Factors Affecting the Utilization of the International Space Station for Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the task group responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this project was provided by Contracts NASW 96013 and 01001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor.
Cover image obtained from NASA Web site www.nasa.gov. Image depicted is from mission STS113 (December 2, 2002). Backdropped by a blue and white Earth, this full view of the International Space Station (ISS) was photographed by a crew member on board the space shuttle Endeavour following the undocking of the two spacecraft.
Copies of this report are available free of charge from:
Space Studies Board
National Research Council
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Washington, DC 20001
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Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
OTHER REPORTS OF THE SPACE STUDIES BOARD
Assessment of Directions in Microgravity and Physical Sciences Research at NASA (2002)
Assessment of the Usefulness and Availability of NASA’s Earth and Space Science Mission Data (2002)
Review of NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise Applications Program Plan (2002)
“Review of the Redesigned Space Interferometry Mission (SIM)” (2002)
Life in the Universe: An Assessment of U.S. and International Programs in Astrobiology (2002)
New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy (prepublication) (2002)
The Sun to the Earth And Beyond: A Decadal Research Strategy for Solar and Space Physics Executive Summary (2002)
Safe on Mars: Precursor Measurements Necessary to Support Human Operations on the Martian Surface (2002)
Satellite Observations of the Earth’s Environment: Accelerating the Transition at Research to Operations (2003)
Toward a New Partnership in Remote Sensing: Government, the Private Sector, and Earth Science Research (2002)
Using Remote Sensing in State and Local Government: Information for Management and Decision Making (2002)
Assessment of Mars Science and Mission Priorities (prepublication) (2001)
The Mission of Microgravity and Physical Sciences Research at NASA (2001)
The Quarantine and Certification of Martian Samples (2001)
Readiness Issues Related to Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences on the International Space Station (2001)
“Scientific Assessment of the Descoped Mission Concept for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST)” (2001)
Signs of Life: A Report Based on the April 2000 Workshop on Life Detection Techniques (2001)
Transforming Remote Sensing Data into Information and Applications (2001)
U.S. Astronomy and Astrophysics: Managing an Integrated Program (2001)
Assessment of Mission Size Trade-offs for Earth and Space Science Missions (2000)
Ensuring the Climate Record from the NPP and NPOESS Meteorological Satellites (2000)
Future Biotechnology Research on the International Space Station (2000)
Issues in the Integration of Research and Operational Satellite Systems for Climate Research: I. Science and Design (2000)
Issues in the Integration of Research and Operational Satellite Systems for Climate Research: II. Implementation (2000)
Microgravity Research in Support of Technologies for the Human Exploration and Development of Space and Planetary Bodies (2000)
Preventing the Forward Contamination of Europa (2000)
“On Continuing Assessment of Technology Development in NASA’s Office of Space Science” (2000)
“On Review of Scientific Aspects of the NASA Triana Mission” (2000)
“On the Space Science Enterprise Draft Strategic Plan” (2000)
Review of NASA’s Biomedical Research Program (2000)
Review of NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise Research Strategy for 2000-2010 (2000)
The Role of Small Satellites in NASA and NOAA Earth Observation Programs (2000)
Copies of these reports are available free of charge from:
Space Studies Board
The National Academies
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 334-3477
TASK GROUP ON RESEARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
JAMES P. BAGIAN,
National Center for Patient Safety, Veterans Health Administration,
Chair
ADELE L. BOSKEY,
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
JOHN F. BRADY,
California Institute of Technology
JAY C. BUCKEY, JR.,
Dartmouth Medical School
MEREDITH B. COLKET III,
United Technologies Research Center
HERMAN Z. CUMMINS,
City College of the City of New York
LYNETTE JONES,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ALAN LAWLEY,
Drexel University
STEVEN E. PFEIFFER,
University of Connecticut Medical School
RICHARD SETLOW,
Brookhaven National Laboratory
SSB Liaison
ROBERT CLELAND,
University of Washington
NAPA Consultants
DAVID J. PINE,
National Academy of Public Administration
THOMAS E. UTSMAN,
National Academy of Public Administration
Staff
SANDRA J. GRAHAM, Study Director
BRIAN DEWHURST, Research Assistant
LISA TAYLOR, Senior Project Assistant (through March 9, 2002)
CELESTE NAYLOR, Senior Project Assistant (after March 9, 2002)
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
JOHN H. McELROY,
University of Texas at Arlington (retired),
Chair
J. ROGER P. ANGEL,
University of Arizona
JAMES P. BAGIAN,
Veterans Health Administration’s National Center for Patient Safety
ANA P. BARROS,
Harvard University
RETA F. BEEBE,
New Mexico State University
ROGER D. BLANDFORD,
California Institute of Technology
JAMES L. BURCH,
Southwest Research Institute
RADFORD BYERLY, JR.,
University of Colorado
HOWARD M. EINSPAHR,
Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute (retired)
STEVEN H. FLAJSER,
Loral Space and Communications, Ltd.
