2
Board and Standing Committees:
Activities and Membership
The Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine1 and its 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. They do not provide formal advice and recommendations and, therefore, are not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Section 15.
During 2015, the SSB had five standing committees representing various disciplines: 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), the Committee on Solar and Space Physics (CSSP), and the Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space (CBPSS; jointly with the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, ASEB).
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
HIGHLIGHTS OF SPACE STUDIES BOARD ACTIVITIES
The Space Studies Board held its spring meeting on April 22-23, 2015, at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C. The joint session with the ASEB on April 22 began with David Miller (NASA Chief Technologist), Ralph Roe (NASA Chief Engineer), and Ellen Stofan (NASA Chief Scientist), followed by an update on the International Space Station (ISS) by Sam Scimemi and Julie Robinson from NASA. The Boards then held discussions with staff representatives from Capitol Hill (Pam Whitney, Nick Cummings, and Allen Cutler) and from the White House (Paul Shawcross, Grace Hu, and Ben Roberts). Chris Hart from the National Transportation Safety Board then gave a presentation on space launch accident investigations. The Boards then received an update on CBPSS from its co-chairs, Betsy Cantwell and Rob Ferl. The end of the day was devoted to a session with Mary Lynn Dittmar (former member of the Committee on Human Spaceflight) and Bill Gerstenmaier (NASA), where Dr. Dittmar recapped the main messages of the 2014 report Pathways to Exploration—Rationales and Approaches for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration, and Mr. Gerstenmaier provided reactions and commentary from NASA during the presentation. That was followed by a roundtable discussion between the Boards, Dr. Dittmar, and Mr. Gerstenmaier. On April 23, the SSB met and heard updates from its standing committees (Todd Hoeksema, CSSP; Mark Abbott and Joyce Penner, CESAS; Greg Ferry, CAPS; and Marcia Rieke,
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1 Effective July 1, 2015, the institution is called the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. References in this report to the National Research Council are used in an historical context identifying programs prior to July 1.
CAA). The Board received an update on the key issues at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) from John Grunsfeld (Associate Administrator, NASA SMD) and had a roundtable discussion with Dr. Grunsfeld and the SMD Division Directors (Mike Freilich, Earth Science; Jeff Newmark, Heliophysics; Jim Green, Planetary; and Paul Hertz, Astrophysics). That discussion was followed by a session on international issues with an update from the European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) from Jean Claude Worms, European Science Foundation (ESF), and an update on COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) activities from David Smith (SSB staff). The final session was a planning session for the second Earth science and applications from space decadal survey, which included Tony Busalacchi (CESAS member), Mike Freilich (NASA), Steve Volz (NOAA), and Sarah Ryker (U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]) and was moderated by SSB member Tony Janetos.
The Executive Committee (XCOM) of the SSB met July 28-29, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The XCOM was joined by John Culberson, Chairman of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee (CJS), and Congressman Chaka Fattah, Ranking Member of the House CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, for a discussion on congressional perspectives. The XCOM was also joined by John Grunsfeld (NASA SMD) to discuss potential topics that SMD might ask the SSB to address. Discussions on the views from Capitol Hill and the White House on space science issues were held with congressional, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) staff. The XCOM was given briefings and had discussions with the chairs of two completed studies, Phil Christensen (Sharing the Adventure with the Student: Exploring the Intersections of NASA Space Science and Education: A Workshop Summary) and Alan Dressler (The Space Science Decadal Surveys: Lessons Learned and Best Practices); and one ongoing study chair, Thomas Zurbuchen (for the Committee on Achieving Science Goals with CubeSats). The XCOM also had discussions with standing committee chairs and amongst themselves about various potential topics for new studies, the biennial SSB workshop, and planning for the fall 2015 and spring 2016 meetings.
