Consensus Study Report
NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Contracts NNH17CB02B and 80HQTR22DA001 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-69498-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-69498-1
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26750
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023948182
This publication is available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Academies Press and the graphical logos for each are all trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Thriving in Space: Ensuring the Future of Biological and Physical Sciences Research: A Decadal Survey for 2023–2032. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26750.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.
Rapid Expert Consultations published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are authored by subject-matter experts on narrowly focused topics that can be supported by a body of evidence. The discussions contained in rapid expert consultations are considered those of the authors and do not contain policy recommendations. Rapid expert consultations are reviewed by the institution before release.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.
COMMITTEE ON BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH IN SPACE 2023–2032
ROBERT J. FERL, University of Florida, Co-Chair
KRYSTYN J. VAN VLIET, Cornell University, Co-Chair
ADAM P. ARKIN, University of California, Berkeley
SUSAN M. BAILEY, Colorado State University
DEBJYOTI BANERJEE, Texas A&M University
PAUL M. CHAIKIN (NAS), New York University
KATHLEEN E. CULLEN, Johns Hopkins University
DANIEL H. GESCHWIND (NAM), University of California, Los Angeles
ROBERT W. HYERS, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
YIGUANG JU, Princeton University
CHRISTOPHER E. MASON, Weill Cornell Medicine
MICHAEL J. PECAUT, Loma Linda University
WILLIE S. ROCKWARD, Morgan State University
ELBA E. SERRANO, New Mexico State University
PETER VOROBIEFF, University of New Mexico
RONALD L. WALSWORTH, University of Maryland, College Park
SARAH WYATT, Ohio University
LUIS ZEA,1 University of Colorado Boulder
ZHUOMIN ZHANG, Georgia Institute of Technology
Staff
DWAYNE A. DAY, Senior Program Officer, Study Director (from February 2022)
ARUL MOZHI, Associate Board Director, Study Director (from August 2022)
GREGORY MACK, Senior Program Officer, Study Director (February 2022 to August 2022)
SANDRA J. GRAHAM, Senior Program Officer, Study Director (January 2021 to February 2022)
JULIE ANNE SCHUCK, Senior Program Officer
ERIK SVEDBERG, Scholar
STEVEN MOSS, Senior Program Officer
GAYBRIELLE HOLBERT, Senior Program Assistant
DIONNA WISE, Program Associate
COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director, Aeronautics, Astronomy, Physics, and Space Science
Panel on the Biological Sciences
SUSAN A. BLOOMFIELD, Texas A&M University, Co-Chair
CHRIS WOLVERTON, Ohio Wesleyan University, Co-Chair
DEBRA T. AUGUSTE, Northeastern University
JENNIFER A. BARRILA, Arizona State University
ENRIQUE M. DE LA CRUZ, Yale University
AMANDA C. EVANS, Los Alamos National Laboratory
MONIKA FLESHNER, University of Colorado Boulder
PETER W. GRABHAM, Columbia University
RASHA HAMMAMIEH, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
PANKAJ JAISWAL, Oregon State University
JANET K. JANSSON, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
___________________
1 Resigned on June 28, 2022.
EDWARD J. KELLY, University of Washington
ELLIOT M. MEYEROWITZ (NAS), California Institute of Technology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute
KAREN OCORR, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
RONKE M. OLABISI, University of California, Irvine
AUBRIE O’ROURKE, NASA Kennedy Space Center
IMARA Y. PERERA, North Carolina State University
MANU O. PLATT, National Institutes of Health
ROBERT J. PLOUTZ-SNYDER, University of Michigan School of Nursing
BRINDA K. RANA, University of California, San Diego
SCOTT TRAPPE, Human Performance Laboratory
MARTHA H. VITATERNA, Northwestern University
JOSEPH C. WU (NAM), Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Staff
STEVEN MOSS, Senior Program Officer
LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator
DIONNA WISE, Program Associate
Panel on the Physical Sciences
BEVERLEY J. MCKEON, Stanford University, Co-Chair
ALEXANDRA NAVROTSKY (NAS), Arizona State University, Co-Chair
JAMEL ALI, Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering
EDEN FIGUEROA BAGGAGAN, Stony Brook University