MICHAEL H. FREILICH,
Oregon State University
DON P. GIDDENS,
Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory University
RALPH H. JACOBSON,
The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (retired)
MARGARET G. KIVELSON,
University of California, Los Angeles
BRUCE D. MARCUS,
TRW, Inc. (retired)
HARRY Y. McSWEEN, JR.,
University of Tennessee
GEORGE A. PAULIKAS,
The Aerospace Corporation (retired)
ANNA-LOUISE REYSENBACH,
Portland State University
ROALD S. SAGDEEV,
University of Maryland
CAROLUS J. SCHRIJVER,
Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory
ROBERT J. SERAFIN,
National Center for Atmospheric Research
MITCHELL SOGIN,
Marine Biological Laboratory
C. MEGAN URRY,
Yale University
PETER W. VOORHEES,
Northwestern University
J. CRAIG WHEELER,
University of Texas, Austin
JOSEPH K. ALEXANDER, Director
Preface
This report constitutes phase II of a two-part study examining specific questions related to the utilization of the International Space Station (ISS) for research in the biological and physical sciences. In 1999, during formulation of a proposed NASA authorization bill, the House of Representatives first indicated that the National Research Council (NRC) should undertake such a study, but it did not enact a bill in that year. However, when the NASA Authorization Act of 2000 became law it contained provisions directing NASA to seek a study by the NRC and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on specific ISS utilization issues.
The Space Studies Board of the NRC, in cooperation with NAPA, agreed to organize a two-part study of the status of life sciences and microgravity research on the ISS. The Space Studies Board established the ad hoc Task Group on Research on the International Space Station, with members having expertise in space life sciences and microgravity physical sciences (see Appendix M for the biographies of task group members, the SSB liaison, and NAPA consultants). The task group held its first meeting for the study in April 2001. During the first phase of the study, in response to the first two tasks of its charge, it conducted an assessment of the readiness of the U.S. scientific community to use the ISS for life sciences and microgravity research and of the relative costs and benefits of either dedicating an annual space shuttle mission to life sciences and microgravity research during assembly of the ISS or maintaining the current schedule for ISS assembly. The phase I report, Readiness Issues Related to Research in the Biological and Physical Sciences on the International Space Station (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2001), was released to the public on September 12, 2001.
In the second phase of the study, the task group addressed the remaining two tasks given to the NRC and NAPA:
(3) Assess the current and projected factors that may limit the U.S. scientific community's ability to maximize the research potential of the ISS, and
(4) Make recommendations for improving the community's ability to maximize the research potential of the ISS.
While the design of the ISS and its experiment capabilities were relatively stable at the time this study was first requested, both were extensively altered during the course of the study as a result of ISS construction cost overruns. This turn of events brought considerable uncertainty regarding the final ISS configuration. This uncertainty increased the difficulty of the task group’s work and, more importantly, shifted the relative emphasis of the task. In language included in the House-Senate Conference Committee report on FY 02 appropriations for NASA, Congress requested that the task group add the following to its ongoing task: “compare and evaluate the research programs of the ISS which can be accomplished with a crew of three and a crew of six” and perform “an assessment of the probable cost-benefit ratios of those programs, compared with earthbound research which could be funded in lieu of research conducted on the ISS.”
After discussion with NASA and congressional staff, the task group concluded that the first of the two latest requests already fell within the scope of the committee’s current task and that it would consider this question when assessing the scientific community's ability to maximize the research potential of the International Space Station. The second item, however, did not fall within the scope of the current task and could not be accomplished within the agreed-upon schedule and given expertise of the task group, so the task group did not attempt to address it in this report.
As noted above, both phases of the study were conducted jointly with NAPA at the request of Congress. Coordination included joint planning for the study and agreement on allocation of
responsibilities at the beginning of the project, NAPA representation at all task group meetings, regular communication during the fact-finding stages, and general agreement on the principal conclusions of the report.
Information for this study was collected from NASA briefings to the task group, research program documentation provided by NASA, interviews with representatives of the scientific user community for the ISS, European Space Agency documents, and online NASA databases and documents. The committee also examined available material from groups internal and external to NASA that had been commissioned to review various aspects of the ISS. One such group was the International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force, which was chartered in 2001 to conduct an independent external review and assessment of ISS cost, budget, and management. NASA also provided a range of data on its flight research programs and ISS science capabilities in response to lists of detailed questions developed by the task group.
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The contents of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Andreas Acrivos, City University of New York,
John Buckmaster, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Richard Christensen, Stanford University,
Glenn C. Hamiliton, Wright State University,
Joseph Kerwin, Krug Life Sciences,
Robert Moser, Canyon Consulting,
Robert Recker, Creighton University,
Andrew Staehelin, University of Colorado, and
Joan Vernikos, Thirdage LLC.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Dan Fink, D.J. Fink Associates. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring task group and the institution.