The SSB held its fall meeting in Irvine, California, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on November 3-5, 2015. During the first day of the meeting, the Board heard reports from the standing committee co-chairs and held a discussion on committee issues and future actions. Standing committee co-chairs in attendance included Marcia Rieke (CAA), Phil Christensen and J. Greg Ferry (CAPS), Joyce Penner (CESAS), Todd Hoeksema (CSSP), and Rob Ferl (CBPSS). The day continued with an update on COSPAR 2018 and other COSPAR activities from Gregg Vane (a member of the 2018 Organizing Committee) and SSB staff member David Smith. The Board then received a status report and had a discussion with John Grunsfeld (NASA SMD). The day ended with a variety of briefings on topics of interest to the Board, including an update on ESSC activities (Athena Coustenis, ESSC Chair), the COSPAR Roadmap on Space Weather (Sarah Gibson, Board member), and the status of the 2016 SSB workshop (Michael Moloney, SSB Director). The briefings also included a discussion of the issues that the ad hoc Committee on NASA Science Mission Extensions will be focusing on, with Committee Co-Chair Vicky Hamilton, and the outcome of the Continuity of NASA Earth Observations from Space: A Value Framework report from committee member Randy Friedl.
The second day of the fall meeting included several focus sessions and a science talk on the Stratocruiser by Board member Jim Anderson. The first focus session on NASA SMD and Education included impressions from the SSB 2014 workshop on education by workshop planning committee members Phil Christensen and Jim Manning; a summary of the restructuring of SMD Education by Kristen Erickson (NASA SMD); and a discussion about next steps. The second focus session was on the space science decadal surveys and included an overview of the The Space Science Decadal Surveys report from Alan Dressler, committee chair; a summary of how NASA Astrophysics is preparing for the next astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey, given by Paul Hertz (NASA); a personal perspective given by Board member Tony Janetos on how the Earth science decadal survey might incorporate some of the lessons learned from the report; and a general discussion amongst the Board and guests. The final focus session was on science and human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, including presentations on the work of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) Science Advisory Group by Greg Schmidt (NASA); science and human exploration of Mars by Richard Zurek (Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL]); science and human exploration of the Moon by Clive Neal (NASA’s Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Chair); and the science and human exploration of asteroids by Erik Asphaug (Arizona State University); followed by a discussion.
The spring meeting will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 26-28, 2016. Visit http://www.nas.edu/ssb to stay up to date on Board, workshop, and study committee meetings and developments.
SPACE STUDIES BOARD MEMBERSHIP
July 1, 2014–June 30, 2015
David N. Spergel, Princeton University (chair)
Robert D. Braun, Georgia Institute of Technology (vice chair)
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University
James Anderson, Harvard University
James Bagian, University of Michigan
Jeff M. Bingham, Consultant
Penelope J. Boston, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Joseph Fuller, Jr., Futron Corporation
Thomas R. Gavin, California Institute of Technology
Neil Gehrels, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Roderick Heelis, University of Texas, Dallas
Wesley T. Huntress, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Anthony C. Janetos, Boston University
Dava J. Newman,2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Saul Perlmutter, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Louise M. Prockter, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona
Mark Thiemens, University of California, San Diego
Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University
Clifford M. Will, University of Florida
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
July 1, 2015–June 30, 2016
David N. Spergel, Princeton University (chair)
Robert D. Braun, Georgia Institute of Technology (vice chair)
James Anderson, Harvard University
James Bagian, University of Michigan
Jeff M. Bingham, Consultant
Penelope J. Boston, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar Associates
Joseph Fuller, Jr., Futron Corporation
Thomas R. Gavin, California Institute of Technology
Neil Gehrels, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Wesley T. Huntress, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Anthony C. Janetos, Boston University
Chryssa Kouveliotou, The George Washington University
Saul Perlmutter, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Louise M. Prockter, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
Mark Thiemens, University of California, San Diego
Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
Ex Officio and Liaison Participants
Lennard Fisk, University of Michigan (liaison, U.S. Representative to COSPAR through March)
Charlie Kennel, University of California, San Diego (liaison; U.S. Representative to COSPAR)
Lester Lyles, The Lyles Group (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, 2014–June 30, 2015
David N. Spergel, Princeton University (chair)
Robert D. Braun, Georgia Institute of Technology (vice chair)
Mark R. Abbott, Oregon State University
Wesley T. Huntress, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Dava J. Newman,3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
July 1, 2015–June 30, 2016
David N. Spergel, Princeton University (chair)
Robert D. Braun, Georgia Institute of Technology (vice chair)
Mary Lynne Dittmar, Dittmar Associates
Neil Gehrels, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Wesley T. Huntress, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Anthony Janetos, Boston University
Chryssa Kouveliotou, The George Washington University
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, University of Michigan
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2 Resigned from Board in April 2015 to be confirmed as Deputy Administrator of NASA.
