Review of NASA Office of Space Science Enterprise Strategic Plan: Letter Report (2003)

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ASSESSMENT OF NASA’S DRAFT 2003 SPACE SCIENCE ENTERPRISE STRATEGY 12 CONCLUDING REMARKS The Board found that the strategy document in its current form is an informative guide to the interface between the OSS program and the agency’s vision and goals, to the OSS’s policies, and to science theme areas and their relationship to technology development. However, the document does not include explicit information about many of the elements necessary for strategic planning (e.g., time lines, resources, plans and priorities for mission programs, and contingency plans). In assessing the document’s responsiveness to previous NRC advice, in particular the survey reports,34 the Board found the response uneven. For some themes, such as the Astronomical Search for Origins and Solar System Exploration, the linkage between proposed programs and NRC recommendations was clear, although the Board registers serious concern about the uncertain connection between the NRC’s advice on a Europa Geophysical Explorer and the proposed Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter. Other theme sections, especially SEC, do not reflect the integration of NRC advice into the proposed program. In addition, the Board found that while the document reflected the importance of research and data analysis as part of the science program, demonstrating the balance necessary for a healthy program that includes theory and laboratory-based research as well as flight programs would improve and strengthen the document. Education and public outreach are important objectives for NASA and the OSS, and while some accomplishments are noted in the document, the Board found opportunities for a clearer and more engaging presentation of the objectives, goals, integration with theme-area science, and capabilities required for achieving success. RECOMMENDATIONS Responsiveness to NRC Advice The Office of Space Science (OSS) should strengthen the “Principles and Policies” and the “Resources Requirements” sections of its strategy document to include explicit and complete information about resources, criteria for decision making, priorities, mission plans, time lines, and contingency plans. The OSS should better reflect the recommendations of the SSP survey and the Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos report in its document. The OSS should consider JIMO as one of several reference missions for establishing the requirements and guiding the development of advanced power and propulsion technologies.