2
Board and Discipline/Standing Committees: Activities and Membership
The Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and its discipline/standing committees provide strategic direction for and oversee activities of its ad hoc study committees (see Chapter 3), interact with sponsors, and serve as a communications conduit between the government and the scientific community.
During 2017, the SSB had four discipline committees, the Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS), the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA; jointly with the Board on Physics and Astronomy, BPA), the Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space (CESAS), and the Committee on Solar and Space Physics (CSSP); and one standing committee, the Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space (CBPSS; jointly with the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, ASEB); representing various disciplines.
The Board and the standing committee (CBPSS) do not provide formal advice and recommendations and, therefore, are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Section 15. As of January 1, 2017, the standing committees supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) (CAA, CAPS, CESAS, and CSSP) were reconstituted as “discipline committees.” The discipline committees function the same as a standing committee but the new status enables them to also draft publications containing consensus conclusions and findings on the implementation of their respective decadal surveys.
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
HIGHLIGHTS OF SPACE STUDIES BOARD ACTIVITIES
The SSB met May 2-4 in Washington, D.C. The first day was a symposium held with the ASEB on America’s Future in Civil Space. In the context of revisiting the National Academies effort that led to the 2009 publication, America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs, the boards organized this symposium to address the evolution of the 2009 publication’s recommendations in the context of current topics and issues in civil space policy. The agenda was coordinated by a small organizing committee drawn from both boards and the 1-day participatory workshop focused on three moderated panel and audience discussions on Space in Support of National and International Challenges, Future of Exploration and Discover, and Public-Private Partnerships in Pursuit of National Space Priorities. The symposium also included a set of “lightning” talks on key challenges and opportunities in technology development and space science. The goal was to conduct the 1-day meeting as a dynamic discussion-focused event with the leaders of U.S. civil space efforts in the room. The symposium emphasized discussion among the panelists and the attendees in an intimate meeting venue, with the goal of thoroughly discussing and looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this important national effort. This event was sponsored by NASA, through its support of the ASEB and SSB spring
meetings, by Lockheed Martin Corporation’s support of the ASEB’s 50th Anniversary Fund, and by the Heising Simons Foundation. Information on the symposium, including a recording, the presentations and the agenda can be found at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/deps/spaceandaeronautics/deps_178446. A full video of the symposium is available at https://livestream.com/accounts/7036396/events/7253002. (See also Section 5.1.)
On May 3-4, the SSB held its spring meeting. The first day included updates from the discipline/standing committee chairs, Sarah Gibson (CSSP), Michael King (CESAS), Chris House (CAPS), Steve Ritz (CAA), and Rob Ferl (CBPSS); an update and discussion session with NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen; a discussion of the integrating themes across the disciplines, lead by David Spergel; and an update from Steve Volz (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service [NESDIS]). The last day included a visit from Representative John Culberson, chair of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science; several updates and discussions, including the European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC; Athena Coustenis, Chair), National Science Foundation (NSF) Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (Paul Shepson), NOAA National Weather Service: GOES-16 Cal-Val Program (Steve Goodman), and COSPAR, the Committee on Space Research (David Smith, SSB Staff); and an overview of the newly released publication, Review of the Restructured Research and Analysis Programs of NASA’s Planetary Science Division (see section 5.9).
The SSB Executive Committee (XCOM) met in Pasadena, California, August 8-9, 2017. The XCOM focuses on strategic discussions about the future of the Board, and in addition to the members of the XCOM , the meeting included representatives of the discipline/standing committees (CAA, CAPS, CESAS, CSSP, CBPSS); the NASA Advisory Council (Bradley Peterson, NAC Science Committee Chair); and NASA SMD (Thomas Zurbuchen).