3 Resigned from Board in April 2015 to be confirmed as Deputy Administrator of NASA.
Staff in 2015
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, Program Officer
Katie Daud, Research Associate
Charlie Harris, Research Associate (from September 28)
Celeste A. Naylor, Information Management Associate
Tanja E. Pilzak, Manager, Program Operations
Meg A. Knemeyer, Financial Officer
Sandra Wilson, Senior Financial Assistant (through October)
Carmela J. Chamberlain, Administrative Coordinator
Andrea Rebholz,* Program Coordinator, ASEB
Dionna Williams, Program Coordinator
Anesia Wilks, Senior Program Assistant
Space Policy Interns
Angela Dapremont, 2015 Spring Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Danielle Youngsmith, 2015 Summer Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
James Alver, 2015 Summer Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
Thomas Katucki, 2015 Fall Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
U.S. NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR COSPAR
The SSB, acting in its role as the U.S. National Committee for COSPAR held its annual series of business meetings at its Paris headquarters on March 23-26, 2015. These meetings were notable for two reasons: they were the first meeting presided over by Lennard A. Fisk, following his election as president of COSPAR at the August 2014 Scientific Assembly in Moscow, and they were the first where Charles Kennel participated in his new, dual role as U.S. representative to COSPAR and vice chair of the COSPAR Scientific Advisory Committee. Also present to report to the COSPAR Bureau were Gregg Vane and Rosaly Lopes, the chair of the Local Organizing Committee and vice chair of the Science Program Committee, respectively, for the 2018 COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Pasadena, California.
COSPAR held the second of its new series of “off-year” symposia at Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, on November 9-13, 2015. The SSB continues to follow closely the arrangements for COSPAR’s 41st and 42nd Scientific Assemblies, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 30-August 7, 2016, and Pasadena, California, on July 14-22, 2018, respectively. The next milestone in the planning for the latter is the site visit to Pasadena by COSPAR’s leadership scheduled for January 25-26, 2016. The next round of COSPAR business meetings will be held at the organization’s Paris headquarters on March 22-24, 2016.
U.S. Representative to COSPAR
Charlie 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
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* Staff from other Boards who are shared with the SSB.
STANDING COMMITTEES
The National Research Council (NRC) Space Science Week (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/ SSB_153141) was held March 31-April 2, 2015, in Washington, D.C. All five of the SSB’s active standing committees met in parallel (see descriptions of the individual standing committee sections meetings below). On the afternoon of March 31, the standing committees conducted a plenary session at which there was a presentation on the NASA SMD budget and its current program and priorities by Marc Allen, NASA SMD Deputy Associate Administrator for Research. The committees also participated in two roundtable discussions, the first on SMD inter-divisional cooperation with Jack Kaye, Earth Science Division (ESD), Jim Green, Planetary Science Division (PSD), Paul Hertz, Astrophysics Division (ASD) and Jeff Newmark, Heliophysics Division (HSD); and the second on NASA inter-directorate cooperation with Greg Williams, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), Jeff Sheehy, Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), and Jim Green (SMD). The committees were also briefed on an upcoming SSB study on achieving science with CubeSats, to be chaired by Thomas Zurbuchen, University of Michigan, and on the current science on the ISS by NASA’s Julie Robinson. The afternoon concluded with briefings from the White House by Tammy Dickinson, OSTP, and Grace Hu, OMB, and from Capitol Hill by Tom Hammond (House Science, Space and Technology Committee) and Nick Cummings (Senate Space, Science and Competitiveness Subcommittee).
