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5 Space and Earth Science Research
Pages 39-66

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From page 39...
... Included in these fundamental research activities are the following: • Understanding the history of Mars and the formation of the solar system; • The search for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars; and • Support for the safety of robotic and human exploration of space by predicting potentially harmful conditions in space, such as space radiation. Responsibility for the defining, planning, and overseeing of NASA space and Earth science goals lies in the four divisions of the SMD, which have the following objectives: • Earth science.
From page 40...
... NASA, working with the broad scientific community and in response to national initiatives and the NRC decadal surveys, creates a set of space and Earth science questions to be answered by future missions. The activities to address these questions and objectives range from basic and applied research to contribute to the understanding of the scientific challenges, the development of technology to enable new capabilities, space mission development to acquire the vital new data, and supporting science and infrastructure systems to ensure the delivery of high-value scientific results to the scientific community and the general public.
From page 41...
... GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER Overview of GSFC GSFC is a large NASA space and Earth research center in Greenbelt, Maryland. It was established as NASA's first spaceflight center on May 1, 1959, less than a year after the formation of NASA itself.
From page 42...
... . The GSFC Web site says that "missions are the lifeblood of the Goddard Space Flight Center."5 GSFC is currently involved in 42 operating missions and has funding for 14 planned missions, which are discussed at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/missions/index.html.
From page 43...
... The situation facing the development of new laboratories at GSFC is particularly difficult in the currently poor climate for low-TRL funding. The committee was told that only very rarely could a new activity compete with that of research teams from universities and institutes outside NASA that already have a laboratory capability (space, infrastructure support, and technical equipment)
From page 44...
... Science Mission Directorate and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate funds flow directly to mission projects, while other GSFC science programs and overall operations are provided by the GSFC Office of the Director with funds that originate from NASA's associate administrator. The dual lines of authority shown in Figure 5.1 create a complexity for sustaining the low-TRL research infrastructure at GSFC.
From page 45...
... funds ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ Director's discretionary fund (DDF) 2,804 2,270 Total IRAD and DDF 4,312 3,585 2,884 3,432 3,949 Technical equipment 63 69 67 69 70 1,687 1,770 1,594 1,729 1,655 Research Opportunities for Space and Earth Sciences funding for low-TRL research NOTE: Acronyms are defined in Appendix F
From page 46...
... • Research Opportunities for Space and Earth Sciences encompasses all of the funding from the competitive selection of GSFC researcher proposals in specific scientific disciplines and is sponsored by the SMD at NASA Headquarters. More than 4,000 proposals are made to ROSES each year by NASA researchers as well as those at many U.S.
From page 47...
... First, much of the work being funded is related to SMD space and Earth science missions, making it difficult for nonmission-directed, low-TRL researchers to be successful in the competitions. Second, because NASA employees may not compete for other federal funds to support their activities, ROSES, which is open to researchers from all types of institutions, offers too little reward relative to the demand of all NASA centers for significant, non-center salary offsets.
From page 48...
... However, GSFC managers estimate that from FY 2005 through FY 2009, the low-TRL program allocations for technical equipment were $63,000 and $70,000. Since there are more than 30 laboratories at GSFC and Wallops Island conducting some form of low-TRL research, the committee concludes that there is grossly inadequate technical equipment funding for the pursuit of low-TRL research activities.
From page 49...
... Funds for technical facility restoration (TFR) are allocated separately from the funds for the technical equipment itself.
From page 50...
... JET PROPULSION LABORATORY Mission and Organization JPL formulates and executes flight projects in the four divisions⎯Earth Science, Planetary Science, Heliophysics, and Astrophysics⎯of NASA's SMD. It maintains strong in-house science and technology capabilities to support its current and future flight projects.
From page 51...
... Flight Projects JPL projects focused on Earth science currently include Earth-observing missions. JPL is responsible for the integrity and analysis of the data that return to Earth from various instruments on NASA's A-Train constellation of Earth-observing spacecraft.
From page 52...
... The laboratories that support that research must be supported over long time periods, because technology 9 Information is available at http://jpl.nasa.gov/missions/index.cfm. 10 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Strategic Technology Directions 2009, JPL Publication 400-1385, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., 2009, available at http://scienceandtechnology.jpl.nasa.gov/research/StTechDir/.
From page 53...
... JPL's management process includes the TEFIM program for acquiring and supporting facility upgrades, equipment purchases, and the like. It is a mature process, widely accepted at JPL, that supports both research and flight projects.
