The Space Science Decadal Surveys Lessons Learned and Best Practices (2015) / Chapter Skim
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4 Implementing the Decadal Survey
4 Implementing the Decadal Survey
Pages 74-90
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From page 74... ...
Recent decadal survey committees have been tasked with developing decision rules to help the agencies deal effectively with evolving reality. Decision rules serve several purposes.
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From page 75... ...
Earth Science and Applications from Space Earth2007 was not required to provide formal decision rules, but the survey report did provide a list of programmatic decision strategies and rules for three areas: leveraging international efforts, managing technology risk, and responding to budget pressures and shortfalls.2 The survey recognized that implementation of the Earth science program should be adjusted depending on the development of international programs, advances enabled by technology development programs, cost growth in prioritized missions, and changes to the Earth science budget. The list primarily contained strategic advice -- for example, implementing a system-wide independent review process to inform decisions and accepting increased mission risk rather than descoping missions.
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From page 76... ...
Examples of embedded decision rules and decision points include the following:3 • Programmatic. The recommendation for the top-priority large space project included a statement that mounting a joint mission with the European Space Agency (ESA)
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From page 77... ...
programs. The survey also responded to specific requests for decision rules from NASA's Heliophysics Division to address programmatic balance if the Solar Probe Plus mission grew significantly early in the decade.
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From page 78... ...
Decision rules have become a more prominent feature of recent surveys because the recommended programs could not be executed with the available resources without significant deviations in scope and schedule; therefore, additional guidance was required. Decadal surveys are by nature ambitious statements of scientific goals: a better understanding of the relative importance of the goals is provided through explicit decision rules.
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From page 79... ...
Strategic Advice from the Academies' Space Studies Board Long-term strategic advice for NASA SMD comes from the scientific community through its representatives on the SSB's ad hoc committees and the convening power and expertise of the SSB's standing committees. In particular, the ad hoc committees requested by NASA and other appropriate federal agencies to produce the decadal surveys address the science of each of the four SMD divisions.
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From page 80... ...
This situation is additionally compounded by the more frequent use of virtual meetings, which are generally less effective as a forum of discussion leading to the development of consensus advice across subdisciplines. Short-Term Guidance Neither the SSB and its standing committees nor the NAC Science Committee and its subcommittees are truly empowered to provide timely advice or input to NASA associate administrator for SMD or the subordinate division directors when short-term tactical advice on strategic programs is needed.
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From page 81... ...
. While SSB's standing committees have a clear connection to the appropriate NAC science subcommittees, enabling cross-communication, such connections with the advisory structures of the other federal agencies involved in space science activities are often less well established.
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From page 82... ...
, but most include a survey of recent scientific progress as well as an assessment of the implementation of decadal survey recommendations. Midterm assessment committees need to consider how best to convey a summary of the program's progress while remaining mindful of the wide range of audiences and uses for the report.
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From page 83... ...
In particular, the 2015 midterm is charged to • Describe the most significant scientific discoveries, technical advances, and relevant programmatic changes in astronomy and astrophysics over the years since the publication of the decadal survey; and • Review the strategic advice provided for the agencies' programs by federal advisory committees. 1 See the National Research Council reports Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA's Implementation of the Decadal Survey (2012)
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From page 84... ...
The midterm assessment report provides an important opportunity to share this contextual information with the broader community. The first Earth science midterm assessment,19 for example, took the approach of dissecting what happened since Earth2007 to try to elevate the community discussion beyond anecdotal concerns and to explicitly discuss the many reasons that implementation was not proceeding as envisioned.
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From page 85... ...
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES There is strong consensus about the importance of international cooperation in space missions as having both potential and often very concrete benefits to the participants. However, effectively engaging international participants at both individual and institutional levels in decadal surveys remains challenging.
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From page 86... ...
In addition, decadal surveys will have to recognize the increasing diversity of the world's space community. Many national space agencies have achieved significant successes in space activities (e.g., those of China, India, Brazil, and Russia)
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From page 87... ...
. International "forums" have also been suggested as a way to communicate the aspirations and plans of different space agencies.24 COSPAR or the International Space Science Institute can potentially play that role.25,26 In Earth science, the Committee on Earth Observing Systems (CEOS)
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From page 88... ...
. Best Practice: Decadal reports can explicitly identify any significant programmatic uncertainties and/or craft decision rules that might be required when considering international collaborations.
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From page 89... ...
Best Practice: Participation by all relevant agencies is optimized when decadal reports include specific descrip tions of the types of interagency collaboration that the decadal survey committee finds desirable.
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