DANIEL L. DIETRICH, NASA Glenn Research Center
ADRIENNE R. DOVE, University of Central Florida
TANVIR FAROUK, University of South Carolina, Columbia
AMBER GENAU, University of Alabama at Birmingham
TEJA GUDA, The University of Texas at San Antonio
JOHN I. HOCHSTEIN, The University of Memphis
MICHELE V. MANUEL, University of Florida
ROBERT J.C. MCLEAN, Texas State University
JOHN B. MCQUILLEN, NASA Glenn Research Center
JEFFREY F. MORRIS, The City College of New York
ISSAM MUDAWAR, Purdue University
HOLGER MUELLER, University of California, Berkeley
ALEKSANDAR G. OSTROGORSKY, Illinois Institute of Technology
AMY M. PETERSON, University of Massachusetts Lowell
WILLIAM D. PHILLIPS (NAS), National Institute of Standards and Technology
MARIANNA S. SAFRONOVA, University of Delaware
PETER B. SUNDERLAND, University of Maryland, College Park
Staff
ERIK SVEDBERG, Scholar
LINDA WALKER, Program Coordinator
DIONNA WISE, Program Associate
Panel on Engineering and Science Interface
MICHAEL G. RYSCHKEWITSCH, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Chair
GALE J. ALLEN, G-Allen Strategies
ROBERT V. DUNCAN, Texas Tech University
ANTONIO L. ELIAS (NAE), Orbital ATK (Retired)
HANS KOENIGSMANN, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) (Retired)
BRUCE M. LINK, Southeastern Universities Research Association
LISA W. SMITH, NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center
KATHRYN C. THORNTON, University of Virginia
KASTHURI VENKATESWARAN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
DEBORAH S. WELLS, Leidos
DANIELLE WOOD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Staff
ARUL MOZHI, Associate Board Director, Study Director
GAYBRIELLE HOLBERT, Senior Program Assistant
DIONNA WISE, Program Associate
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
MARGARET G. KIVELSON (NAS), University of California, Los Angeles, Chair
JAMES H. CROCKER (NAE), Lockheed Martin (Retired), Vice Chair
GREGORY P. ASNER (NAS), Carnegie Institution for Science
JEFF M. BINGHAM, Consultant
ADAM BURROWS (NAS), Princeton University
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
VICTORIA E. HAMILTON, Southwest Research Institute
CHRYSSA KOUVELIOTOU (NAS), The George Washington University
DENNIS P. LETTENMAIER (NAE), University of California, Los Angeles
ROSALY M. LOPES, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
STEPHEN J. MACKWELL, American Institute of Physics
DAVID J. MCCOMAS, Princeton University
LARRY PAXTON, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
ELIOT QUATAERT, University of California, Berkeley
MARK SAUNDERS, NASA (Retired)
BARBARA SHERWOOD LOLLAR (NAE), University of Toronto
HOWARD SINGER, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
HARLAN E. SPENCE, University of New Hampshire
MARK H. THIEMENS (NAS), University of California, San Diego
ERIKA WAGNER, Blue Origin
PAUL WOOSTER, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)
EDWARD L. WRIGHT (NAS), University of California, Los Angeles
Staff
COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director, Aeronautics, Astronomy, Physics, and Space Science
ARUL MOZHI, Associate Director, Aeronautics, Astronomy, Physics, and Space Science
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
AHMED ZAKI QASIM, Financial Officer
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ENGINEERING BOARD
ILAN KROO (NAE), Stanford University, Chair
SEAN BRADSHAW, Pratt & Whitney
ROBERT D. BRAUN (NAE), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
EDWARD F. CRAWLEY (NAE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ERIC H. DUCHARME (NAE), General Electric Aviation
WILLIAM R. GRAY III, U.S. Air Force
JOHN C. KARAS, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
TIMOTHY C. LIEUWEN (NAE), Georgia Institute of Technology
GEORGE T. LIGLER (NAE), Texas A&M University
LESTER L. LYLES (NAE), Consultant
LOURDES Q. MAURICE, DLM Global Strategies
ELLEN OCHOA (NAE), NASA Johnson Space Center
TOM G. REYNOLDS, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
WANDA A. SIGUR (NAE), Lockheed Martin Corporation (Retired)
MICHAEL K. SINNETT (NAE), Boeing Commercial Airplanes
ANTHONY M. WAAS, University of Michigan
Staff
COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director, Aeronautics, Astronomy, Physics, and Space Science
ARUL MOZHI, Associate Director, Aeronautics, Astronomy, Physics, and Space Science
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
MEG KNEMEYER, Financial Officer
This page intentionally left blank.
Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was 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 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, 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 thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by ELIZABETH R. CANTWELL, Utah State University, and GABRIELA GONZALEZ (NAS), Louisiana State University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Contents
Biological and Physical Sciences in Space
Space, Spaceflight, and Planetary Environments
Overview of Relevant Disciplines
2 CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Engineering and Technology Advancing Biological and Physical Science Research
Opportunities and Challenges of Research in the Space Environment
3 FRAMEWORK FOR THRIVING IN SPACE BY PRIORITIZING THEMES AND SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS
Key Scientific Questions as Priorities for Biological and Physical Science Research
5 SCIENCE ENABLED BY THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT
Managing Research Campaigns to Achieve a Strategic Goal
Impact of the Research Campaigns by 2033
Research Campaign: Bioregenerative Life Support Systems
Research Campaign: Manufacturing Materials and Processes for Sustainability in Space
Multi-Agency Opportunity: Probing the Fabric of Spacetime
Notional Concept: Polar Radiation of Model Organisms
Grand Opportunities for Biological and Physical Science in Space
Infrastructure for BPS Research from Earth to LEO, the Moon, and Beyond to Mars
Providing and Maintaining Space Environment Access for BPS Research
Sustaining Public Awareness and Support for BPS Research and Its Societal Benefits
Building and Sustaining a Diverse and Ethical U.S. Science Community in Global Context
C Steering Committee and Staff Biographical Information
D Complementarity of NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences and Human Research Program
E Technical Risk and Cost Evaluation Related to the Chapter 6 Research Campaigns
F Key Scientific Questions and Recommendations for BPS Space Research Over the Decade 2023–2032
Preface
This decadal survey is the second report on biological and physical sciences (BPS) research in space, following the 2011 decadal survey report Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era (NRC 2011). This study was requested by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The statement of task was developed in direct consultation with NASA and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. While developing the statement of task, the National Academies sought input from its Space Science Board chair and members of its Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space.
The National Academies appointed an ad hoc committee to carry out a decadal survey of biological and physical sciences research in space. This study generates consensus recommendations to implement a comprehensive strategy and vision for a decade of transformative science at the frontiers of biological and physical sciences research in space. The results of the study will assist NASA in defining and aligning biological and physical sciences research to uniquely advance scientific knowledge, meet the needs of human and robotic exploration missions, and provide terrestrial benefits. (The full statement of task is reprinted in Appendix A.)
The Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space 2023–2032 was appointed by the National Academies in summer 2021. The steering committee obtained community input from the biological and physical sciences research community via two types of solicited input papers: scientific topical input and research campaign input, from June to December 2021, in the form of written papers submitted via an Internet solicitation and outreach and publicly available at a National Academies’ site dedicated to this decadal survey.1 The work of the steering committee was supported by three panels that benefited from this community input as well as dedicated working group meetings among the panelists. These panels were the Panel on the Biological Sciences, the Panel on the Physical Sciences, and the Panel on Engineering and Science Interface. These panels worked under the direction of the steering committee to assess the current state of knowledge in relevant fields and to identify and articulate potential space research objectives; working groups were organized around the development of Chapters 1 through 7 to intentionally draw from all three panels of distinct expertise rather than contributing input as isolated, research expertise–narrowed panels.
___________________
1 See resources on community input, including links to view topical and research campaign papers submitted to the committee, on the decadal survey project page at https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-life-and-physical-sciences-research-in-space-2023-2032.
For the first time, this decadal survey included a technical risk and cost evaluation (TRACE) of research campaigns that were considered as priorities as additional funding became available. The application of TRACE within this BPS decadal survey differs from its application on other decadal surveys, where those surveys are regularly charged with evaluating distinct preestablished mission concepts. Such mission-level concepts are new to BPS. The decadal survey panels worked with the TRACE contractor, The Aerospace Corporation, along with the steering committee, to produce recommendations for research campaign prioritization. The TRACE process served as input, along with many other inputs, to assist the steering committee with its deliberations. Just as other decadal surveys have learned and adjusted to this process, the BPS community will also learn from it in coming decades.
The steering committee held its first meeting in August 2021. This meeting was followed by a series of open- and closed-session meetings on a roughly bi-monthly basis through February 2023. Early meetings of the steering committee and most of the panel meetings were held virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, but by summer 2022, the steering committee and the panels began holding hybrid virtual/in-person meetings, which greatly aided deliberations. A goal for this decadal survey was to start to make permeable some of the artificial barriers between the biological and physical sciences. In an effort to accomplish this, the panels often met as combined working groups. The working groups began drafting chapters in summer 2022. This report was then finalized by the steering committee and submitted to the National Academies for independent peer review in March 2023. Upon completion of this review, the report was prepared for publication and release.
Robert J. Ferl, Co-Chair
Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Co-Chair
Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space 2023–2032
