Space Studies Board Annual Report 1996 (1997) / Chapter Skim
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3. Summaries of Major Reports
3. Summaries of Major Reports
Pages 31-46
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From page 31... ...
However, it is also the case that today's journals are limited with respect to the amount of data they can publish from any one experiment. This limitation may pose a problem for other scientists interested in the results of experiments performed aboard orbiting spacecraft, because such experiments cannot be easily reproduced, owing in part to the high cost of conducting microgravity experiments, particularly those carried out in the long-duration microgravity environment of a spacecraft.
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From page 32... ...
Unused portions of flight samples were to be returned to MSFC, cataloged by the archivist, and treated as "space artifacts." Scientific results from individual spaceflight experiments usually were published in the form of NASA technical memoranda and as peer-reviewed journal articles. Such publications were tracked through a bibliographic archive also assembled and maintained at the Space Science Laboratory at MSFC.
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From page 33... ...
CURRENT MSAD ARCHIVING STRATEGY AND METHODS Recently, MSAD has begun implementing a data management and archiving plan whose key feature is the requirement to file a formal Experiment Data Management Plan (EDMP) for each microgravity flight experiment currently funded and manifested for orbital flight by MSAD.
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From page 34... ...
To allow for analysis of the results of their microgravity experiments, PIs have traditionally been given exclusive access to the post-flight data and samples for 1 year following their delivery to the PI. Often it takes up to several months for the removal of microgravity experiment data from the spacecraft, intermediate processing, and final delivery to the PI.
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From page 35... ...
Samples to Be Archived In the past, samples returned from some spaceflight experiments have been retained by the flight PIs, and some of these samples have been completely consumed during post-mission analysis. NASA does have a policy that calls for the archiving of unused portions of flight samples, and the committee encourages NASA to give greater consideration to how this policy should be carried out with respect to future microgravity missions.
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From page 36... ...
Metadata supporting the experiment data under evaluation are essential, and decisions concerning the metadata to be archived should be included in the EDMP. It would not be practical to attempt to list all of the different types of data that might be collected from a microgravity flight experiment, or to try to indicate the information and physical devices that should be stored with primary data.
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From page 37... ...
In such cases NASA may wish to consider waiving the review and retaining the data set in perpetuity. Data and Samples from Ground-based Experiments The high cost of performing flight experiments and the limited opportunity to reproduce them have both been cited as reasons for archiving data.
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From page 38... ...
For example, some finished EDMPs have cover pages signed by the PI and the project scientist, each agreeing to the content of the EDMP, whereas others do not. EDMPs should be uniform across all of the microgravity flight experiments sponsored by NASA.
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From page 39... ...
The missions currently planned do, within the Mars Surveyor program, have the potential of adding significantly to our understanding of Mars. Not only does Surveyor recover essentially all of Mars Observer's objectives, which are essential first steps according to the Integrated Strategy, but it also initiates a challenging program of surface exploration by small landers with highly focused science goals.
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From page 40... ...
, it will be broadly consistent with a significant subset of the scientific priorities outlined in the Integrated Strategy provided that: · The program of global mapping planned to start with Mars Global Surveyor in 1996 is completed by flying the Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer in 1998 and the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer in 2001; · The mobility of landers and other vehicles is enhanced beyond that exemplified by Mars Pathfinder' s rover so as to allow measurements to be made on a wide variety of rocks and terrains; · The Mars Surveyor program is kept flexible so that it can respond to scientific and technological opportunities and can encompass a broad range of mission modes; · International partners continue to be involved in order to supplement U.S. capabilities and leverage U.S.
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From page 41... ...
The report goes on to suggest other steps to be taken and the types of experiments needed to reduce significantly the level of uncertainty regarding health risks to human crews in space (Chapter 3~. In Chapter 4 the task group recommends priorities for research from which NASA can obtain the information needed to evaluate the biological risks faced by humans exposed to radiation in space and to mitigate such risks.
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From page 42... ...
9. A knowledge of the particle types and energies present behind types of shielding should be used, with appropriate risk models, to calculate biological effects~ell killing, mutations, chromosomal changes, and tumor induction—in animals exposed to radiation.
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From page 43... ...
11. The estimated overall uncertainty in the risks of radiation-induced biological effects ranges from a factor of 4- to 1 5-fold greater to a factor of 4- to 1 5-fold smaller than our present estimates because of uncertainties both in the way HZE particles and their spallation products penetrate shielding (particle transport)
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From page 44... ...
In March 1995, NASA conducted the first competition for the MIDEX program, with selections made the following spring. Following this first round of MIDEX selections, NASA's Office of Space Science requested that the Space Studies Board assess the solicitation and selection process recently concluded in terms of the program's objectives to optimize science value through a competitive, community-based program of frequent flight opportunities in astronomy and space physics.
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From page 45... ...
scientific capabilities in an important area of space science. This double role for the Explorer program has repercussions with respect to mission sizes, foreign participation, and flight rate.
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From page 46... ...
After more experience has been gained with foreign contributors and contributions, NASA and the science community should reassess this issue in workshops to be convened for the consideration of fixture AOs. Recommendation 6.
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