On the evening of April 1, the NRC Space Science Week Public Lecture by Jason Kalirai (Space Telescope Science Institute) marked the 25th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. To view a video replay of Our Place in the Universe: As Seen Through Past, Present, and Future Telescopes, please visit http://sites.nationalacademies.org/ssb/ssb_153311. The next Space Science Week will be held on March 29-31, 2016, in Washington, D.C.
COMMITTEE ON ASTROBIOLOGY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE
The Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science met on March 31-April 2, 2015, in Washington, D.C., as part of the third annual NRC Space Science Week. In addition to joint plenary sessions with the other SSB standing committees, CAPS received briefings on the status of NASA’s planetary science, astrobiology, and planetary protection programs. In addition, the committee heard updates on NASA’s Mars and exoplanet exploration activities, the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and the status of Europa mission development work. The committee also heard presentations on the recent Europa Plumes workshop, a joint NASA-National Science Foundation (NSF) Alternative Chemistries of Life Workshop, a series of perspectives on Mars exploration after Mars 2020, and synergies between human exploration and planetary science. CAPS also held a joint session with CSSP, during which both committees received briefings on China’s future planetary and space physics missions and a presentation on the results from MAVEN.
CAPS held its fall meeting on September 16-17, 2015, in Irvine, California. At this meeting, CAPS was presented with a Europa mission update from Robert Pappalardo and Barry Goldstein of JPL. Gregg Vane (JPL) discussed preparing for COSPAR 2018. Neil Murphy (JPL) presented on ice giant mission status and planning. CAPS received a briefing on the Space Science Decadal Surveys report by committee chair Alan Dressler (Carnegie Observatories) and committee member Steve Mackwell (Lunar and Planetary Institute). Michael New (NASA) gave a presentation regarding NASA’s Astrobiology strategy, and Carl Pilcher (NASA) gave an update on the status of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Michael Mumma (NASA) presented about martian methane and Chris Webster (JPL) discussed MSL observations of martian methane. CAPS also heard a presentation from Ken Farley (California Institute of Technology) on the Mars 2020 and sample caching study. Jim Green presented a NASA PSD update. A major membership rotation is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2016.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on astrobiology and planetary protection is presented in Figure 2.1. A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on solar system exploration is presented in Figure 2.2.
Membership
Philip R. Christensen, Arizona State University (co-chair)
J. Gregory Ferry, Pennsylvania State University (co-chair)
Sushil K. Atreya, University of Michigan
Amy C. Barr, Independent Consultant
Richard P. Binzel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ronald Breaker, Yale University
John Clarke, Boston University
Geoffrey Collins, Wheaton College
Pascale Ehrenfreund, George Washington University
Linda T. Elkins-Tanton,4 Arizona State University
James F. Kasting, Pennsylvania State University
Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute
Norman R. Pace, University of Colorado, Boulder
Gary Ruvkun, Massachusetts General Hospital
Mark P. Saunders, Independent Consultant
Gerald Schubert,5 University of California, Los Angeles
Norman H. Sleep, Stanford University
Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, University of New Mexico
Roger V. Yelle, University of Arizona
Staff
David H. Smith, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Katie Daud, Research Associate, SSB
Andrea Rebholz,6 Program Coordinator, ASEB
COMMITTEE ON ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
The Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics met on March 31-April 2, 2015, in Washington, D.C., as part of the third annual NRC Space Science Week. In addition to joint plenary sessions with the other SSB standing committees, CAA received briefings from and held discussions with Jim Ulvestad (NSF) on NSF’s Division of Astronomical Sciences program; Kathy Turner (DOE) on DOE’s High Energy Physics program; Paul Hertz (NASA) on the NASA Astrophysics Division program; Eric Smith (NASA) on progress on the James Webb Space Telescope; Steve Kahn (LSST) on the progress of the LSST; Lyman Page (Princeton University) on ways to observe the tensor-scalar ratio from the ground and space; Bruce Macintosh (Stanford University) on ground- and space-based coronagraph science; Ji Wu (Chinese Academy of Sciences) on the Chinese Academy of Sciences program; Angela Olinto (University of Chicago) on the 2014-2015 Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee Annual Report; and Pierre Binétruy (APC Université Paris Diderot) as the ESSC liaison on the ESSC’s activities.