The SSB fall meeting was held November 1-3 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. The meeting’s first day included updates from the standing and discipline committee chairs; a status report from and discussion with Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA SMD; a session on international activities, including an update on the Board’s Forum for New Leaders in Space Science; an update from the ESSC Chair Athena Coustenis; and a focus session on research and analysis programs and improving peer review with Hal Arkes (The Ohio State University) and Scott Highhouse (Bowling Green State University). The second day included a session on planning for the SSB’s 60th Anniversary, including a discussion of the January 31, 2018, celebration of the Explorer I launch, the 2018 Space Science Week, COSPAR 2018, and the spring and fall Board meetings and Board workshop. The Board also met jointly with the BPA to discuss planning for the next astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey. In the afternoon, the Board had a focus session on big data with presentations from and discussions with Daniel Crichton (Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL]), Ed Kearns (NOAA), Thomas Huang (JPL), George Djorgovski (California Institute of Technology [CalTech]), and Monica Bobra (Stanford University). The Board then received science talks on gravitational wave astronomy from Dave Reitze (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory [LIGO]) and Mansi Kasliwal (CalTech). The Board’s next meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. on May 1-3, 2018. May 1 will be a joint session with the ASEB. Additional information on the SSB can be found at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/index.htm.
SPACE STUDIES BOARD MEMBERSHIP
July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017
Fiona Harrison, California Institute of Technology (chair1)
Robert D. Braun, University of Colorado, Boulder (vice chair)
David N. Spergel, Princeton University and Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Simons Foundation (vice chair2,3)
James G. Anderson, Harvard University
Jeff M. Bingham, Consultant
Jay C. Buckey, Jr., Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar Associates, Inc.
July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018
Fiona Harrison, California Institute of Technology (chair)
Robert D. Braun, University of Colorado, Boulder (vice chair)
James G. Anderson, Harvard University
Jeff M. Bingham, Consultant
Jay C. Buckey, Jr., Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar Associates, Inc.
Joseph Fuller, Jr., Futron Corporation
Thomas R. Gavin, California Institute of Technology
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Joseph Fuller, Jr., Futron Corporation
Thomas R. Gavin, California Institute of Technology
Neil Gehrels,4 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., Carnegie Institution of Washington (retired)
Anthony C. Janetos, Boston University
Chryssa Kouveliotou, George Washington University
Dennis P. Lettenmaier, University of California, Los Angeles
Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
David J. McComas, Princeton University
Larry Paxton, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
Saul Perlmutter, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Eliot Quataert, University of California, Berkeley
Barbara Sherwood Lollar, University of Toronto
Harlan E. Spence, University of New Hampshire
Mark Thiemens, University of California, San Diego
Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University
Victoria E. Hamilton, Southwest Research Institute
Anthony C. Janetos, Boston University
Chryssa Kouveliotou, George Washington University
Dennis P. Lettenmaier, University of California, Los Angeles
Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
David J. McComas, Princeton University
Larry Paxton, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
Eliot Quataert, University of California, Berkeley
Barbara Sherwood Lollar, University of Toronto
Harlan E. Spence, University of New Hampshire
Mark Thiemens, University of California, San Diego
Edward L. Wright, University of California, Los Angeles
___________________
1 Term began January 1, 2017.
2 Term as chair ended December 31, 2016.
3 Term as vice chair began January 1, 2017.
4 Deceased on February 6, 2017.
Ex Officio and Liaison Participants
Charles F. Kennel, University of California, San Diego (liaison; U.S. Representative to COSPAR)
Alan H. Epstein, Pratt & Whitney (ex-officio; chair, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board)
Athena Coustenis, National Centre for Scientific Research of France (liaison; chair, European Space Science Committee)
Membership of the SSB Executive Committee
July 1, 2016–June 30, 2017
Fiona Harrison, California Institute of Technology (chair5)
Robert D. Braun, University of Colorado, Boulder (vice chair)
David N. Spergel, Princeton University and Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Simons Foundation (vice chair6)
Jeff M. Bingham, Consultant
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar Associates, Inc.
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Anthony C. Janetos, Boston University
Chryssa Kouveliotou, George Washington University
Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018
Fiona Harrison, California Institute of Technology (chair)
Robert D. Braun, University of Colorado, Boulder (vice chair)
Jeff M. Bingham, Consultant
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar Associates, Inc.