From page 54...
... TABLE 5.5 Estimated Direct and Internal Investment Funding for TRL 1-3 Work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, FY 2005 Through FY 2009 FY FY FY FY FY 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Fundamental research ($ million) ROSES 19.8 17.6 12.4 22.6 17.8 Earth science research and analysis 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Earth instruments 8.0 4.9 2.8 13.0 8.0 Planetary and life detection 6.7 7.4 4.4 5.0 5.7 Astrophysics 3.2 3.2 3.2 2.7 2.0 Non-NASA 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.8 Project 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Other direct 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 Internal investment 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5 Research 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.5 5.0 Facilities, laboratories, and equipment 1.0 1.2 0.9 0.9 0.5 Total 27.1 24.8 19.6 30.0 25.2 NOTE: All funding is awarded by open competition.
From page 55...
... . ARC is organized into 10 directorates: • Science Directorate, • Aeronautics Directorate, • Exploration Technology Directorate, • Programs and Projects Directorate, • Engineering Directorate, • Center Operations Directorate, • Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, • Information Technology Directorate, • Human Capitol Directorate, and • New Ventures and Communications Directorate.
From page 56...
... This section of Chapter 5 covers the first two, while Chapter 4 covered the aeronautics work. ARC's Science Directorate is further divided into three areas: Earth science, space science, and space biosciences.
From page 57...
... FIGURE 5.3 Funding for space science research at Ames Research Center, FY 2004-2009. SOURCE: Ames Research Center presentation to the committee, December 2, 2009.
From page 58...
... Summary of the ARC Visit During the visit to ARC on December 2 and 3, 2009, committee members were given tours of various laboratories and facilities that supported the Science Directorate and the Exploration Technology Directorate. For Earth science, the atmospheric chemistry laboratory was toured and for space science, many astrophysics and astrobiology facilities were shown.
From page 59...
... Younger researchers getting established could expect poorer success rates and would have to write even more proposals to support themselves, their laboratories, and their staff. Without institutional funds to support the cost of their organization's operating expenses, laboratory equipment, laboratory personnel, and students (let alone their own salaries)
From page 60...
... NASA's abandonment of fundamental space biology at ARC had significant effects for that research community and came at a time when the ISS was just reaching the point where it could have been a key facilitator of such research. These changes in NASA investment in fundamental research have left several areas of research on "life support," yet ARC maintains that they are needed if NASA is to sustain a long-term presence in space and develop lower-cost, more capable missions in the future.
From page 61...
... 14 Deputy Manager, Advanced Concepts Office, MSFC, Presentation on MSFC Laboratory Capabilities to the committee, September 9, 2009; and Frank Bellinger, Director, Facilities Engineering and Real Property Division, NASA Headquarters, "TRL 1-3 Building Report," e-mail to the committee, December 4, 2009. 15 Deputy Manager, Advanced Concepts Office, MSFC, Presentation on MSFC Laboratory Capabilities to the committee, September 9, 2009.
From page 62...
... 17 Frank Bellinger, Director, Facilities Engineering and Real Property Division, NASA Headquarters, "TRL 1-3 Building Report," e-mail to the committee, December 4, 2009.
From page 63...
... Finally, the committee reviewed the propulsion research and development laboratory. This facility houses a large number of individual laboratories, including a special laboratory space for propulsion research in the areas of solar thermal engines, high-power electric/plasma propulsion, nuclear thermal propulsion, pulse power plasma propulsion, fission power propulsion, and antimatter propulsion.
From page 64...
... 19 Director of Facilities and Real Property Division, NASA Headquarters, TRL 1-3 Building Report, e-mail to the committee, December 4, 2009; and http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/documents/GRC_Capabilities_Space.pdf.
From page 65...
... Several laboratories were visited that support microgravity research, including the combustion research laboratory, which studies fire detection and combustion diagnostics; the human research vision laboratory; the biophotonics research laboratory; and the tissue culture laboratory. The committee visited 20 NASA Glenn Research Center Research Lab Assessment, Presentation to the committee, September 9, 2009; Director, Research and Technology Directorate, Presentation to the committee, October 15, 2009; and Director, Facilities and Test Directorate GRC Test Facility Operations and Maintenance Overview, Presentation to the committee, October 15, 2009.
From page 66...
... This allows fundamental research testing in one central location. GRC Assessment GRC is unable at present to provide adequate and stable funding for the equipment, facilities, and support services required for fundamental science and engineering research.


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