A Midterm Assessment of Implementation of the Decadal Survey on Life and Physical Sciences Research at NASA (2018) / Chapter Skim
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2 The NASA Programmatic Approach and Strategy Addressing the 2011 Space Life and Physical Sciences Decadal Survey
2 The NASA Programmatic Approach and Strategy Addressing the 2011 Space Life and Physical Sciences Decadal Survey
Pages 12-35
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From page 12... ...
These changes to NASA's exploration path ultimately influence the overall phasing and approach to the needed scientific research and development, albeit with many of the same fundamental questions needing answers. In addition, future planning for space life and physical sciences research is dependent on the strategy and 1 National Research Council, 2011, Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
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From page 13... ...
These changes created both opportunities and challenges to the conduct of science in the field and especially to NASA programs in support of that science. The 2011 decadal survey specifically recognized a programmatic conclusion that, even in this era of change, the future of space exploration very much depends on life and physical sciences research being "central to NASA's exploration mission" and "embraced throughout the agency."3 Moreover, the decadal survey stated that space life and physical sciences needed strong leadership and positioning within the overall NASA organizational structure to best enable NASA to engage science in prioritizations.
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From page 14... ...
The committee recognizes that NASA, primarily through SLPSRA but also through the ISS Program Office, now coordinates a diverse set of organizations that each have a connected, but individually mandated, stake in the outcomes of microgravity and space life and physical science. A view of the various inputs, outputs, and stakeholders is represented in Figure 2.1.
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From page 15... ...
. within NASA, for tracking each space life and physical sciences related project.
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From page 16... ...
Table 13.1 is reprinted in Appendix E 6 NASA, 2016, The Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division Task Book 7.0, NASA Research and Education Support Service, August, https://taskbook.nasaprs.com/publication/welcome.cfm.
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From page 17... ...
. The 2016 task number was obtained from the NASA SLPSRA Task Book (NASA, 2016, The Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division Task Book 7.0, NASA Research and Education Support Service, https://taskbook.nasaprs.com/ publication/welcome.cfm, August 2017)
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From page 18... ...
The number of proposals selected for funding has similarly doubled. 2.2.5 External Grants Total Funding for Microgravity Science 2007-2016 Another measure of commitment to space life and physical sciences is the number and funding levels of grants to engage the external science community in solving space life and physical science related questions.
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From page 19... ...
. SOURCE: NASA, 2016, The Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division Task Book 7.0, NASA Research and Education Support Service, https://taskbook.nasaprs.com/publication/welcome.cfm, August.
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From page 20... ...
50 40 30 20 10 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Solicitations Selected FIGURE 2.5 Announcements solicitating proposals and proposals selected for funding across the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. SOURCE: NASA Division of Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications.
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From page 21... ...
However, the impact of the establishment of the TRI and its role in microgravity research is not yet known. The committee recognizes that dollars spent through NASA grants to the external science community (Figures 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7)
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From page 22... ...
This increase demonstrates NASA's efforts to reemphasize space life sciences, and to a lesser extent physical science research, following ISS assembly completion. However, the funding environment, particularly in physical sciences, has not recovered from its earlier levels of ~$795 million in 1996 and ~$420 million in 2001, all in FY2016 dollars.
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From page 23... ...
Thus, the current state of research reporting is impressive and rapidly improving, but remains fragmented and incomplete as far as a tool to assess the distribution of NASA commitments to the space life and physical sciences portfolio. Continued efforts to expand and improve research reporting -- specifically, how the projects relate to the decadal survey -- is essential for truly advanced program planning and maximizing research utility in the remaining years of the ISS and beyond.
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From page 24... ...
The year 2024 is currently estimated as the potential beginning of the transition period for NASA involvement in the ISS.14 With the clock always ticking, recognition of a potential end date for NASA ISS participation looms as a major consideration in microgravity science, particularly in accomplishing the space life and physical science needed to best enable exploration of deep space. The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 (P.L.
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From page 25... ...
The Division of Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications (SLPSRA) is the lowest priority within the slice of the pie that represents NASA research.
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From page 26... ...
A robust consideration of ground studies and all available platforms would help ensure that the entire portfolio moves forward, targeting to ISS those experiments that specifically require its unique capabilities. However, the committee recognizes that space life and physical sciences research will need to be longer term -- extending the duration of experiments to multiple years in microgravity -- to best support deep space exploration.
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From page 27... ...
As directed by the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, CASIS also "considers recommendations of the National Academies decadal survey on biological and physical sciences in space18 in establishing research priorities and in developing proposed enhancements of research capacity and opportunities for the ISS National Laboratory." The committee has come to understand the ISS National Laboratory and CASIS to be effective and critical partners in the utilization of the ISS. Further, the committee recognizes that CASIS may consider the decadal survey and may contribute to the science of the survey; however, CASIS is under no direct obligation to meet decadal survey priorities.
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From page 28... ...
The importance of crew time as a limitation cannot be overstated -- the amount of crew time available for space life and physical science is the single biggest factor in accomplishing the science needed before sending humans into deep space. While NASA and CASIS have been working to identify potential synergies and are working to more effectively coordinate research, CASIS priorities, by definition and law, need not align with NASA priorities nor the 2011 decadal survey recommendations.
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From page 29... ...
However, an additional goal of developing these interactions stems from a desire by NASA that other government agencies might develop a strong interest in pursuing their own microgravity programs, programs that would be enabled by the ISS National Laboratory as well as the potential growth in commercial LEO platform providers. The committee understands NASA's desire that some of these other government agencies or private laboratories might be interested in taking over part of the research portfolio of the decadal survey, freeing up NASA resources for deep space exploration.
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From page 30... ...
As NASA attempts to free itself from those launch and operations costs in order to explore deep space, they will have to be absorbed by those entities wishing to conduct research in microgravity. The question of who pays for future launch and operations costs remains the single largest unknown with regard to expanding interest in microgravity research to other government agencies.
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From page 31... ...
In the 2016 National Academies report NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities Revisited,20 a recommendation was made to use this system with modified definitions and one additional category: park. To help improve the traceability between this decadal survey research portfolio and the technology portfolio, it is suggested that NASA consider use of these definitions for space life and physical sciences, modified slightly to reflect research rather than technology priorities.
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From page 32... ...
Thus, the committee believes that ISS planning beyond 2024 is critical to the overall research necessary for deep space exploration. NASA has appropriately initiated an internal activity to develop and assess various options for ISS beyond 2024.
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From page 33... ...
Cost for additional research capability typically exceeds the cost of individual research investigations by at least an order of magnitude due to the essential engineering, development, and crew safety precautions. It will therefore be important for NASA to focus remaining funding and crew time through the 2024 timeframe on the high-priority research investigations rather than developing new research facilities and capabilities.
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From page 34... ...
EXPRESS Racks are defined as multipurpose payload rack systems that store and support research aboard the International Space Station (ISS)
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From page 35... ...
PSI arose along with the NIST MOU, with the PSI data repository designed to be the major mechanism for making physical sciences data from SLPSRA and the ISS broadly available to the science community. GeneLab and its biological data repository are designed to be the major mechanism for making large omics-related data sets similarly available to the science community.23 Both PSI and GeneLab are viewed as extremely positive outcomes in support of open science within NASA.
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