NASA's Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
1 NASA's Past and Current Trajectory
1 NASA's Past and Current Trajectory
Pages 8-30
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From page 8... ...
Since the early 1970s, human spaceflight has been confined to low Earth orbit. Earth and space science goals are ostensibly established in the decadal survey process led by the NRC, a process that has been highly successful at developing priorities in Earth and space sciences and leading to their eventual implementation.
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From page 9... ...
Over the decades, the goals for aeronautics have ranged from efficient subsonic fixed-wing aircraft to high-speed civil transport systems to hypersonic airbreathing engines for multiple-stage-to-orbit space access. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ACT OF 1958 AND ITS EVOLUTION The focus of NASA on aeronautics and space dates back to its founding, when the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 transformed the NACA into NASA.
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From page 10... ...
Bush, and Barack Obama neither funded nor staffed the National Space Council. In 1984 Earth science was formally added as one of NASA's objectives.
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From page 11... ...
At that point in time, Congress and the White House and Democrats and Republicans were all in general agreement about the future of the human spaceflight program. NASA pursued the presidential and congressional policies by initiating the Constellation program to build capabilities to send people back to the Moon and to Mars, including new launch vehicles and spacecraft.
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From page 12... ...
industry, initiated in 2006. This approach would enable them to contract for the development of "commercial crew" space transportation systems, where NASA would help pay companies to develop their own space transportation systems, and the companies would invest significant amounts of their own money toward development with the expectation of the emergence of a private human spaceflight market.
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From page 13... ...
The six strategic goals are aligned with eight of NASA's nine major budget line items for FY2012. In other words, the strategic plan does not identify any strategic goals that are not already funded in NASA's current budget.
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From page 14... ...
1.3 Develop an integrated architecture and capabilities for safe crewed and cargo missions beyond low Earth orbit. Challenges • Advanced Technology Development • Availability of Commercial Cargo and Crew Services • Affordability and Sustainability Strategic Goal 2: Expand scientific understanding of the Earth and the universe in which we live.
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From page 15... ...
4.2 Conduct systems-level research on innovative and promising aeronautics concepts and technologies to demonstrate integrated capabilities and benefits in a relevant flight and/or ground environment. Challenges • Inherent Risk • Partnership Influences • Resources Strategic Goal 5: Enable program and institutional capabilities to conduct NASA's aeronautics and space activities.
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From page 16... ...
Neither the 2003 plan nor the 2006 plan explicitly lists any prioritization in their strategic goals. NASA ORGANIZATION AND STAFF LEVELS NASA's organization includes nine field centers: Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and Stennis Space Center.
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From page 17... ...
As shown in Table 1.1, the size of the contractor workforce exceeds the size of the civil servant workforce at each of the centers. The numbers of civil servants and contractors are roughly comparable at half of the centers (Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center)
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From page 18... ...
b Contractorsc of Employees Civil Servants Contractors Ames Research Center 1,243 1,322 2,565 48% 52% Dryden Flight Research 576 650 1,226 47% 53% Center Glenn Research Center 1,710 1,690 3,400 50% 50% Goddard Space Flight 3,428 6,100 9,528 36% 64% Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory ~ 300c 4,848 ~5,150 ~6% ~94% Johnson Space Center 3,383 ~12,000 ~15,400 75% 25% Kennedy Space Center 2,178 6,099 8,277 ~25% ~75% Langley Research Center 1,938 1,700 3,638 53% 47% Marshall Space Flight 2,563 3,537 6,100 42% 58% Center Stennis Space Center 294 ~2,000d ~2,300 ~13% ~87% Total 17,613 ~40,000 ~57,500 ~31% ~69% NOTE: Does not include Headquarters personnel. a During its visits to the NASA field centers, the committee inquired about the aging of the NASA workforce and was informed that this is no longer considered a concern by the field center leadership.
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From page 19... ...
This trend, reflecting the series of decisions on the NASA budget by the administration and Congress each year, provides important context for the discussion of issues related to NASA's strategic direction in Chapter 2. NASA'S PRIMARY PROGRAM AREAS Human Exploration and Space Operations Currently, NASA is developing a Space Launch System program, the goal of which is to create a heavy-launch vehicle capable of transporting humans and cargo, including the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, beyond LEO (see Figures 1.6 and 1.7)
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From page 20... ...
. 20% 18% Estimates 16% Percentage of Non-defense Discretionary Outlays 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 1962 1967 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012 2017 FIGURE 1.5 NASA outlays as a percentage of non-defense discretionary outlays, fiscal year (FY)
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From page 21... ...
test version of the Orion spacecraft at NASA's Langley Research Center on August 23, 2012.
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From page 22... ...
Most NASA centers receive funding from HEOMD to some degree; the leaders include Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Glenn Research Center, and Langley Research Center. Human exploration and space operations together account for almost half of NASA's FY2012 budget.5 NASA also performs life and microgravity science research funded by HEOMD.
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From page 23... ...
This recommendation closely aligns with that of the NRC decadal survey for planetary science. However, Mars sample return has not yet been adopted by the administration as a priority goal for NASA.
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From page 24... ...
However, current budget priorities of the administration have led to delays -- probably to the end of the decade -- before a new program could be developed to pursue the most recent decadal survey priority in dark energy science, exoplanet science, and an understanding of the cosmos.
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From page 25... ...
An example of NASA research aircraft for developing new fuel efficiency technologies is shown in Figure 1.10. 7 NASA's Langley Research Center, Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and Dryden Flight Research Center trace their roots to NACA's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (Hampton, Virginia)
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From page 26... ...
Guidance on mission-related development of space technologies now routinely appears in the decadal surveys produced by the NRC for Earth and space science (see NRC, 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012b)
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From page 27... ...
Cross Agency Support also funds center management and operations, which is a vital part of NASA operations. NASA-SUPPORTED COMMERCIAL SPACE ACTIVITIES Since the late 1950s, the U.S.
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From page 28... ...
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directs NASA to preserve the role of the United States as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology. Also, as a major consumer of space transportation services, it is in NASA's interest to promote advances in space transportation technologies, systems, and capabilities.
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From page 29... ...
• U.S. leadership in space science is being threatened by insufficient budgets to carry out the missions identified in the strategic plans (decadal surveys)
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From page 30... ...
Feature by Steven Siceloff, NASA's John F Kennedy Space Center.
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