Space Studies Board Annual Report 2006 (2007) / Chapter Skim
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7.1 NASA's Science Mission Directorate Impacts of the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Proposal
7.1 NASA's Science Mission Directorate Impacts of the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Proposal
Pages 97-113
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From page 97... ...
3. ow should NASA balance priorities among the various disciplines supported by its Science Mission Di H rectorate?
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From page 98... ...
I believe that NASA is trying to follow the survey recommendations, and I appreciate that it has protected the highest priority mission, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the crown jewel of the space astronomy missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, in the face of significant cost increases. However, as I mentioned when I appeared before you last year to discuss the Hubble Space Telescope, I do not believe that the highest priority missions should be implemented without regard to cost or impact on the overall program.
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From page 99... ...
I served on the committee for the NRC decadal survey for solar and space physics and chaired a committee that assessed the role of solar and space physics in space exploration. I am here today to provide an evaluation of the impact of the NASA's FY07 budget on solar and space physics -- a field of research that corresponds to what is labeled, as of last week, the Heliophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
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From page 100... ...
Any exploration will depend, in part, on developing the capability to predict the space environment experienced by exploring spacecraft and humans. Also in 2004, the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council tasked a committee to assess the role of solar and space physics in NASA's Exploration Vision.3 This committee stated that: NASA's Sun-Earth Connection program depends upon a balanced portfolio of spaceflight missions and of supporting programs and infrastructure, which is very much like the proverbial three legged stool.
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From page 101... ...
Heliophysics Budget I have been asked to address the following specific questions: 1. What do you see as the most serious impacts on your field of the proposed slowed growth in the Science Mission Directorate?
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From page 102... ...
The Explorer Program straddles both the Heliophysics and Astrophysics Divisions with roughly equal numbers of launches in each division. These focused missions address science of crucial importance to these two division roadmaps and NRC Decadal Surveys: The 2004 NRC report "Solar and Space Physics and Its Role in Space Exploration" states that; Explorers "are the lifeblood of SEC research because they provide core research, flexibility, innovative technologies, and invaluable training for the next generation of workers for our nation's space enterprise.
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From page 103... ...
This decimation of the Explorer program will have a lasting and significant impact on the Nation's academic research base. Universities and research laboratories make significant internal investments in infrastructure to support experimental space science.
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From page 104... ...
The fact that any long-term commitment to space exploration will place a concomitant demand on the availability of a highly trained technical work force makes the training role of the Suborbital program especially important. For example, a 3-year sounding rocket mission at a university provides an excellent research opportunity for a student to carry a project through all of its stages -- from conception to hardware design to flight to data analysis and, finally, to the publication of the results.
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From page 105... ...
NASA administration has suggested that the 2010 mission gap justifies an immediate 15% cut in R&A across the Science Mission Directorate. The high launch rate in 2006, the extensive list of on-going productive missions and the Nation's need for a technically-trained workforce all argue that R&A should be increased rather than cut.
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From page 106... ...
_________________ 1 National Research Council, The Sun to the Earth -- and Beyond: A Decadal Strategy for Solar and Space Physics, The National Academies Press, 2002. 2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Vision for Space Exploration, NP-2004-01-334-HQ, NASA, Washington, DC., 2004.
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From page 107... ...
The report also makes recommendations on the basic research and technology developments required to support those flight missions and to prepare for future missions beyond the next decade. Depleting the Science Pool NASA's earth and space science enterprise is not just about flight missions.
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From page 108... ...
Reducing Flight Missions The Decadal Report also prioritizes the flight missions proposed for the next decade within separate cost categories -- small, medium and large. For small missions, the report assumes a Discovery program of low cost, competed missions at a rate of about one launch per 18 months or about 6 per decade, and for the Discovery-like Mars Scouts about 3 launches per decade.
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From page 109... ...
The guiding principle for the study, which was developed in consultation with members of the Earth science community, is to set an agenda for Earth science and applications from space, including everything from short-term needs for information, such as environmental warnings for protection of life and property, to longer-term scientific understanding that is essential for understanding our planet and is the lifeblood of future societal applications. The NRC has been conducting decadal strategy surveys in astronomy for four decades, but it has only started to do them in other areas fairly recently.
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From page 110... ...
The most serious impacts on Earth Sciences of the proposed slowed growth in the Science Mission Directorate are the severe cuts in the Research and Analysis program. These cuts would be very damaging to the science and technology programs in the United States, particularly those at universities.
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From page 111... ...
floods and droughts; improved capability to manage water resources in arid regions; improved forecasts of hurricanes Atmospheric Soundings from Temperature and water vapor Protection of life and property Canceled Geostationary Orbit (GIFTS -- through improved weather forecasts Geostationary Imaging Fourier and severe storm warnings Transform Spectrometer) Ocean Vector Winds (active Wind speed and direction Improved severe weather warnings Canceled scatterometer follow-on to near the ocean surface to ships at sea; improved crop QuikSCAT)
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From page 112... ...
How should NASA balance priorities among the various disciplines supported by its Science Mission Directorate? Do you believe the proposed FY2007 budget, given the overall level of spending allotted to science, does a good job of setting priorities across fields?
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From page 113... ...
While not the subject of this hearing, this situation begs for an honest appraisal of NASA's portfolio, its priorities, and whether the Nation can afford to allow NASA science programs to languish. I look forward to answering any questions you may have.
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