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Anthony C. Janetos, Boston University
Chryssa Kouveliotou, George Washington University
Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
___________________
5 Term began January 1, 2017.
6 Term as chair ended December 31, 2016; term as vice chair began January 1, 2017.
Staff in 2017
Michael H. Moloney, Director for Space and Aeronautics
Arthur A. Charo, Senior Program Officer
Sandra J. Graham, Senior Program Officer
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer
Dwayne A. Day, Senior Program Officer, ASEB
David Lang, Program Officer, BPA
Abigail A. Sheffer, Senior Program Officer
Sarah Brothers, Associate Program Officer (from September)
Nathan Boll, Associate Program Officer (from July)
Mia Brown, Research Associate
Marchel Holle, Research Associate
Andrea Rebholz,* Program Associate
Dionna Wise, Program Associate
Anesia Wilks, Senior Program Assistant
Carmela J. Chamberlain, Administrative Coordinator
Meg A. Knemeyer, Financial Officer
Su Liu, Senior Financial Assistant
Celeste A. Naylor, Information Management Associate
Tanja E. Pilzak, Manager, Program Operations
Christine Mirzayan Fellow
Joseph R. Schmitt, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow
Space Policy Interns
Madison Borrelli, 2017 Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Allison McGraw, 2017 Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Danielle Montecalvo, 2017 Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Jacob Robertson, 2017 Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
U.S. NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR COSPAR
COSPAR activities in 2017 focused on the annual round of business at COSPAR headquarters in Paris on March 20-22; the third of its new series of “off-year” topical symposia on September 18-22 on Jeju Island, South Korea; and the continuing preparations for the 42nd Scientific Assembly to be held in Pasadena, California, on July 14-21, 2018. One of the highlights of the March 22 meeting of the COSPAR Bureau was the selection of August 15-23 as the dates for the 43rd Scientific Assembly, to be held in Sydney, Australia. Another highlight of the Bureau meeting was the approval of a plan to move the offices of the COSPAR Secretariat from Paris to Montpellier in the south of France. COSPAR will continue to hold its annual business meetings in Paris and will retain a single, small office at the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) headquarters, its current base of operations, for use by visiting staff. The next round of COSPAR business meetings will be held in Paris on March 19-21, 2018.
U.S. Representative to COSPAR
Charles F. Kennel, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
Staff
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer, SSB (Executive Secretary of U.S. National Committee for COSPAR)
Carmela J. Chamberlain, Administrative Coordinator, SSB
___________________
* Staff from other boards who are shared with SSB.
DISCIPLINE/STANDING COMMITTEES
The standing committees supported by NASA-SMD (CAA, CAPS, CESAS, and CSSP) were reconstituted as of January 1, 2017, as “discipline committees.” The new status enables them to draft publications containing consensus conclusions and findings on the implementation of their respective decadal surveys.
During the first quarter of 2017, the four discipline committees and the ASEB/SSB standing (CBPSS) met in plenary and parallel at the March 28-30, 2017 Space Science Week. During the afternoon of March 28, all 5 committees met in plenary, which commenced with comments from Sarah Gibson (SSB member) and Jim Lancaster (BPA Director) who provided a brief overview of those boards’ current activities. Thomas Zurbuchen (NASA SMD Associate Administrator) then provided an overview of the NASA SMD budget, program, and priorities and concluded by taking questions from the audience. The plenary session also included two focus sessions, one on the Discovery Frontiers of Data Analytics in Space Science and another on International Programs. During the first focus session, the committees heard space science discipline talks from Lea Shanley (University of North Carolina) and Barbara J. Thompson (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [GSFC]) and then participated in a question and answer and discussion. The second focus session featured overviews on the Russian, Chinese, and European Space Science Programs given by Lev Zelenyi (Russian Academy of Sciences), Chi Wang (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and Athena Coustenis (European Space Sciences Committee). More information on the discipline and standing committees is available at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_052296.
On the evening of March 29, 2017, Kevin Hand (JPL) gave a public lecture, “The Search for Life in Oceans Beyond Earth,” which drew over 300 attendees. A recording of the lecture is available at http://livestream.com/accounts/7036396/events/7103996.
COMMITTEE ON ASTROBIOLOGY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE
The Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS) met for the first time in its new role as a FACA-chartered discipline committee as part of the 2017 Space Science Week (March 28-30). The committee welcomed several new committee members, including the new co-chair, William McKinnon (Washington University). Other recent appointees included Erik Aspaug (Arizona State University), Alexander Hayes (Cornell University), Edwin Kite (University of Chicago), Alyssa Rhoden (Arizona State University), and Nita Sahai (University of Akron).
