Space Studies Board Annual Report 1991 (1992) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Summaries of Reports
3 Summaries of Reports
Pages 22-41
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 22... ...
This report was reviewed and approved by the SSB. STATUS OF DISCIPLINE The scientific purview of the CSSP and CSTR covers the disciplines of solar physics, heliospheric physics, cosmic ray physics, magnetospheric physics, middle- and upper-atmosphere physics, solar-terrestrial coupling, and comparative planetary studies.
|
From page 23... ...
Problem areas are the lack of advanced development of technology required for future missions and the decline in support for ground-based radio observations of the solar corona and solar wind. Cosmic Ray Physics Data returned by the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft, launched in the 1970s, gave valuable new insights into the modulation of galactic cosmic rays, the nature of anomalous cosmic rays, and the variable abundances of solar energetic particles.
|
From page 24... ...
Middle- and Upper-Atmosphere Physics There has been much progress in implementing NRC recommendations in this discipline; the Middle Atmosphere Program (MAP) , the Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR)
|
From page 25... ...
The recommended level of an average of one Explorer per year for solar and space physics has not been reached, however, because cost overruns in the current Explorer program continue to cause delays. Coordinated Programs and Synoptic Observations Several initiatives have responded to recommendations for coordinated programs.
|
From page 26... ...
CONCLUSIONS In summary, there has been considerable scientific progress during the past decade, with the bulk of the advances stemming from programs started in the 1970s, prior to the NRC recommendations considered in this report. Progress on the NRC recommendations of the 1980s has been generally slow, however, and in some cases nonexistent.
|
From page 27... ...
The federated committee also plans to further examine issues in the agencies' research and analysis programs. 3.2 Assessment of Programs in Space Biology and Medicine -- 1991 A Report of the Committee on Space Biology and Medicine INTRODUCTION This report was undertaken at the request of the Space Studies Board to provide an up-to-date assessment of the status of the implementation in the civil space program of the various research strategies and recommendations published in previous reports.
|
From page 28... ...
These topics include research areas concerning human physiology in microgravity, human behavior during long-term missions, and the radiation environments of space. Finally, the report contains sections on developmental and cell biology, human reproduction, plant biology, and issues associated with the development of a closed ecological life support system.
|
From page 29... ...
RESEARCH IN SPACE BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE Human Physiology There has been a general perception that since a small number of Soviet cosmonauts have survived in the microgravity of space in low earth orbit for as long as a year, there are no major physiological problems likely to preclude longer-term human exploration beyond low earth orbit. The committee has had, over the years, access to anecdotal data from the Soviet space program.
|
From page 30... ...
to factors such as diminished bone mass and increased urinary calcium have also proven to be useful models for potential changes during extended spaceflight. However, of the eight major goals listed above, only the first has been addressed in these studies, and the information that has been obtained using the animal model chosen (rat)
|
From page 31... ...
Sensorimotor Integration As indicated in the Goldberg report, the neuronal mechanisms underlying a sense of spatial orientation are complex, as yet poorly understood, and are directly relevant to assuring the effective functioning of humans involved in space missions. The 1987 strategy report recommended a vigorous program of ground based and flight research aimed at understanding these mechanisms as they operate on earth, in space, and on return from microgravity to high-gravity environments.
|
From page 32... ...
At this point in time, NASA has no plans to develop long-term confinement studies using ground-based research settings. Developmental and Cell Biology The major goal for developmental biology as outlined in all three research strategies is to determine whether any organism can develop from fertilization through the formation of viable gametes in the next generation, i.e., from egg to egg, in the microgravity environment of space.
|
From page 33... ...
Plant Biology Any strategy that visualizes a long-term sustained human presence in space absolutely requires the ability to continuously grow and reproduce various plant species over multiple generations. A related goal, which has implications for agriculture generally, is to understand the mechanism(s)
|
From page 34... ...
Major goals of radiation research are to quantify high-energy (HZE) particles in space and to understand the biological effects of HZE particles.
|
From page 35... ...
research teams. CONCLUSIONS Over the past 30 or more years, the Space Studies Board and its various committees have published hundreds of recommendations concerning life sciences research.
|
From page 36... ...
3.4 Assessment of Satellite Earth Observation Programs -- 1991 A Report of the Committee on Earth Studies SUMMARY During the past decade, the Space Studies Board, its Committee on Earth Studies (CES) , and other bodies of the National Research Council have provided the federal government with a substantial body of advice on the study of the Earth from space.
|
From page 37... ...
The committee concludes that with the implementation of Mission to Planet Earth, together with the planned modernization of the NOAA environmental satellite programs and the continuation of vigorous research and development of remote sensing and related technologies, the United States will ensure its leadership in Earth observations from space. The committee has found NASA's plans for Mission to Planet Earth to be responsive to the scientific objectives and recommendations established in past NRC reports, with the exception of several shortcomings noted below and some additional ones expressed in the body of the report.
|
From page 38... ...
Exclusive reliance on sun-synchronous polar-orbiting satellites in the EOS program would also be inadequate for monitoring a number of important processes-such as the Earth's radiative balance, the formation of clouds, and biological productivity-that vary extensively throughout the diurnal cycle. Insufficient progress in the study of the Earth's gravitational and magnetic fields has been due to the lack of specific flight opportunities, despite long standing recommendations by the scientific community to address them.
|
From page 39... ...
Develop a plan for the surface and in situ data-gathering technologies and programs that are needed to complement Earth observations from space. The NASA aircraft and suborbital programs should be an integral part of this plan.
|
From page 40... ...
The text that follows expands on the issues and recommendations highlighted in this summary, and contains a number of additional suggestions for improving our nation's satellite Earth observation programs. file:///C|/SSB_old_web/an91ch3.htm (19 of 20)
|
From page 41... ...
Annual Report 1991: Summaries of Reports Last update 2/23/00 at 12:39 pm Site managed by Anne Simmons, Space Studies Board The National Academies Current Projects Publications Directories Search Site Map Feedback file:///C|/SSB_old_web/an91ch3.htm (20 of 20)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.