National Academies Press: OpenBook
« Previous: Appendixes
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2008. A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12471.
×

Appendix A
Statement of Task

In the House report accompanying the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill that includes NASA (the Science, State, Justice, Commerce appropriations bill), NASA was directed to “enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council (NRC) for an independent assessment of NASA’s restructured Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) to determine how well the program is aligned with the stated objectives of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), identify any gaps, and assess the quality of the research.” 1 Following is the statement of task developed by NASA and the NRC for this assessment.

The Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the NRC will form a committee to perform this independent assessment. The committee’s assessment will include findings and recommendations related to the relevance of ETDP research to the objectives of the Vision for Space Exploration, to any gaps in the ETDP research portfolio, and to the quality of ETDP research. The scope of the assessment will include all internal, collaborative, and competitively sourced research, development, analysis, etc., funded by the ETDP. While the primary objective is to conduct peer assessments that provide scientific and technical advice, the committee may offer programmatic advice when it follows naturally from technical considerations. The specific criteria for the committee to use are:

  • Alignment with the stated objectives of the Vision for Space Exploration;

  • The presence of gaps in research; and

  • The quality of research.

NASA believes that it will be beneficial for the NRC to make additional comments and recommendations in the following areas:

  • The effectiveness of the program in developing technology products and transitioning them to its customers;

  • The balance between near-term and far-term technology investments;

  • The metrics used for assessing progress in technology development;

  • The involvement of the broader community;

1

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), The Vision for Space Exploration, NP-2004-01-334-HQ, NASA, Washington, D.C., 2004, p. iii.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2008. A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12471.
×
  • The program management and implementation methodology; and

  • The overall capabilities of the research team.

The committee will not make budget recommendations.

The committee will meet as required during the study to receive technical presentations about the projects under review by their group and formulate final findings and recommendations. Committee members will also make site visits as deemed necessary in formulating the assessment. Meetings will involve interactive discussions with NASA personnel from the programs. The committee may use NASA’s Global Exploration Strategy, which establishes themes and objectives for lunar exploration and was presented at the 2nd Space Exploration Conference in Houston, Texas, in December, 2006; the reference architecture for lunar missions developed by the Lunar Architecture Team of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD); and the Constellation Systems Program’s Technology Priorities documents that identify the critical technologies needed to enable the design of flight systems such as the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the Ares launch vehicle, and the Lunar Lander.

The final report will be provided no later than twelve months from the contract award. The NRC will provide a letter to the ESMD Associate Administrator that summarizes significant interim findings of the committee no later than seven months from contract award. The committee chair(s) will also provide an oral briefing to NASA on significant interim findings.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2008. A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12471.
×
Page 69
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2008. A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12471.
×
Page 70
Next: Appendix B: Biographies of Committee Members »
A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $50.00 Buy Ebook | $40.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

In January 2004, President George W. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), which instructed NASA to "Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations," among other objectives. As acknowledged in the VSE, significant technology development will be necessary to accomplish the goals it articulates. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) is designed to support, develop, and ultimately provide the necessary technologies to meet the goals of the VSE. This book, a review of the ETDP, is broadly supportive of the intent and goals of the VSE, and finds the ETDP is making progress towards the stated goals of technology development. However, the ETDP is operating within significant constraints which limit its ability to successfully accomplish those goals-the still dynamic nature of the Constellation Program requirements, the constraints imposed by a limited budget, the aggressive time scale of early technology deliverables, and the desire to fully employ the NASA workforce.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!