The committee’s new status enables it to write short publications, and the topic of the first, suggested by NASA, is “Getting Ready for the Next Planetary Science Decadal Survey.” This publication, requested by James L. Green, the director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, was concerned with the identification of potential mission studies to be initiated in preparation for consideration by the next planetary science decadal survey, to be initiated in 2020. Work on the publication began during Space Science Week, and a complete draft of the 20-page publication was completed in late April and sent to external reviewers in early June. A fully revised draft responding to reviewers comments was completed on July 17 and the publication, Report Series: Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science: Getting Ready for the Next Planetary Science Decadal Survey, was approved for release on July 19 (see Section 5.6).
CAPS Co-Chair William McKinnon was invited to give testimony to the Space Subcommittee of the House Science Committee during a hearing on the topic “Planetary Flagship Missions: Mars Rover 2020 and Europa Clipper” on July 18. Details of the hearing, including Dr. McKinnon’s written testimony, is available at http://science.house.gov/legislation/hearings/space-subcommittee-hearing-planetary-flagship-missions-mars-rover-2020-and (and also reprinted in Chapter 6).
The committee held the second of its biannual meetings at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, California, on September 12-14, 2017. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled to take place at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D. C. on March 27-29, 2018, as part of the annual Space Science Week activities. More information on CAPS is available at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/ssb/ssb_067577.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on astrobiology and planetary protection is presented in Figure 2.1. A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on solar system exploration is presented in Figure 2.2.
Membership
Christopher H. House, Pennsylvania State University (co-chair)
William B. McKinnon, Washington University (co-chair)
Erik Asphaug, University of Arizona
Sushil K. Atreya, University of Michigan
Ronald Breaker, Yale University
John Clarke, Boston University
Bethany L. Ehlmann, California Institute of Technology
Alexander G. Hayes, Cornell University
Sarah M. Hörst, Johns Hopkins University
James F. Kasting, Pennsylvania State University
Edwin S. Kite, University of Chicago
Alyssa Rhoden, Arizona State University
Nita Sahai, University of Akron
Mark P. Saunders, Independent Consultant
Norman H. Sleep, Stanford University
David J. Stevenson, California Institute of Technology
Sarah T. Stewart,* University of California, Davis
Staff
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Mia Brown, Research Associate, SSB
Andrea Rebholz, Program Coordinator, ASEB
___________________
* Resigned from committee January 16, 2018.
COMMITTEE ON ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
The Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics met in-person during the 2017 Space Science Week, from March 28-30 at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C. The meeting opened with introductions from the committee’s co-chairs, Marcia Rieke and Steve Ritz. This was followed with updates on NASA’s Astrophysics Division from Paul Hertz. The committee then joined the Space Science Week plenary session for the afternoon. On Wednesday, CAA continued its meeting with a presentation from Ralph Gaume (National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical Sciences). CAA and CAPS then met in a joint session and heard a summary of the recent workshop on “Searching for Life Across Space and Time” (James Kasting, workshop planning committee chair; see Section 5.10 for the workshop proceedings) and discussed follow-up studies on life-detection and exoplanets as legislated by the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017. After the joint session, CAA heard a presentation from the chair of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee, Buell Jannuzi (University of Arizona and Steward Observatory), who summarized that committee’s recent annual report. The second day of the meeting concluded with a discussion of the upcoming astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey. The third and final day of the meeting was spent preparing the committee’s short publication on small explorers (SMEX) missions, which was requested by NASA.
CAA released its short publication, Report Series: Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics: Small Explorer Missions (see Section 5.7). The publication was produced after CAA’s spring meeting that occured in conjunction with Space Science Week. Outreach was conducted through the solicitation of community input via the American Astronomical Society and through communications with current and former SMEX principle investigators, among other resources. This provided the committee with the capability to respond to the request to address whether or not there is compelling science motivations for a SMEX-sized mission to justify a SMEX announcement of opportunity in the next few years.