In July, the committee held a teleconference with Debra Elmegreen to discuss the recent report authored by the committee she chaired, Optimizing the U.S. Ground-Based Optical and Infrared Astronomy System. Six new members were added in 2015: Bruce Macintosh, Lee Hartmann, Vassiliki Kalogera, Steven Ritz (co-chair), Lisa Kaltenegger, and Mark Phillips. The committee did not hold a fall meeting; it was placed on hiatus during the execution of the ad hoc Committee on the Review of Progress Toward the Decadal Survey Vision in New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics. The committee’s next in-person meeting will take place during the fourth annual Space Science Week on March 29-31, 2016, in Washington, D.C.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on astronomy and astrophysics is presented in Figure 2.3.
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4 Resigned from the committee on October 14, 2015.
5 Resigned from the committee on July 4, 2015.
6 Staff from other Boards who are shared with the SSB.
Membership
Paul L. Schechter,7 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (co-chair)
Marcia Reike, University of Arizona (co-chair)
Steven M. Ritz,8 University of California, Santa Cruz (co-chair)
Jeremiah K. Darling, University of Colorado, Boulder
Megan Donahue, Michigan State University
Joshua A. Frieman,9 Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and University of Chicago
Thomas Greene, NASA Ames Research Center
Lee W. Hartmann,10 University of Michigan
Timothy M. Heckman,11 Johns Hopkins University
Lynne Hillenbrand,12 California Institute of Technology
Vassiliki Kalogera,13 Northwestern University
Lisa Kaltenegger,14 Cornell University
Bruce Macintosh,15 Stanford University
Christopher F. McKee, University of California, Berkeley
Rene A. Ong, University of California, Los Angeles
Mark M. Phillips,16 Carnegie Observatories
James M. Stone,17 Princeton University
Alexey Vikhlinin,18 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
J. Craig Wheeler,19 University of Texas, Austin
Eric M. Wilcots, University of Wisconsin, Madison
A. Thomas Young, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)
Staff
David B. Lang, Senior Program Officer, BPA
Katie Daud, Research Associate, SSB
Dionna Williams, 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 related topics of Open Science and GeneLab Platform development as the focus of a 1-day symposium held on April 1, 2015, as part of the committee’s scheduled March 31-April 2, 2015, meeting, held during the third annual NRC Space Science Week. The symposium brought together experts from a range of government, academic, and private database groups to discuss common development challenges. The discussion focused on challenges relevant to NASA Open Science approaches in general, and potential design input for NASA GeneLab in particular. Included in the symposium were two panels with 10 experts representing diverse database efforts and platforms in the very rapidly growing field of “omics” research. During the non-symposium portion of the meeting, the committee also heard a presentation on the role of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) in supporting micrograv-
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7 Term ended in 2015.
8 Became co-chair on September 22, 2015.
9 Term ended in 2015.
10 Became a member in September 2015.
11 Term ended in 2015.
12 Term ended in 2015.
13 Became a member in September 2015.
14 Became a member in September 2015.
15 Became a member in February 2015.
16 Became a member in September 2015.
17 Became a member in October 2014.
18 Became a member in October 2014.
19 Term ended in 2015.
ity research on the ISS, and a status update on NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications program. The committee also met in plenary with the other standing committees of the SSB on March 31.
