Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 1
1
Charter and Organization of the Board
THE ORIGINS OF THE SPACE SCIENCE BOARD
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was created in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President
Abraham Lincoln, to provide scientific and technical advice to the government of the United States. Over the years,
the breadth of the institution has expanded, leading to the establishment of the National Academy of Engineering
(NAE) in 1964 and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1970. The National Research Council (NRC), the operational
arm of the National Academies, was founded in 1916. The NAS, NAE, IOM, and NRC are collectively referred to
as “The National Academies.” More information is available at http://nationalacademies.org.
The original charter of the Space Science Board was established in June 1958, 3 months before the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) opened its doors. The Space Science Board and its successor, the
Space Studies Board (SSB), have provided expert external and independent scientific and programmatic advice to
NASA on a continuous basis from NASA’s inception until the present. The SSB has also provided such advice
to other executive branch agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the
National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Department of Defense, as well
as to Congress.
The fundamental charter of the Board today remains that defined by NAS president Detlev W. Bronk in a letter
to Lloyd V. Berkner, first chair of the Board, on June 26, 1958, which established the Space Science Board:
We have talked of the main task of the Board in three parts—the immediate program, the long-range program, and
the international aspects of both. In all three we shall look to the Board to be the focus of the interests and responsibilities
of the Academy-Research Council in space science; to establish necessary relationships with civilian science and with
governmental science activities, particularly the proposed new space agency, the National Science Foundation, and
the Advanced Research Projects Agency; to represent the Academy-Research Council complex in our international
relations in this field on behalf of American science and scientists; to seek ways to stimulate needed research; to promote
necessary coordination of scientific effort; and to provide such advice and recommendations to appropriate individuals
and agencies with regard to space science as may in the Board’s judgment be desirable.
As we have already agreed, the Board is intended to be an advisory, consultative, correlating, evaluating body and
not an operating agency in the field of space science. It should avoid responsibility as a Board for the conduct of any
programs of space research and for the formulation of budgets relative thereto. Advice to agencies properly responsible
for these matters, on the other hand, would be within its purview to provide.
The Space Science Board changed its name to the Space Studies Board in 1989 to reflect its expanded scope,
which now includes space applications and other topics. Today, the SSB exists to provide an independent, authorita-
tive forum for information and advice on all aspects of space science and applications, and it serves as the focal point
within the National Academies for activities on space research. It oversees advisory studies and program assess-
1
OCR for page 2
2 Space Studies Board Annual Report—2010
ments, facilitates international research coordination, and promotes communications on space science and science
policy among the research community, the federal government, and the interested public. The SSB also serves as the
U.S. National Committee for the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Council for Science.
THE SPACE STUDIES BOARD TODAY
The Space Studies Board is a unit of the NRC’s Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPS). DEPS
is one of six major program units of the NRC through which the institution conducts its operations on behalf of
NAS, NAE, and IOM. Within DEPS there are a total of 14 boards that cover a broad range of physical science and
engineering disciplines and mission areas.
Members of the DEPS Committee on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPSCOM) provide advice on Board
membership and on proposed new projects to be undertaken by ad hoc study committees formed under the SSB’s
auspices. Every 3 years, DEPSCOM reviews the overall operations of each of the DEPS boards. The next review
of the SSB will take place in 2012.
The “Space Studies Board” encompasses the Board itself, its standing committees (see Chapter 2) and ad hoc
study committees (see Chapter 3), and its staff. The Board is composed of prominent scientists, engineers, industrial -
ists, scholars, and policy experts in space research appointed for 2-year staggered terms. They represent seven space
research disciplines: space-based astrophysics, heliophysics (also referred to as solar and space physics), Earth sci-
ence, solar system exploration, microgravity life and physical sciences, space systems and technology, and science
and technology policy. In 2010, there were 22 to 23 Board members, with 29 individuals serving on the Board at
some time. The chairs of the SSB’s standing committees are members of the Board, and of its Executive Committee
(XCOM). The chair of the NRC’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) and the U.S. representative
to COSPAR are ex officio members. A standing liaison arrangement also has been established with the European
Space Science Committee (ESSC), part of the European Science Foundation, and the NRC’s Ocean Studies Board.
Organization
The organization of the SSB in 2010 is illustrated in Figure 1.1. Taken together, the Board and its standing and
ad hoc study committees generally hold as many as 40 meetings during the year.
Major Functions of the Space Studies Board
The Board provides an independent, authoritative forum for information and advice on all aspects of space
science and applications and serves as the focal point within the National Academies for activities on space research.
The Board itself does not conduct studies, but it oversees advisory studies and program assessments conducted by
ad hoc study committees (see Chapter 3) formed in response to a request from a sponsor. All projects proposed to
be conducted by ad hoc study committees under the auspices of the SSB must be reviewed and approved by the
chair and vice chair of the Board (as well as other NRC officials).