CAA held its fall meeting on October 24-25 at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California, to discuss planning for the next decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics and other topics. At the American Astronomical Society winter meeting in Washington, D.C. (January 9-12, 2018), the co-chairs of CAA, Marcia Rieke and Steve Ritz,
hosted a town hall meeting to provide an overview of the decadal process and next steps leading up to the start of the survey. The co-chairs also answered many questions and took input from the community.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled to take place at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., on March 27-29, 2018, as part of the annual Space Science Week activities. More information on CAA can be found at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/BPA/BPA_048755.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on astronomy and astrophysics is presented in Figure 2.3.
Membership
Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona (co-chair)
Steven M. Ritz, University of California, Santa Cruz (co-chair)
Jeremiah K. Darling, University of Colorado, Boulder
Megan Donahue, Michigan State University
Thomas Greene, NASA Ames Research Center
Lee W. Hartmann, University of Michigan
Vassiliki Kalogera, Northwestern University
Bruce Macintosh, Stanford University
Christopher F. McKee, University of California, Berkeley
Angela V. Olinto, University of Chicago
Mark M. Phillips, Carnegie Institution for Science
James M. Stone, Princeton University
Alexey Vikhlinin, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Eric M. Wilcots, University of Wisconsin, Madison
A. Thomas Young, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)
Staff
David B. Lang, Senior Program Officer, BPA
Mia Brown, Research Associate, SSB
Dionna Wise, Program Coordinator, SSB
COMMITTEE ON BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES IN SPACE
The Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space worked with NASA to select the topic of “Exploration Systems Interface with Biological and Physical Behaviors” as the focus of a 1-day symposium held on March 29, 2017, as part of the committee’s scheduled March 28-30 meeting during the 2017 Space Science Week. The symposium brought together academic, government, and industry researchers and developers to discuss the specific interactions of biological and physical processes with exploration technology systems and how that interaction is altered by the space environment. The presentations and discussions focused on the most important challenges that these alterations posed to the development of safe, effective, and reliable spacecraft systems, as well as the research that was needed to address these challenges. The areas covered ranged from microgravity fluid physics and combustion to cryogenic management and in-space manufacturing. During the non-symposium portion of the meeting, the committee also heard a presentation on the evolution of Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) work to expand the International Space Station (ISS) user base, and a status update on NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications (SLPSRA) program. The committee also met in plenary with the other standing committees of the Space Studies Board on March 28.
On March 22, 2017, committee co-chair Robert Ferl gave invited testimony at the House Subcommittee on Space hearing on “The International Space Station after 2024: Options and Impact” (reprinted in Chapter 6).
In between meetings, the committee worked with NASA and the American Astronautical Society to organize a July 17, 2017, panel session on the evolution of ISS science and the role of SSB advice at the 2017 ISS R&D Conference in Washington, D.C. Three committee members, including both co chairs, participated in the panel. Committee staff also participated in the ISS workshop activity organized by NASA on August 9, 2017,
in Washington, D.C. The committee also continued to follow developments relevant to the progress of NASA’s microgravity program, as well as oversee the ongoing ad hoc midterm review of the 2011 decadal survey on life and physical sciences research (see Section 5.4).
CBPSS met October 31-November 2, 2017 at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California, with an agenda organized around several topics relevant to microgravity research in the ISS transition era. On the first day of the meeting, a panel session was held with participants from four aerospace companies supporting NASA, in order to discuss their interests and concerns related to microgravity science research relevant to their exploration systems development. Each panelist gave prepared remarks responding to a prior set of questions developed by the committee, followed by a moderated discussion and questions from the committee and NASA participants. Panelists from Sierra Nevada, Paragon Space Development, Southwest Research Institute, and United Launch Alliance spoke candidly about the critical importance of having access to NASA’s microgravity knowledge base and discipline experts during their design and development of exploration systems. They also stressed that it was not possible for their organizations to develop internal programs to supply the kind of fundamental phenomenological understanding needed to inform systems design. On the second day of the meeting, the committee was given an update by the director of the ISS, Sam Scimemi, on planning for the ISS transition and Gateway, with a discussion of open questions and challenges. A roundtable discussion, previously requested by NASA, focused on current and potential synergies between the microgravity research work of NASA and the needs of other federal agencies. Acting Chief Scientist Gale Allen also presented the perspective from her office on issues that might affect the ISS, microgravity research, or human exploration planning. The committee also received a status briefing from NASA’s SLPSRA director, Craig Kundrot, and in-depth status briefings on each of the SLPSRA science program areas. SSB member Jeff Bingham also provided the committee with a general update on congressional policy issues related to NASA and the ISS. NASA and the committee also engaged in focused discussions of potential symposium topics for Space Science Week, as well as NASA priorities for future advisory activities.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled to take place at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., on March 27-29, 2018, as part of the annual Space Science Week activities. More information on CBPSS can be found at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_145312.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on space biology and medicine is presented in Figure 2.4, and a historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on microgravity research is presented in Figure 2.5.