CBPSS Co-Chair Robert Ferl and staffer Sandra Graham both attended the International Space Station R&D Conference on July 7-9 in Boston, Massachusetts, where Dr. Ferl participated as a panelist discussing the role of the ISS as a catalyst. In addition, committee member Jim Pawelczyk was invited to testify at a July 10 congressional hearing in front of the House Subcommittee on Space (Committee on Science, Space and Technology). The hearing focused on the challenges and rationales, including science, pertaining to an extension of the operational lifetime of the ISS. His testimony is reprinted in Chapter 6.
CBPSS held its fall meeting on October 27-29, 2015, in Irvine, California. The meeting was organized to explore both near-term challenges and opportunities in the microgravity research endeavor and long-term planning for the post-ISS period. At the meeting, CBPSS received a presentation on NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications (SLPSRA) program status and issues from Marshall Porterfield, who also updated the committee on the status of GeneLab and Open Science. David Tomko (NASA) presented on space biology planning, and Steve Davison (NASA) discussed human research planning. Francis Chiaramonte (NASA) briefed CBPSS on physical sciences, and Nan Yu (JPL) presented on fundamental physics planning. The committee also heard briefings from Robyn Gatens (NASA) regarding commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) for research; Warren Bates (CASIS) on promoting LEO ecosystem development, and Ben Roberts (OSTP) for a discussion on commercial LEO and ISS follow-on issues. The committee also held a focused panel session on the potential of CubeSats for microgravity research, which included a presentation from Tony Ricco (NASA) and Wayne Nicholson (University of Florida). The panel session included discussions with A.C. Matin (Stanford University), John Hines (JH Technology Associates), Sharmila Bhattacharya (NASA Ames Research Center), and Andrew Pohorille (NASA). CBPSS also heard from Jeff Smith (NASA) on the potential for biological experiments on the Orion EM-1 mission. The open sessions concluded with parallel breakout discussion groups focused on needs, challenges, and long-term directions.
Throughout the year, co-chairs and/or staff remained abreast of discipline and policy developments by participating in meetings and conferences such as the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research on November 11-14, 2015, and SpaceCom on November 17-19. After consideration of the most rapidly developing programs and research areas, the committee added membership expertise in statistics and translational bioinformatics, the science of decision making, and fluid dynamics in low gravity by appointing Mohammed Kassemi, Marylyn D. Ritchie, and Pol D. Spanos. Also during this period, the committee was planning its meeting during NRC Space Science Week, which included a 1-day symposium on research in commercial LEO. CBPSS also discussed a midterm review of the decadal survey with NASA.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on space biology and medicine is presented in Figure 2.4, and a historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on microgravity research is presented in Figure 2.5.
Membership
Elizabeth Cantwell, Arizona State University (co-chair)
Robert J. Ferl, University of Florida (co-chair)
Kenneth M. Baldwin, University of California, Irvine
Robert L. Byer, Stanford University
Ofodike A. Ezekoye, University of Texas, Austin
Mohammad Kassemi,20 NASA Glenn Research Center
Ronald G. Larson, University of Michigan
Richard E. Lenski, Michigan State University
James A. Pawelczyk, Pennsylvania State University
Marylyn D. Ritchie,21 Pennsylvania State University
Pol D. Spanos,22 Rice University
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20 Became a member in October 2015.
21 Became a member in October 2015.
22 Became a member in October 2015.
Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peter W. Voorhees, Northwestern University
Erika Wagner, Blue Origin, LLC
Eugenia Y.-H. Wang, University of Louisville
Staff
Sandra J. Graham, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Katie Daud, Research Associate, SSB
Dionna Williams, Program Coordinator, SSB
COMMITTEE ON EARTH SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS FROM SPACE
The Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/ SSB_066587) met on March 31-April 2, 2015, in Washington, D.C., as part of the third annual NRC Space Science Week. In addition to joint plenary sessions with the other SSB standing committees, CESAS received briefings from and held discussions with Jack Kaye (NASA) on current and planned activities within NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD); Paula Bontempi (NASA) on the Pre-Aerosol, Clouds, and ocean Ecosystem mission (PACE); Tom Burns (NOAA) on current and planned activities within NOAA NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service); Sarah Ryker (U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]), on the Landsat program and plans for Landsat-9; Tim Stryker (OSTP) on the National Plan for Civil Earth Observations and thoughts on its use in the upcoming Earth science decadal survey; and Stacey Boland (JPL) on RapidScat, a low-cost instrument recently deployed on the ISS that is providing measurements of ocean vector winds.