Decadal surveys are a signature product of the SSB, providing strategic direction to NASA, NOAA, and other
agencies on the top priorities over the next 10 years in astronomy and astrophysics, solar system exploration, solar
and space physics, and Earth science. (The astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey is a joint effort with the
NRC’s Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA).) A decadal survey on biological and physical sciences in space, a
joint effort with ASEB, was formed in 2009 in response to a congressional request for a study to establish priori-
ties and provide recommendations for life and physical sciences space research, including research that will enable
exploration missions in microgravity and partial gravity for the 2010-2020 decade.
The Board serves as a communications bridge on space research and science policy among the scientific
research community, the federal government, and the interested public.
The Board ordinarily meets three times per year (March, June, and November) to review the activities of its
committees and to be briefed on and discuss major space policy issues. The November Board meeting typically
involves a workshop on a topic of current interest and results in a workshop report. In 2010, the topic was “Sharing
the Adventure with the Public”—The Value and Excitement of “Grand Questions” of Space Science and Explora-
tion (see Chapter 4).
OCR for page 3
3
Charter and Organization of the Board
U.S.
Sp ac e St u d i es B o ar d Executive
Representative
Committee
to COSPAR
Committee on Committee on Committee on
Committee on Planetary
Committee on
Earth Studies the Origins and Solar and Space Physics
and Lunar Exploration
Astronomy and
Evolution of Life
Astrophysics
Board on Life
Board on Physics
Sciences
and Astronomy
A d Ho c St u d y Co m m i t t ees
Assessing Requirements for Sustained Ocean Color Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space
Research and Operations Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Ocean Studies Board
NASA’s Suborbital Research Capabilities
Assessment of Impediments to Interagency Cooperation on
Space and Earth Science Missions
Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Assessment of NASA Laboratory Capabilities Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Laboratory Assessments Board
Panel on Implementing Recommendations from the New
Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey Worlds, New Horizons Decadal Survey
Board on Physics and Astronomy Board on Physics and Astronomy
Cost Growth in NASA Earth and Space Science Missions
Planetary Protection Standards for Icy Bodies in the Solar System
Decadal Strategy for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics)
Planetary Science Decadal Survey
Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Wo r k s h o p
Sharing the Adventure with the Public—The Value and Excitement of "Grand Questions"
of Space Science and Exploration
Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Denotes Collaborations
FIGURE 1.1 Organization of the Space Studies Board, its standing committees, ad hoc study committees, and special projects
in 2010. Shaded boxes denote activities performed in cooperation with other National Research Council units.
International Representation and Cooperation
The Board serves as the U.S. National Committee for COSPAR, an international, multidisciplinary forum for
exchanging space science research. Board members may individually participate in COSPAR scientific sessions to
present their research or present the results of an SSB report to the international community, or conduct informal
information exchange sessions with national entities within COSPAR scientific assemblies. See Chapter 2 for a
summary of COSPAR’s 2010 activities.
The Board also has a regular practice of exchanging observers with the ESSC, which is part of the European
Science Foundation (see http://www.esf.org/).
Space Studies Board Committees
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee, composed entirely of Board members, facilitates the conduct of the Board’s busi-
ness, permits the Board to move rapidly to lay the groundwork for new study activities, and provides strategic
planning advice. XCOM meets annually for a session on the assessment of SSB operations and future planning. Its
OCR for page 4
4 Space Studies Board Annual Report—2010
membership includes the chair and vice chair of the Board, the chairs of the standing committees, and one Board
member for each discipline that does not have a standing committee.
Standing Committees
Discipline-based standing committees are the means by which the Board conducts its oversight of specific
space research disciplines. Each standing committee is composed of about a dozen specialists, appointed to repre-
sent the broad sweep of research areas within the discipline. Like the Board itself, each standing committee serves
as a communications bridge with its associated research community and participates in identifying new projects
and prospective members of ad hoc study committees. Standing committees do not, themselves, write reports, but
oversee reports written by ad hoc study committees created under their auspices. Standing committees typically go
on hiatus during their discipline’s decadal survey.
In 2010, SSB had five standing committees:
• Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA),
• Committee on Earth Studies (CES),
• Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life (COEL),
• Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration (COMPLEX), and
• Committee on Solar and Space Physics (CSSP).
Ad Hoc Study Committees
Ad hoc study committees are created by NRC action to conduct specific studies at the request of sponsors.
These committees typically produce NRC reports that provide advice to the government and therefore are governed
by Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Ad hoc study committees usually write their reports
after holding two or three information-gathering meetings, although in some cases they may hold a workshop in
addition to or instead of information-gathering meetings.
