NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) currently operates over five dozen missions, with approximately two dozen additional missions in development. These missions span the scientific fields associated with SMD’s four divisions—Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Sciences. Because a single mission can consist of multiple spacecraft, NASA-SMD is responsible for nearly 100 operational spacecraft. The most high profile of these are the large strategic missions, often referred to as “flagships.”
Large strategic missions are essential to maintaining the global leadership of the United States in space exploration and in science because only the United States has the budget, technology, and trained personnel in multiple scientific fields to conduct missions that attract a range of international partners. This report examines the role of large, strategic missions within a balanced program across NASA-SMD space and Earth sciences programs. It considers the role and scientific productivity of such missions in advancing science, technology and the long-term health of the field, and provides guidance that NASA can use to help set the priority of larger missions within a properly balanced program containing a range of mission classes.
Table of Contents |
skim chapter | |
|---|---|---|
| Front Matter | i-xiv | |
| Summary | 1-8 | |
| 1 Introduction | 9-23 | |
| 2 Balancing Strategic Missions | 24-46 | |
| 3 Risks and Realities of Cost Overruns for Large Strategic Missions | 47-59 | |
| 4 Comparing Large Strategic Missions and Smaller Missions | 60-62 | |
| Appendixes | 63-64 | |
| Appendix A: Statement of Task | 65-65 | |
| Appendix B: Astrophysics Science Division Missions | 66-75 | |
| Appendix C: Earth Science Division Missions | 76-88 | |
| Appendix D: Heliophysics Science Division Missions | 89-96 | |
| Appendix E: Planetary Science Division Missions | 97-102 | |
| Appendix F: Biographies of Committee Members and Staff | 103-107 | |
| Appendix G: Acronyms | 108-112 | |
The National Academies Press and the Transportation Research Board have partnered with Copyright Clearance Center to offer a variety of options for reusing our content. You may request permission to:
For most Academic and Educational uses no royalties will be charged although you are required to obtain a license and comply with the license terms and conditions.
Click here to obtain permission for Powering Science: NASA's Large Strategic Science Missions.
For information on how to request permission to translate our work and for any other rights related query please click here.
For questions about using the Copyright.com service, please contact:
Copyright Clearance Center
22 Rosewood Drive
Danvers, MA 01923
Tel (toll free): 855/239-3415 (select option 1)
E-mail: info@copyright.com
Web: https://www.copyright.com
Loading stats for Powering Science: NASA's Large Strategic Science Missions...
Finding similar items...