The March meeting also had two roundtable discussions with a particular focus on planning for the second decadal survey in Earth science and applications from space (“ESAS 2017”). ESAS 2017 will generate consensus recommendations from the environmental monitoring and Earth science and applications community on an integrated and sustainable approach to the conduct of the U.S. government’s civilian space-based Earth-system science programs. Planning for the survey was a major activity for CESAS throughout 2015; in particular, the committee and staff from the SSB had extensive discussions with other Earth Science-related units of the Academies (including the Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate, the Board on Earth Science and Resources, the Ocean Studies Board, the Polar Research Board, and the Water Science and Technology Board) and potential study sponsors on the survey’s terms of reference. NASA, NOAA, and USGS reached consensus on the statement of task in April 2015; on May 6, 2015, the study was approved by the Governing Board of the Executive Committee of the Academies.
CESAS met virtually via WebEx on September 24-25 and received briefings from Michael Freilich (Director, NASA ESD); Ajay Mehta (Deputy Director, NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System); and Tim Newman (Land Remote Sensing Program Coordinator, USGS), who briefed the committee on the OSTP-led, Second Earth Observation Assessment. The committee also continued its planning work for the decadal survey. Prior to initiation of the survey, CESAS requested community input on the questions that should drive space-based Earth observations in the decade defined roughly from 2017 to 2027. This request for information (RFI) did not seek input on candidate satellite missions or sensors; instead, it asked the community for their thoughts on the science questions and key challenges that should inform efforts to understand the Earth as a system (versus discipline-focused questions and challenges). It also asked if these questions and challenges differ from those that guided the inaugural decadal survey. The RFI generated more than 200 responses, which are posted on the survey’s website (www.nas.edu/esas2017).
CESAS met on December 2-3 in Washington, D.C., where the committee heard from Dan St. Jean (NOAA) regarding NOAA NESDIS programs and activities and from Greg Snyder (USGS) who reviewed progress in the 2nd National Assessment for Civil Earth Observations. The committee also held sessions on the recently completed report Continuity of NASA Earth Observations from Space: A Value Framework (2015). Committee Chair Byron Tapley (University of Texas) and committee members Randy Friedl (JPL) and Bruce Wielicki (NASA LaRC) briefed the committee on the report, which was followed by a roundtable discussion on “Incorporating the Decision Framework in Decadal Survey and Agency.” The committee also held a session on guidance for the upcoming decadal survey, based on the 2015 report Space Science Decadal Surveys, led by Stacey Boland (JPL), a member
of the study committee as well as a member of CESAS. Finally, Thomas Zurbuchen (University of Michigan) provided the committee with an update on the ad hoc SSB study he is chairing, the Committee on Achieving Science Goals with CubeSats. In closed session, the committee reviewed progress in organizing ESAS 2017.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on Earth science and applications from space is presented in Figure 2.6.