Membership
Elizabeth R. Cantwell, Arizona State University (co-chair)
Robert J. Ferl, University of Florida (co-chair)
Kenneth M. Baldwin, University of California, Irvine
Mina Bissell,* Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Marianne Bronner,† California Institute of Technology
Steven H. Collicott, Purdue University
Vijay K. Dhir,† University of California, Los Angeles
Ofodike A. Ezekoye,‡ University of Texas, Austin
Mohammad Kassemi, Case Western Reserve University
Wayne L. Nicholson, University of Florida
James A. Pawelczyk, Pennsylvania State University
Marylyn D. Ritchie, Geisinger Health System
Pol D. Spanos, Rice University
James T’ien,† Case Western Reserve University
Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peter W. Voorhees, Northwestern University
Erika Wagner, Blue Origin, LLC
Hai Wang, Stanford University
David Weitz, Harvard University
Staff
Sandra J. Graham, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Marchel Holle, Research Associate, SSB
Dionna Wise, Program Coordinator, SSB
___________________
* Resigned from the committee March 3 2017
† Term began October 11, 2017.
‡ Term ended July 31, 2017
COMMITTEE ON EARTH SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS FROM SPACE
The Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space met on March 28-29 in Washington, D.C., as part of the 2017 Space Science Week. In addition to an update provided by Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD), on ESD programs and activities, the meeting featured a number of presentations related to the potential delivery by commercial providers of Earth observation data, especially that needed for numerical weather prediction. The potential use of small-sats, CubeSats, and constellations of small spacecraft was also highlighted in these discussions. Presentations to the committee were made by former NOAA administrator and current CEO of GeoOptics, Inc., Conrad C. Lautenbacher (Vice Admiral, USN ret) and by Jonny Dyer, chief engineer, Terra Bella (formerly Skybox Imaging). The committee also received two presentations by Jim Yoe, chief administrative officer of the Joint [NOAA-NASA] Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA), the first reviewing current and potential future activities of the JCSDA, and the second on Frontiers of Numerical Weather Prediction. The committee also received presentations from Dan St. Jean, NOAA deputy director of the Space Platforms Requirements Working Group, and Karen St. Germain, director, Office of Systems Architecture and Advanced Planning, NOAA NESDIS, on the NOAA Commercial Weather Data Pilot and the NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture Study. The committee also welcomed new members Molly E. Brown, University of Maryland College Park; Otis Brown, North Carolina State University; Everette Joseph, University of Albany, State University of New York; R. Steven Nerem, University of Colorado, Boulder; Eric J. Rignot, University of California, Irvine; and Christopher S. Ruf, University of Michigan.
CESAS met in Boulder, Colorado, on October 23-24, 2017. Agenda items for the meeting included updates from NASA ESD and NOAA NESDIS and discussions on the potential involvement of the committee in organizing a suggested task to a National Academies study (“Independent Study on Future of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellite Systems and Data”) requested in Section 301 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 In addition, committee members continued to support activities of the 2017-2027 decadal survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space (ESAS 2017). At the Boulder meeting, the committee met with the survey co-chairs to discuss dissemination of the survey publication and derivative products. They also reviewed an initial draft of a popular version of the survey publication, a highly illustrated summary intended for a broader audience than the rather lengthy and technical publication itself. Several members of CESAS are participating on various ESAS 2017 committees and panels: Joyce Penner, University of Michigan; Steven A. Ackerman, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Stacey W. Boland, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Efi Foufoula-Georgiou; University of California, Irvine; Everette Joseph, University of Albany, SUNY; Eric J. Rignot, University of California, Irvine; Christopher S. Ruf, University of Michigan; and David L. Skole, Michigan State University.
