cost caps.
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The Science Mission Directorate now consists of four subdivisions: Heliophysics, Planetary Science, Earth Science, and Astronomy and Physics. Earth Science has its own line of PI-led missions.8 The space science PI-led mission lines described in this report have the potential to address some of the high-priority science recommended in NRC decadal surveys.
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The committee believes that its report provides some useful suggestions and recommendations that would help NASA administrators, agency program managers, centers, and the science community as they continue to exploit this most grassroots of NASA mission lines.
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The second was to make recommendations for an advanced technology development program for future space science missions employing nuclear power and propulsion capabilities. In response to NASA's request, the Committee on Priorities for Space Science Enabled by Nuclear Power and Propulsion -- consisting of a steering group and three science panels -- was established to address the charge.
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It is the committee's hope that, these caveats aside, the conceptual missions discussed in this Phase I report will be studied by NASA and the wider scientific community and, if found to have sufficient merit and potential, will then be considered for prioritization in future decadal surveys. CONTRIBUTIONS OF NUCLEAR POWER AND PROPULSION TO THE SPACE SCIENCES Solar and Space Physics and Solar System Exploration The material presented in Chapters 4 and 6 clearly demonstrates that the availability of nuclear power and propulsion technologies has the potential to enable a rich variety of solar and space physics and solar system exploration missions.
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Thus NASA and its partners in other federal agencies have taken some courageous and undoubtedly important first steps in what will be a long-term program to harness nuclear power and propulsion for the benefit of space exploration. Despite the promise of these technologies, however, it is essential to be clear about their positive and negative aspects.
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The development and deployment of such technologies may proscribe the diversity of space science missions. But it is difficult to imagine that space science goals for the period beyond 2015 will still be addressed with the power and propulsion technologies of the Mariners, Pioneers, and Voyagers.
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Recommendation: NASA should commission detailed, comprehensive studies -- supported by external inde pendent reviews and the broad participation of the space science and space technology communities -- to examine the feasibility of developing space nuclear propulsion systems with reduced transit times and costs, in order to determine which nuclear propulsion technologies should be pursued at this time, and to ensure that investments in advanced propulsion technologies yield the greatest benefit for the NASA community. SECONDARY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Decadal Surveys and Program Balance Finding: Program balance is critical to the long-term health of the space science enterprise.
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Nuclear reactor power and propulsion systems for human exploration missions, however, must be qualified to a level of reliability much higher than that for power and propulsion systems for robotic missions, and will have to be validated for reliable operation at full power and mission lifetime. Recommendation: NASA should reexamine the technology goals of Project Prometheus to assess the benefits (in terms of cost, schedule, and performance)
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Recommendation: Determination of the cost of NEP-class missions should take into account the cost of necessary associated technologies and programs. Particular emphasis should be placed on studies of the means to maintain or, if possible, increase the fraction of launch mass allotted to science payloads above that typical for current space science missions.
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5. National Research Council, The Sun to the Earth -- and Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, Space Studies Board, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003, pp.
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If science in pursuit of the exploration vision is to be aligned with the priorities set forth by the scientific community in NRC decadal survey reports, it will be essential for NASA to embrace the broadly based science program that has been recommended by the 2004 report of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Policy5 and the principles articulated in the 2005 Space Studies Board report Science in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.6 Also, much more should be done to coordinate planning across the various roadmaps and with other federal agencies. The short timescale for writing the roadmaps and the lack of community input may have contributed to these shortcomings.
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Past NRC studies have articulated the importance of broad community discussion and input as an essential part of NASA's long-term strategic planning -- input that will be available after completion of the NRC decadal survey on Earth science and applications that is now in progress. The panel recommends that the forthcoming NRC Earth science and applications decadal survey be used as a starting point for mid- to long-term planning (i.e., for beyond 2010)
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PRINCIPLES FOR INTEGRATING SCIENCE STRATEGY ROADMAPS The panel, in addition to reviewing each of the six roadmaps individually, considered the principles that should be used for prioritization and integration, leading to an overall space and Earth science exploration program spanning more than two decades. These principles are an expansion and amplification of the principles noted in the NRC report Science in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.21 Advancing Intellectual Understanding A guiding principle should be scientific merit, as measured by the advancing intellectual understanding of the cosmos and our place in it.
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Multiple-use technologies that are applicable to several branches of the space sciences, for example, those spanning several of the scientific disciplines addressed by the roadmaps, should receive special consideration. Capabilities to handle the communications and data transmission, storage, and archive needs of the space exploration initiative require assessment and appropriate investment for timely implementation.
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2004. Solar and Space Physics and Its Role in Space Exploration.
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The ISS currently carries a reduced crew of two, and NASA is considering scenarios for increasing it to six in 2009 or 2015, with 2008 being the earliest date that the ISS might be capable of sustaining a crew of six. NASA currently defines the mission objectives for the ISS in support of extended crewed exploration of space as follows: · Develop and test technologies for exploration spacecraft systems, · Develop techniques to maintain crew health and performance on missions beyond low Earth orbit, and · Gain operational experience that can be applied to exploration missions.
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Such a planning effort should explicitly encompass the full development of the Exploration Systems Architecture Study technology requirements, migration of current ISS payloads to meet those requirements, identification of remaining gaps unfilled by current ISS payloads, and the R&D and technology or operations payloads needed to fill those gaps. An iterative process that includes Exploration Systems 4See the 2006 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council reportA Risk Reduction Strategy for Human Exploration of Space: A Review of NASA's Bioastronautics Roadmap for a clear assessment of how risks should be analyzed and how R&D should be utilized to reduce risks.
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development of an operational capability for long distance flights beyond low Earth orbit. Recommendation: Based on the involvement of a broad base of experts and a rigorous and transparent prioritization process, NASA should develop and maintain a set of research experiments to be conducted aboard the ISS that would enable the full suite of exploration missions.
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2006. A Risk Reduction Strategy for Human Exploration of Space: A Review of NASA's Bioastronautics Roadmap.
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Space Exploration, The White House, January 2004. 2These principles share much in common with those recommended in the National Research Council report Science Management in the Human Exploration of Space (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1997)
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, and Assessment of Directions in Microgravity and Physical Sciences Research at NASA (2003) -- be used as a starting point for setting priorities for research conducted on the International Space Station so that it directly supports future human exploration missions.
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The presidential policy directive on exploration also provides the context for deciding on the future of the space shuttle and the mission of the International Space Station. NASA is directed to retire the shuttle as soon as the assembly of the ISS is complete, which is assumed to be by 2010, and to focus the use of the ISS on supporting the goals of long-duration, human space exploration.
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