Membership
Mark R. Abbott,23 Oregon State University (co-chair)
Joyce E. Penner,24 University of Michigan (co-chair)
Steven A. Ackerman, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Stacey W. Boland, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Antonio J. Busalacchi, Jr., University of Maryland
Lennard A. Fisk, University of Michigan
Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Lee-Lueng Fu, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Chelle L. Gentemann, Earth and Space Research, Seattle
Michael D. King, University of Colorado, Boulder
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future
David L. Skole, Michigan State University
Steven C. Wofsy, Harvard University
Staff
Arthur A. Charo, Senior Program Officer, SSB
Charlie Harris, Research Associate, SSB (from September 28)
Andrea Rebholz,25 Program Coordinator, ASEB
COMMITTEE ON SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS
The Committee on Solar and Space Physics met on March 31-April 2, 2015, at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., during the third annual NRC Space Science Week. During the meeting, the committee received updates on programs at NASA HPD, NSF’s Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (GEO/AGS), and NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) from Jeffrey Newmark (Interim Director, HPD), Vladimir Papitashvili (Geospace Section Head, Acting, GEO/AGS), and Thomas Berger (Director, SWPC), respectively. The committee also heard about the ESSC and European activities in solar and space physics from Athena Coustenis (ESSC and Paris Observatory) and Nicholas Walter (ESF). In joint session with CAPS, the committee heard from Bruce Jakosky (University of Colorado) about results from the MAVEN mission at Mars and from Ji Wu (Chinese Academy of Sciences National Space Science Center) regarding China’s activities in solar and space physics. The committee also received an update on the construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope from David Boboltz (NSF). The committee conducted a roundtable discussion about space weather that included the above mentioned representatives from NASA, NOAA, and NSF as well as a presentation on the national Space Weather Operations Research and Mitigation (SWORM) task force from William Murtagh (OSTP). Sarah Gibson (High Altitude Observatory [HAO]) led a discussion on the initiation of the DRIVE initiative that was recommended in the 2013 solar and space physics decadal survey. Len Fisk (University of Michigan) gave an update on the American Geophysical Union’s Solar Physics and Aeronomy Section advocacy group, which was followed by a discussion of possible outreach activities for committee members and the community. Finally, the committee and representatives from the NASA HPD discussed accelerating the Solar Terrestrial Probes science program.
CSSP held its fall meeting October 14-15, 2015, in Washington, D.C. During the meeting, the committee
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23 Became a member as of September 2015.
24 Became chair as of September 2015.
25 Staff from other Boards who are shared with the SSB.
received updates on programs at HPD, GEO/AGS, NSF Astronomical Sciences (AST), and SWPC from Steven Clarke (Director, HPD), Janet Kozyra (NSF), James Ulvestad (Director, AST), and Thomas Berger (Director, SWPC), respectively. The committee also heard briefings from Ralph Stoffler on Air Force Perspectives on Space Weather; William Lotko on the NSF Geospace Portfolio Review; and Todd Hoeksema on the Grants Success Rate study.
CSSP held discussions on the DRIVE initiative at NASA and NSF and on the pacing of new NASA Explorer missions. They also held discussions on the status of the space weather action plan implementation, heliophysics mission management and possibilities for the start of an IMAP-like mission, possible future study ideas for the SSB, and strategies for including solar and space physics in transition information for the incoming presidential administration. Robyn Millan (Dartmouth College) gave an overview of the BARREL (Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses) mission and coordination with the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission. CSSP also heard an update on the Achieving Science Goals with CubeSats study from its chair, Thomas Zurbuchen. The committee also met via teleconference on November 24, 2015, to discuss current events.
A historical summary of a selection of SSB advisory reports on space and solar physics is presented in Figure 2.7.
Membership
J. Todd Hoeksema, Stanford University (co-chair)
Mary K. Hudson, Dartmouth College (co-chair)
Timothy S. Bastian, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Amitava Bhattacharjee, Princeton University
Stephen A. Fuselier, Southwest Research Institute
George M. Gloeckler, University of Maryland (emeritus)
Thomas J. Immel, University of California, Berkeley
Justin Kasper, University of Michigan
Louis J. Lanzerotti, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Judith L. Lean, Naval Research Laboratory
Elizabeth MacDonald, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Robyn Millan, Dartmouth College
Terrance G. Onsager, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
Aaron Ridley, University of Michigan
Nathan A. Schwadron, University of New Hampshire
Joshua Semeter, Boston University
Staff
Abigail Sheffer, Program Officer, SSB
Charlie Harris, Research Associate, SSB (from September 28)
Anesia Wilks, Senior Program Assistant, SSB