The committee’s next meeting will take place at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., on March 27-29, 2018 as part of the annual Space Science Week activities. More information on CESAS is available at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_066587.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on Earth science and applications from space is presented in Figure 2.6.
Membership
Michael D. King, University of Colorado, Boulder (co-chair)
Joyce E. Penner, University of Michigan (co-chair)
Steven A. Ackerman, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Stacey W. Boland, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Molly Brown, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Otis B. Brown, Jr., North Carolina State University
Lee-Lueng Fu,* Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, University of California, Irvine
Chelle L. Gentemann, Earth and Space Research
Everette Joseph, University of Albany, State University of New York
R. Steven Nerem, University of Colorado, Boulder
Eric J. Rignot, University of California, Irvine
Christopher Ruf, University of Michigan
David L. Skole, Michigan State University
Steven C. Wofsy, Harvard University
Staff
Arthur A. Charo, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Marchel Holle, Research Associate
Andrea Rebholz, Program Coordinator, ASEB
___________________
* Resigned from committee March 31, 2017
COMMITTEE ON SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS
The Committee on Solar and Space Physics held its spring meeting during the 2017 Space Science Week, March 28-30, 2017, in Washington D.C. at the National Academy of Sciences building. On its first day, the committee was briefed by NOAA representatives on the Space Weather Prediction Center and the ongoing implementation of the National Space Weather Action Plan before joining the other committees in plenary session. On the second day, the committee received agency updates from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Geospace Section, NSF Astronomical Sciences Division about the DKIST telescope, NASA Heliophysics, as well as a briefing on the recent publication Assessment of the NSF’s 2015 Geospace Portfolio Review (see Section 5.2). The committee then held a focus session on options for the implementation of Heliophysics Science Centers (HSCs)—a part of the DRIVE (Diversify, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate) recommendation from the decadal survey. NASA and NSF jointly will create HSCs to tackle key science problems requiring multidisciplinary teams, but the decadal survey did not give much specific guidance. To aid in drafting a series of findings and conclusions, the committee heard presentations and held discussions with guests on the status of NASA’s DRIVE Implementation plan, NSF Physics Frontiers Centers, and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. The committee spent the remainder of its time discussing the issues presented. CSSP’s publication entered review in April.
CSSP spent much of the second quarter writing and releasing its first publication as a discipline committee titled Report Series: Committee on Solar and Space Physics: Heliophysics Science Centers (see Section 5.8).
CSSP held its fall meeting on October 24-25, 2017, in Irvine, California. The committee heard updates from NASA Heliophysics, NSF Geospace, NSF Astronomy, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, and on the activities of the Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation Subcommittee. The committee also held a focus session on data, including discussions of long-term synoptic data, neural nets and adaptive learning, teaming machines and humans for deep learning, and the past and future of the NASA Heliophysics Data Environment. The committee also heard a presentation on the current state of research in the habitability of extrasolar planets.
The committee’s next meeting will take place at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., on March 27-29, 2018, as part of the annual Space Science Week activities. More information on CSSP is available at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_052324.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory publications on space and solar physics is presented in Figure 2.7.
Membership
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research (co-chair)
Maura E. Hagan, Utah State University (co-chair)
Brian J. Anderson, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
Steven J. Battel, Battel Engineering, Inc.
Yue Deng, University of Texas, Arlington
Stephen A. Fuselier, Southwest Research Institute
J. Todd Hoeksema, Stanford University
Mary K. Hudson, Dartmouth College
Judith L. Lean,* Naval Research Laboratory
Robyn Millan, Dartmouth College
Tai D. Phan, University of California, Berkeley
Jiong Qiu, Montana State University
Joshua Semeter, Boston University
Howard J. Singer, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Leonard Strachan, Jr., Naval Research Laboratory
Barbara J. Thompson, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Gary P. Zank, University of Alabama, Huntsville
Staff
Abigail A. Sheffer, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Sarah Brothers, Associate Program Officer, SSB (from September)
Marchel Holle, Research Associate, SSB (through August)
Anesia Wilks, Senior Program Assistant, SSB
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* Resigned from committee April 5, 2017.