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1 Decadal Surveys: Community Consensus in Science Priorities
Pages 7-29

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From page 7...
... Major stakeholders in the space- and Earth-science communities impacted by and/or responsible for the formulation and implementation of the four most recent surveys participated in the November 2012 workshop "Lessons Learned in Decadal Planning in Space Science." The key issues discussed are summarized in Box 1.2, and additional details can be found in the 2013 report Lessons Learned in Decadal Planning in Space Science: Summary of a Workshop.2 This study was sponsored solely by NASA, and so the committee has focused on how NASA uses decadal surveys in support of its SMD science programs. However, other agencies are also involved in decadal surveys.
From page 8...
... The 2013 solar and space physics decadal survey, Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society,2 is referred to herein as Helio2013. Planetary Science Planetary science, as its name implies, is concerned with remote sensing and in situ studies of the planetary bodies orbiting the Sun and supporting laboratory and theoretical studies.
From page 9...
... The committee was also asked to compare and contrast the all-important science prioritization process used by recent decadal surveys and to review the workings of the independent cost and evaluation (CATE) process that has been essential in ensuring that a decadal survey's recommended program is executable.
From page 10...
... . • The Space Studies Board standing committees and other groups as long-term stewards of the decadal surveys (Chapter 4)
From page 11...
... DECADAL SURVEYS: COMMUNITY CONSENSUS IN SCIENCE PRIORITIES 11 The committee is aware of several attempts at decadal survey analogs that lie outside the realm of the classical, observational space sciences (e.g., in oceanography;5 nuclear physics;6 space biomedical and microgravity sciences;7 solid-state physics;8 plasma physics;9 atomic, molecular, and optical science;10 and aeronautics11)
From page 12...
... The second impres sion was how dedicated, objective, and open my colleagues were to new a ­ pproaches -- survey, panel, and study group members, the Academies' staff, other survey chairs, and agency folks; they all saw the value of the process and worked to execute it fairly and ex peditiously. The blizzard of more than 500 white papers and proposals that demonstrated the engagement of the community was even more striking for the quality of its content.
From page 13...
... The message in all of this is that decadal surveys matter. They provide an opportunity for a broad community of scientists to speak with one clear and forceful voice.
From page 14...
... It was against this backdrop that Richard Anthes, my co-chair, and I, ably assisted by a wide-ranging team reflecting the broad scope of the Earth sciences, met in August 2004 to begin work on the first Earth sciences decadal survey. Any expectation of leisurely academic pace quickly vanished: just as the newly formed survey committee began its work, it was asked by both the agency sponsors and Congress for "interim" report.
From page 15...
... Solar and space physics has progressed to a point where it truly has two faces: There is the fascinating basic science that forms a core science related intimately to sister disciplines of Earth science, planetary exploration, and astrophysics. But space physics has also become a basic science with immense practical implications.
From page 16...
... In this broader sense, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Tech­ ology n Policy, and, potentially, other parts of the executive branch are "invested." They look to decadal surveys for a documented community consensus against which agency plans can be evaluated. Members of Congress and their staff often emphasize the value of decadal survey reports for promoting a consensus science policy as opposed to one driven by special interests.
From page 17...
... The survey report, like the reports of the supporting panels, undergoes independent review to validate that its conclusions are properly supported and well documented. How Are Decadal Surveys Followed-Up?
From page 18...
... 4 Atmosphere-Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interactions Solar and Heliospheric Physics 1 National Research Council (NRC) , Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2007.
From page 19...
... How might we protect important human resources, for example, the education and research support of the next generation of scientists, especially those with skills in technology development? Better Understanding of Cost, Technical Difficulty, and Risk The decadal surveys encompass programs with a broad range of scope and risk.
From page 20...
... THE MOVING PARTS AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE DECADAL SURVEY PROCESS The Academies have conducted 11 decadal surveys -- 6 in astronomy and astrophysics, 2 each in planetary science and solar and space physics, and 1 in Earth science and applications from space -- over the past 51 years (Table 1.1)
From page 21...
... Integrated Exploration Popular version Strategy 2003 The Sun to the Louis J Lanzerotti 15 5 0 Survey report Earth -- and Beyond: Panel reports A Decadal Research Popular version Strategy in Solar and Space Physics 2007 Earth Science and Richard A
From page 22...
... Quasi-Formal Supporting Groups In addition to the Academies-appointed survey committees and their panels, many decadal surveys have drawn input from quasi-formal supporting groups. Such groups follow a spectrum of organizational structures.
From page 23...
... and complete their work prior to the third or fourth meeting of the survey committee. Steering Committee Discuss Science Discuss Kickoff Meeting Merit Science Value and and Prioritize Discussion of Concepts Direction to Charge for Aerospace Receive CATE Aerospace Community Input Presents Begin Writing White Papers and Initial CATEs Report Concepts Receives Feedback Create Science Prioritize Panels Science Value and Sub- Provide Committees Recommendations Steering Committee Finalize Discussion Prioritization and and Initial Prioritization Recommendations Consensus Across Panels Aerospace Submit Draft Report NRC Public Release Presents ~3 to 5 Month of Final CATEs Independent Review Decadal Report Process Panel Submit Recommendations Draft to Report Steering Committee FIGURE 1.1  Decadal survey flow chart over approximately 18-to-24 months from committee charge to public release of the report.
From page 24...
... However, most decadal surveys use one set of panels to do both the science prioritization and implementation strategies together, with varying participation and oversight of the survey committee. Planetary2011 had a head start in defining its science priorities, thanks to prior work undertaken by the various analysis or assessment groups (AGs)
From page 25...
... Mission ­ designers at several NASA centers assisted the survey committee in estimating the costs of key components of the mission concepts devised by the panels -- for example, instruments, spacecraft buses, launch vehicles, and ground systems. Chapter 2 of this report contains a more detailed description of the processes and strategies of mission definition and formulation used in the past four decadal surveys.
From page 26...
... ."26 This restriction did not, however, prevent the survey committee from drawing important scientific connections between disciplines by including text on the comparative planetology of solar system bodies and exoplanets. Another example concerns decision rules; that is, explicit statements of how a survey committee advice will 20  NRC, Lessons Learned in Decadal Planning in Space Science, 2013, p 78.
From page 27...
... , Earth2007 (Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, 2007) , Helio2013 (Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society, 2013)
From page 28...
... . The committee believes that, in fact, the items in its statement of task have become synonymous with what decadal surveys do and are.
From page 29...
... Further material on CATE can be found in Appendix B Chapter 3 covers the product of the decadal survey process -- its program of science priorities and a strategy for implementation to achieve science goals and objectives.


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