Space Studies Board Annual Report 2008 (2009) / Chapter Skim
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6 Congressional Testimony
6 Congressional Testimony
Pages 74-83
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From page 74... ...
Fisk, SSB chair, and Berrien Moore III, SSB member and chair of the Committee on Earth Studies, testified on their perspectives on the state of space science activities at NASA and the fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget.
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From page 75... ...
Earth science in particular is able to begin m aking progress in pursuit of the science objectives of its recent NRC decadal survey. There are also increases in the Research & Analysis program, which is vital to the health and the future of space science.
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From page 76... ...
The required multiple passes are achievable because the planned Solar Probe mission does not penetrate as close to the Sun as some previous versions of Solar Probes were planned to do. However, the current Solar Probe concept is judged by the scientists who have studied the mission in detail to have a penetration distance that is adequately close to be able to resolve the fundamental processes resulting in the heating of the solar atmosphere and acceleration of energetic particles.
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From page 77... ...
It is important to have a spacecraft at the Sun-Earth L1 point in front of Earth that can provide real-time warning of space weather events that will impact Earth, and also provide information on solar wind conditions for basic
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From page 78... ...
Missions such as Radiation Belt Storm Probes, which are currently under development, are important for understanding the response of the Earth's magnetosphere to space weather events. Missions such as the upcoming Solar Dynamics Observatory and the proposed Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter, which I discussed earlier, are essential for developing an understanding of the basic mechanisms that heat the solar atmosphere and accelerate energetic particles.
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From page 79... ...
I appear, today, largely in my capacity as the recent co-chair of the National Research Council (NRC) 's Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space, which authored the first "decadal survey" for the Earth Sciences and as the current chair of the National Research Council (NRC)
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From page 80... ...
The decadal survey outlined near-term actions meant to stem the tide of capability deterioration and continue critical data records, as well as forward-looking recommendations to establish a balanced Earth observation program designed to directly address the most urgent societal challenges facing our nation and the world. Testifying on behalf of the Decadal Survey steering committee, in which I served as co-chair, Dr.
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From page 81... ...
As noted by members of this committee, NASA has been asked to accomplish too much with too little; what is needed is an increase in the overall top-line budget for NASA, which in turn will allow an increase in NASA's science budget. Absent such an increase, it will not be possible to restore Earth science funding to the needed FY2000 levels (as recommended in the decadal survey)
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From page 82... ...
These recommendations are entirely consistent with those in the decadal survey; we also noted that the key to meeting societal needs for Earth observation data is to have the potential "users" of these data represented in a substantive way from the earliest stages of mission development, determining priorities, designing products, and evaluating benefits. As noted in my response to question #1, renewed support for the NASA Research and Analysis program is also critical to the success of the applied sciences program.
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From page 83... ...
As stated above in my response to question 3, the decadal survey committee expressed great concern that the nation's civil space institutions (including NASA, NOAA, and USGS) are not adequately prepared to meet society's rapidly evolving Earth information needs.
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