In other cases, workshops are organized by ad hoc planning committees that serve as organizers only, where a
workshop report is written by a rapporteur and does not contain findings or recommendations. In those cases, the
study committee is not governed by FACA Section 15, since no NRC advice results from the workshop.
The ad hoc study committees that were in place during 2010 are summarized in Chapter 3.
COLLABORATION WITH OTHER NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL UNITS
Much of the work of the SSB involves topics that fall entirely within its principal areas of responsibility and
can be addressed readily by its members and committees. However, there are other situations in which the need
for breadth of expertise, alternative points of view, or synergy with other NRC projects leads to collaboration with
other units of the NRC.
The SSB has engaged in many such multi-unit collaborations. Among the NRC boards with which the SSB
works most often are the ASEB, the BPA, the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, the Board on Life Sci-
ences, and the Ocean Studies Board. This approach to projects has the potential to bring more of the full capability
of the National Academies to bear in preparing advice for the federal government and the public. Multi-unit col-
laborative projects also present new challenges—namely, to manage the projects in a way that achieves economies
of scale and true synergy rather than just adding cost or complexity. Collaborative relationships between the SSB
and other NRC units during 2009 are illustrated in Figure 1.1.
ASSURING THE QUALITY OF SPACE STUDIES BOARD REPORTS
A major contributor to the quality of the SSB reports (Table 1.1 lists the 2010 releases) is the requirement that
NRC reports be peer-reviewed. Except for the Space Studies Board Annual Report—2009, all of the reports were
subjected to extensive peer review, which is overseen by the NRC’s Report Review Committee (RRC). Typically
7 to 10 reviewers (occasionally as many as 15 or more) are selected on the basis of recommendations by NAS and
NAE section liaisons, SSB members, and staff. The reviewers are subject to approval by the NRC. The identities
OCR for page 5
5
Charter and Organization of the Board
TABLE 1.1 Space Studies Board Reports Released in 2010
Principal Federal Agency Audiencesb
Oversight NASA/ NASA/
Boarda
Report Title Sponsors SMD ESMD NOAA NSF Other
Assessment of Impediments to Interagency Collaboration on NASA SSB X X X DOE
Space and Earth Science Missions [prepublication version]
Capabilities for the Future: An Assessment of NASA NASA LAB X
Laboratories for Basic Research
Controlling Cost Growth of NASA Earth and Space Science NASA SSB X
Missions
Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and NASA SSB X
Hazard Mitigation Strategies
Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era of Space NASA SSB X
Exploration: An Interim Report
New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics NASA BPA-led X X DOE
Panel Reports—New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy NASA BPA-led X X DOE
and Astrophysics [prepublication version]
Report of the Panel on Implementing Recommendations from NASA BPA-led X
New Worlds, New Horizons Decadal Survey [prepublication
version]
Revitalizing NASA’s Suborbital Program: Advancing Science, NASA SSB X X X
Driving Innovation, and Developing a Workforce
Space Studies Board Annual Report—2009 NASA SSB X X X X DOE
USGS
NOTE: NAS, National Academy of Sciences; NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration; NSF, National Science Foundation.
aOversight board within the National Research Council:
BPA Board on Physics and Astronomy
LAB Laboratory Assessments Board
SSB Space Studies Board
bFederal agencies that have funded or shown interest in SSB reports:
DOE Department of Energy
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA/ESMD NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
NASA/SMD NASA Science Mission Directorate
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NSF National Science Foundation
USGS United States Geological Survey
of external reviewers are not known to a report’s authors until after the review has been completed and the report
has been approved by the RRC. The report’s authors, with the assistance of SSB staff, must provide some response
to every specific comment from every external reviewer. To ensure that appropriate technical revisions are made to
the report and that the revised report complies with NRC policy and standards, the response-to-review process is
overseen and refereed by an independent arbiter (called a monitor) that is knowledgeable about the report’s issues.
In some cases, there is a second independent arbiter (called a coordinator) that has a broader perspective on policy
issues affecting the National Academies. All of the reviews emphasize the need for scientific and technical clarity
and accuracy and for proper substantiation of any findings and recommendations presented in the report. Names
of the external reviewers, including the monitor (and coordinator if one was appointed), are published in the final
report, but their individual comments are not released.
Another important method to ensure high-quality work derives from the size, breadth, and depth of the cadre
of experts who serve on the SSB and its committees or participate in other ways in the activities of the SSB. Some
highlights of the demographics of the SSB in 2010 are presented in Tables 1.2 and 1.3. During 2010, a total of
OCR for page 6
6 Space Studies Board Annual Report—2010
277 individuals from 81 colleges and universities and 54 other public or private organizations served as formally
appointed members of the Board and its committees. More than 306 individuals participated in SSB activities either
as presenters or as invited workshop participants. The report review process is as important as the writing of reports,
and during 2010, 57 different external reviewers contributed to critiques of draft reports. Overall, more than 634
individuals from 84 academic institutions, 73 industry or nonprofit organizations, and 27 government agencies or
offices participated in SSB activities. That number included 48 members of NAS, NAE, or IOM. Being able to draw
on such a broad base of expertise is a unique strength of the NRC advisory process.
