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Executive Summary
Pages 1-7

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From page 1... ... Nevertheless, remarkable progress has been made over a short period of time in defining the key scientific questions, initiating research and training programs, and developing collaborations on a national and international scale. As this intellectual endeavor matures toward becoming a scientific field in its own right, continued effort must be exerted to involve the appropriate breadth of disciplines and diversity of novel techniques in astrobiological research. Read the entire page →
From page 2... ... Many of the standard indicators of the emergence of a bona fide new interdisciplinary field journals, university programs, annual meetings, and so on seem to suggest that Astrobiology is developing quickly and carving a special role for itself among NASA programs, and that an intellectually distinct discipline may be taking shape. The enthusiasm and drive of scientists who have aligned their central research foci toward astrobiology, in particular those involved in the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) Read the entire page →
From page 3... ... Recommendation As a new interdisciplinary scientific endeavor, astrobiology spans a much larger volume of intellectual and capital resources than the NASA Astrobiology Institute itself. In its public materials, NASA should emphasize the broad base of national scientific capability in astrobiology, which is stabilized by three types of programs (consortium science, individual principal investigator r~.~.nrc.h ~nr1 t~.~.hnolos~v-rl~.v~.lonm~.nt nrngrams) Read the entire page →
From page 4... ... COEL offers no advice on whether the Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology programs should be merged, except to point out that some programmatic advantage exists in maintaining the identity of the different disciplines through well-focused research and analysis programs. Recommendation NASA should ensure a balance of astrobiological research activity among its research and analysis programs (i.e., the current Exobiology and planned Evolutionary Biology programs) Read the entire page →
From page 5... ... In the short term, these linkages require cooperation between the NAI and major astronomical institutions, such as the Space Telescope Science Institute and universities with extensive astronomical programs, in creating joint workshops and focus groups to educate researchers in both areas and to initiate more extensive and novel research endeavors. � Panels evaluating NAI membership proposals must be broadly constituted to ensure expert evaluation of research programs that are intellectually strong but have a discipline balance very different from that found in the existing NAI nodes. Read the entire page →
From page 6... ... The leadership of the SETI Institute has forged a unique endeavor out of private and public funds, maintained a high standard of scientific research through its peer-reviewed research activities, and articulated clearly and authoritatively the rationale for approaches to a comprehensive search for extraterrestrial intelligence. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN ASTROBIOLOGY International efforts in astrobiology have lagged behind those in the United States but are now beginning to gain momentum. Read the entire page →
From page 7... ... Astronomy remains the key fundamental discipline that has yet to have a full Impact on astrobiology. Efforts to better integrate astronomical research into the Astrobiology program require careful planning, as well as recognition that astronomical studies relating to the search for origins themselves constitute a discipline that is so active and expansive as to merit consideration of its own virtual institute, modeled on the NAI. Read the entire page →

From page 1...

... Nevertheless, remarkable progress has been made over a short period of time in defining the key scientific questions, initiating research and training programs, and developing collaborations on a national and international scale. As this intellectual endeavor matures toward becoming a scientific field in its own right, continued effort must be exerted to involve the appropriate breadth of disciplines and diversity of novel techniques in astrobiological research.

Read the entire page →

From page 2...

... Many of the standard indicators of the emergence of a bona fide new interdisciplinary field journals, university programs, annual meetings, and so on seem to suggest that Astrobiology is developing quickly and carving a special role for itself among NASA programs, and that an intellectually distinct discipline may be taking shape. The enthusiasm and drive of scientists who have aligned their central research foci toward astrobiology, in particular those involved in the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

Read the entire page →

From page 3...

... Recommendation As a new interdisciplinary scientific endeavor, astrobiology spans a much larger volume of intellectual and capital resources than the NASA Astrobiology Institute itself. In its public materials, NASA should emphasize the broad base of national scientific capability in astrobiology, which is stabilized by three types of programs (consortium science, individual principal investigator r~.~.nrc.h ~nr1 t~.~.hnolos~v-rl~.v~.lonm~.nt nrngrams)

Read the entire page →

From page 4...

... COEL offers no advice on whether the Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology programs should be merged, except to point out that some programmatic advantage exists in maintaining the identity of the different disciplines through well-focused research and analysis programs. Recommendation NASA should ensure a balance of astrobiological research activity among its research and analysis programs (i.e., the current Exobiology and planned Evolutionary Biology programs)

Read the entire page →

From page 5...

... In the short term, these linkages require cooperation between the NAI and major astronomical institutions, such as the Space Telescope Science Institute and universities with extensive astronomical programs, in creating joint workshops and focus groups to educate researchers in both areas and to initiate more extensive and novel research endeavors. � Panels evaluating NAI membership proposals must be broadly constituted to ensure expert evaluation of research programs that are intellectually strong but have a discipline balance very different from that found in the existing NAI nodes.

Read the entire page →

From page 6...

... The leadership of the SETI Institute has forged a unique endeavor out of private and public funds, maintained a high standard of scientific research through its peer-reviewed research activities, and articulated clearly and authoritatively the rationale for approaches to a comprehensive search for extraterrestrial intelligence. INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN ASTROBIOLOGY International efforts in astrobiology have lagged behind those in the United States but are now beginning to gain momentum.

Read the entire page →

From page 7...

... Astronomy remains the key fundamental discipline that has yet to have a full Impact on astrobiology. Efforts to better integrate astronomical research into the Astrobiology program require careful planning, as well as recognition that astronomical studies relating to the search for origins themselves constitute a discipline that is so active and expansive as to merit consideration of its own virtual institute, modeled on the NAI.

Read the entire page →

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Executive Summary Pages 1-7

Executive Summary
Pages 1-7