Principal-Investigator-Led Missions in the Space Sciences (2006) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix D Excerpts on PI-Led Missions from National Research Council Decadal Survey Reports
Appendix D Excerpts on PI-Led Missions from National Research Council Decadal Survey Reports
Pages 92-97
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From page 92... ...
First, judging that the Explorer and Discovery programs at NASA are suitably analyze Explorer or peer-reviewed, the committee did not make any recommendations on individual projects in these Discovery missions programs." "Explorer and Discovery missions are regarded as small initiatives. Since they are peer-reviewed, the 35 committee did not prioritize them." 92
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From page 93... ...
model that has been used for numerous Explorer missions has been 19 recommendations highly successful. Strategic missions such as those under consideration for the STP and LWS on PI-led missions programs can benefit from emulating some of the management approach and structure of the relative to solar and Explorer missions.The committee believes that the science objectives of the solar and space physics space physics missions currently under consideration are best achieved through a PI mode of mission management." "The use of cost caps during much of the 1990s, together with the placement of responsibilities for 156 mission development and success in the hands of a mission principal investigator (PI)
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From page 94... ...
190 mission, Lunar Prospector, and Mars Pathfinder, has convinced even the most hardened skeptic that small, relatively low cost missions can effectively address significant scientific goals.The discipline of Discovery's competitive selection process has been particularly effective in eliminating ill-conceived concepts and has resulted in a richness of mission goals that few would have thought possible a decade ago.The planetary science community's enthusiastic support for Discovery has led to calls for the competitive acquisition of all flight projects.The experience during the past decade in developing mission concepts (i.e., various Pluto flyby and Europa orbiter mission concepts) for which traditional procedures have led to escalating cost estimates has amplified this call.The proposed line of New Frontiers missions is specifically intended to be competitively selected.
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From page 95... ...
A flight rate of no less than one launch every 18 months is recommended." Recommendation for "The Mars Scout program consists of competed, Discovery-class, principal-investigator-led missions 84 structuring Mars with $300 million cost caps.The program was instituted by NASA to meet science goals and Scout program on opportunities not covered by other missions and to provide a mechanism for the MEP to be Discovery program responsive to discoveries. As structured, the Scout program provides an excellent opportunity for NASA to accommodate science topics outside the principal objectives of the MEP, and for the broad science community to respond to discoveries and technological advancement.The Mars Panel strongly endorses NASA's desire to structure the Scout program after the successful Discovery program.
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From page 96... ...
The SSE Survey strongly encourages exploration of ways to accomplish the following: · Improve the early involvement of the PDS with missions; · Increase the PDS budget and streamline its procedures, while not lowering standards or eliminating peer reviews, in order to deal with the data, perhaps considering the function to be funded at a fixed fraction, such as 1 percent of the mission development and operations budget in addition to a small base budget, to ensure that the PDS can cope with varying amounts of archiving; and · Ensure that missions as well as R&A projects producing large data sets have adequate funding for proper archiving." Education and public "Planetary missions provide an unparalleled opportunity to capture student and public attention in 172 outreach efforts in science, engineering, and exploration. Recognizing this high potential, all NASA flight programs are Discovery missions required to devote 1 to 2 percent of their total budget to E/PO.Typically, each flight project develops discussed its own set of activities.The E/PO components developed through principal-investigator-led flight projects, such as Discovery missions, have been particularly effective.
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From page 97... ...
Explorers fill critical science gaps in areas that are not addressed by strategic missions, they support the rapid implementation of attacks on very focused topics, and they provide for innovation and the use of new approaches that are difficult to incorporate into the long planning cycles needed to get a mission into the strategic mission queues.The Explorer program can also provide opportunities to respond rapidly to specific needs of human exploration.The Explorers also provide a particularly substantial means to engage and train science and engineering students in the full life cycle of space research projects. Consequently, a robust SEC science program requires a robust Explorer program."
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