AUDIENCE AND SPONSORS
The Space Studies Board’s efforts have been relevant to a full range of government audiences in civilian space
research—including NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Director-
ate (ESMD), NASA’s Program Analysis and Evaluation Office, NSF, NOAA, USGS, and the Department of Energy
(DOE). Reports on NASA-wide issues were addressed to multiple NASA offices or the whole agency; reports on
science issues, to SMD; and reports on exploration systems issues, to ESMD. Within NASA, SMD has been the
leading sponsor of SSB reports. Reports have also been sponsored by or of interest to agencies besides NASA—for
example, NOAA, NSF, DOE, and the USGS.
TABLE 1.2 Experts Involved in the Space Studies Board and Its Committees, January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2010
Number of Board and Committee Members Number of Institutions or Agencies Represented
Academia 124 22
Government and national facilities 31 13
Private industry 32 9
Nonprofit and othera 19 8
Totalb,c 206 52
aOther includes foreign institutions and entities not classified elsewhere.
bIncludes 35 National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine members.
cIncludes 28 Board members, 249 committee members.
TABLE 1.3 Summary of Participation in Space Studies Board Activities, January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2010
Government and
Academia National Facilities Private Industry Nonprofit and Other Total Individuals
Board/committee members 124 31 32 19 206
Guest experts 29 61 10 10 110
Reviewers 4 0 12 6 22
Workshop participants 63 12 38 62 175
Total 220 104 92 97 513
NOTE: Counts of individuals are subject to an uncertainty of ±3 due to possible miscategorization.
Total number of NAS, NAE, and/or IOM members 41
Total number of non-U.S. participants 8
Total number of countries represented, including United States 5
Total number of different institutions represented
Academia 59
Government and national facilities 12
Industry 12
Nonprofit and other 12
OCR for page 7
7
Charter and Organization of the Board
OUTREACH AND DISSEMINATION
Enhancing outreach to a variety of interested communities and improving dissemination of SSB reports is a
high priority. In 2010, the SSB continued to distribute its quarterly newsletter by electronic means to subscribers.
The Board teamed with other NRC units (including the Division on Earth and Life Studies, the BPA, the
National Academies Press, the Office of News and Public Information, and the Proceedings of the National Acad-
emy of Sciences) to take exhibits to national meetings of the American Geophysical Union and the American
Astronomical Society. Popular versions of four of the decadal surveys (Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New
Millennium, New Frontiers in the Solar System, The Sun to the Earth—and Beyond, and Earth Science and Appli-
cations from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond) continue to be widely distributed to
the science community and the general public. More than 2,000 reports were disseminated in addition to the copies
distributed to study committee members, the Board, and sponsors.
Formal reports delivered to government sponsors constitute one of the primary products of the work of the SSB,
but the dissemination process has a number of other important elements. The Board is always seeking ways to ensure
that its work reaches the broadest possible appropriate audience and that it has the largest beneficial impact. Copies
of reports are routinely provided to key executive branch officials, members and staffs of relevant congressional
committees, and members of other interested NRC and federal advisory bodies. Members of the press are notified
about the release of each new report, and the SSB maintains a substantial mailing list for distribution of reports
to members of the space research community. The SSB publishes summaries of all new reports in its quarterly
newsletter. The SSB also offers briefings by committee chairs and members or SSB staff to officials in Congress,
the executive branch, and scientific societies. Reports are posted on the SSB Web home page at http://www7.
nationalacademies.org/ssb and linked to the National Academies Press Web site for reports at http://www.nap.edu.
LLOYD V. BERKNER SPACE POLICY INTERNSHIP
The Space Studies Board has operated a very successful competitive internship program since 1992. The Lloyd
V. Berkner Space Policy Internship is named after Dr. Berkner, the Board’s first chair, who played an instrumental
role in creating and promoting the International Geophysical Year, a global effort that made it possible for scientists
from around the world to coordinate observations of various geophysical phenomena.
The general goal of each internship is to provide a promising undergraduate student an opportunity to work in
civil space research policy in the nation’s capital, under the aegis of the National Academies. Interns work with the
Board, its committees, and staff on one or more of the advisory projects currently underway. Other interns, paid or
unpaid, also join the SSB staff on an ad hoc basis.
For intern opportunities at the SSB, and a list of past SSB interns, visit the SSB Web site at http://sites.
nationalacademies.org/SSB/ssb_052239.
