EXTENDING SCIENCE
NASA’s Space Science Mission Extensions and the Senior Review Process
Committee on NASA Science Mission Extensions
Space Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
A Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS500 Fifth Street, NWWashington, DC 20001
This report is based on work supported by Contract NNH11CD57B with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-44878-9
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-44878-6
Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/23624
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Copyright 2016 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Extending Science—NASA’s Space Science Mission Extensions and the Senior Review Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23624.
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COMMITTEE ON NASA SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS
VICTORIA E. HAMILTON, Southwest Research Institute, Co-Chair
HARVEY D. TANANBAUM, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Co-Chair
ALICE BOWMAN, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
JOHN R. CASANI, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Retired)
JAMES H. CLEMMONS, The Aerospace Corporation
NEIL GEHRELS, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
FIONA A. HARRISON, California Institute of Technology
MICHAEL D. KING, University of Colorado Boulder
MARGARET G. KIVELSON, University of California, Los Angeles
RAMON E. LOPEZ, The University of Texas at Arlington
AMY MAINZER, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
ALFRED S. McEWEN, University of Arizona
DEBORAH VANE, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Staff
DWAYNE DAY, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
KATIE DAUD, Research Associate
ANESIA WILKS, Senior Program Assistant
NATHAN BOLL, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow
CHERIE ACHILLES, Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
CAROLINE JUANG, Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Intern
MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director, Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
DAVID N. SPERGEL, Princeton University, Chair
ROBERT D. BRAUN, University of Colorado, Boulder, Vice Chair
JAMES G. ANDERSON, Harvard University
JEFF M. BINGHAM, Consultant
JAY C. BUCKEY, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
MARY LYNNE DITTMAR, Dittmar Associates, Inc.
JOSEPH FULLER, JR., Futron Corporation
THOMAS R. GAVIN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NEIL GEHRELS, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
SARAH GIBSON, National Center for Atmospheric Research
WESLEY T. HUNTRESS, JR., Carnegie Institution of Washington
ANTHONY C. JANETOS, Boston University
CHRYSSA KOUVELIOTOU, The George Washington University
BARBARA SHERWOOD LOLLAR, University of Toronto
ROSALY M. C. LOPES, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
DAVID J. MCCOMAS, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
LARRY PAXTON, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory
SAUL PERLMUTTER, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
ELIOT QUATAERT, University of California, Berkeley
HARLAN E. SPENCE, University of New Hampshire
MARK H. THIEMENS, University of California, San Diego
MEENAKSHI WADHWA, Arizona State University
Staff
MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director
CARMELA J. CHAMBERLAIN, Administrative Coordinator
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
CELESTE A. NAYLOR, Information Management Associate
MARGARET KNEMEYER, Financial Officer
SU LIU, Financial Assistant
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Preface
In fall 2014, NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld discussed with members of the Space Studies Board the possibility of a study of the value of NASA’s extended science missions and how the agency evaluates mission extension proposals, known as Senior Reviews. NASA’s Astrophysics Division has conducted Senior Reviews on a regular basis since the early 1990s; the agency’s other divisions started following similar procedures afterwards, and they were formally required by the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, which states:
The Administrator shall carry out biennial reviews within each of the Science divisions to assess the cost and benefits of extending the date of the termination of data collection for those missions that have exceeded their planned mission lifetime.
Although that Act (which was reaffirmed in 2010) requires biennial reviews, it does not define how NASA should conduct them, leaving the details to NASA, which has codified its requirements in internal management and other policy documents.
In summer 2015 NASA formally requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conduct a study on this subject. The Academies established a committee in fall 2015. The committee held an organizing teleconference in December, and its first in-person meeting was held at the National Academies’ Keck Center in Washington, D.C., on February 1-2, 2016. The committee heard from the NASA Associate Administrator for Space Science as well as each of the division directors and other speakers. The committee’s second meeting was held at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California, on March 2-4. At this meeting the committee heard from the former chairs of several Senior Review panels, as well as persons in charge of large and small missions currently in their extended phase. The committee’s third meeting was held at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., on April 18-20 and was primarily devoted to writing this report, which was delivered to NASA in late August.
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Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. 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 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:
Robert Barish, University of Illinois,
J. Bernard Blake, The Aerospace Corporation,
Lisa Gaddis, U.S. Geological Survey,
George M. Gloeckler, University of Michigan,
Guosheng Liu, Florida State University,
H. Jay Melosh, Purdue University,
Jon Miller, University of Michigan,
Clive R. Neal, The University of Notre Dame,
Rebecca Oppenheimer, American Museum of Natural History,
Michael Ryschkewitsch, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and
Xubin Zeng, University of Arizona.
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 Marcia J. Rieke, University of Arizona, who 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 committee and the institution.
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Contents
The Science Mission Directorate
What Do NASA’s Extended Missions Cost?
How Does NASA Decide What Missions to Extend?
2 THE SCIENTIFIC BENEFITS OF MISSION EXTENSIONS
Astrophysics Discoveries During Extended Missions
Earth Science Discoveries During Extended Missions
Heliophysics Discoveries During Extended Missions
Planetary Science Discoveries During Extended Missions
3 REVIEW OF EXTENDED MISSIONS BY NASA
SMD-Wide Characteristics of Senior Reviews
Division-Specific Characteristics of Senior Reviews
Incorporation of Lessons Learned into Senior Reviews
Summary History of Missions Reviewed by the Senior Reviews
4 THE BALANCE OF NEW MISSIONS VERSUS EXTENDED MISSIONS
5 INNOVATIVE COST REDUCTIONS FOR EXTENDED MISSIONS
Repurposing Extended Missions to Create New Science Missions
Risk Assessment and Acceptance
The Need for Support in Response to Spacecraft Anomalies
Control of Costs and Risks Related to the Introduction of New Procedures
Determining the Lifetime Cost of Science Missions
C NASA Science Mission Directorate Budgets by Division for Fiscal Year 2016
D Extended Mission and Senior Review References in Decadal Surveys