%0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Roman Space Telescope Observing Time Allocation Principles: Report Series—Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics %@ 978-0-309-69453-7 %D 2022 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26740/roman-space-telescope-observing-time-allocation-principles-report-series-committee %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26740/roman-space-telescope-observing-time-allocation-principles-report-series-committee %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 40 %X The Roman Space Telescope will measurably advance knowledge of dark energy and exoplanet demographics. Locally, it will likely enhance understanding of the structure and substructure of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, including a census of the predicted but elusive ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. At high redshift, it can provide information on the topology of reionization and the abundance of sources like active galactic nuclei and pair-instability supernovae. With a wavelength range of 0.48-2.3 μm, the Roman Wide Field Imager has the largest etendue of any existing or planned optical/infrared space observatory. The coronagraph technology demonstration instrument will pioneer new capabilities that will be the basis for future instruments capable of directly detecting and characterizing Earth-like planets around nearby stars. If the technology demonstration is successful, observations with the coronagraph could make substantial advances in the study of planetary and disk systems. At the request of NASA, this report reviews the Roman Space Telescope science program to set the appropriate mix of survey time devoted to the three Core Community Surveys (which address the weak lensing, baryon acoustic oscillations, supernovae, and microlensing programs in NWNH) relative to guest investigator-led observing programs during the primary 5-year mission. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessment of a Plan for U.S. Participation in Euclid %@ 978-0-309-25384-0 %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13357/assessment-of-a-plan-for-us-participation-in-euclid %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13357/assessment-of-a-plan-for-us-participation-in-euclid %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 60 %X NASA proposed to make a hardware contribution to the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Euclid mission in exchange for U.S. membership on the Euclid Science Team and science data access. The Euclid mission will employ a space telescope that will make potentially important contributions to probing dark energy and to the measurement of cosmological parameters. Euclid will image a large fraction of the extragalactic sky at unprecedented resolution and measure spectra for millions of galaxies. Assessment of a Plan for U.S. Participation in Euclid evaluates whether a small investment in Euclid (around $20 million in hardware) is a viable part of an overall strategy to pursue the science goals set forth in New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, a decadal plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics. The top-ranked large-scale, space-based priority of the New Worlds, New Horizons is the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). WFIRST has a broad, wide-field, near-infrared capability that will serve a wide variety of science programs of U.S. astronomers, including exoplanet research, near-infrared sky surveys, a guest observer program, and dark energy research. In carrying out this study the authoring committee's intent has been to be clear that this report does not alter New Worlds, New Horizon's plans for the implementation of the survey's priorities. Assessment of a Plan for U.S. Participation in Euclid concludes that the NASA proposal would represent a valuable first step toward meeting one of the science goals (furthering dark energy research) of WFIRST. While WFIRST dark energy measurements are expected to be superior to Euclid's, U.S. participation in Euclid will have clear scientific, technical, and programmatic benefits to the U.S. community as WFIRST and Euclid go forward. According to this report, the current NASA proposal, to invest modestly in Euclid, is consistent with an expeditious development of WFIRST and the achievement of the broader, and more ambitious, goals outlined in New Worlds, New Horizons. Knowledge gained from the Euclid project could help optimize the science return of the WFIRST mission as well. Such an investment will further the goals of New Worlds, New Horizons, be helpful to the preparations for WFIRST, and enhance WFIRST's chances of success. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T NASA's Beyond Einstein Program: An Architecture for Implementation %@ 978-0-309-11162-1 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12006/nasas-beyond-einstein-program-an-architecture-for-implementation %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12006/nasas-beyond-einstein-program-an-architecture-for-implementation %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 186 %X "Beyond Einstein science" is a term that applies to a set of new scientific challenges at the intersection of physics and astrophysics. Observations of the cosmos now have the potential to extend our basic physical laws beyond where 20th-century research left them. Such observations can provide stringent new tests of Einstein's general theory of relativity, indicate how to extend the Standard Model of elementary-particle physics, and -- if direct measurements of gravitational waves were to be made -- give astrophysics an entirely new way of observing the universe. In 2003, NASA, working with the astronomy and astrophysics communities, prepared a research roadmap entitled Beyond Einstein: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. This roadmap proposed that NASA undertake space missions in five areas in order to study dark energy, black holes, gravitational radiation, and the inflation of the early universe, to test Einstein's theory of gravitation. This study assesses the five proposed Beyond Einstein mission areas to determine potential scientific impact and technical readiness. Each mission is explored in great detail to aid decisions by NASA regarding both the ordering of the remaining missions and the investment strategy for future technology development within the Beyond Einstein Program. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics %@ 978-0-309-15799-5 %D 2010 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12951/new-worlds-new-horizons-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12951/new-worlds-new-horizons-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 324 %X Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Based on a broad and comprehensive survey of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics outlines a plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade of the 2010's. Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise including technological development, theory, computation and data handling, laboratory experiments, and human resources. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics proposes enhancing innovative but moderate-cost programs in space and on the ground that will enable the community to respond rapidly and flexibly to new scientific discoveries. The book recommends beginning construction on survey telescopes in space and on the ground to investigate the nature of dark energy, as well as the next generation of large ground-based giant optical telescopes and a new class of space-based gravitational observatory to observe the merging of distant black holes and precisely test theories of gravity. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed. The book is a useful resource for agencies supporting the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century %@ 978-0-309-07406-3 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10079/connecting-quarks-with-the-cosmos-eleven-science-questions-for-the %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10079/connecting-quarks-with-the-cosmos-eleven-science-questions-for-the %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %K Space and Aeronautics %P 222 %X Advances made by physicists in understanding matter, space, and time and by astronomers in understanding the universe as a whole have closely intertwined the question being asked about the universe at its two extremes—the very large and the very small. This report identifies 11 key questions that have a good chance to be answered in the next decade. It urges that a new research strategy be created that brings to bear the techniques of both astronomy and sub-atomic physics in a cross-disciplinary way to address these questions. The report presents seven recommendations to facilitate the necessary research and development coordination. These recommendations identify key priorities for future scientific projects critical for realizing these scientific opportunities. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Report of the Panel on Implementing Recommendations from the New Worlds, New Horizons Decadal Survey %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13045/report-of-the-panel-on-implementing-recommendations-from-the-new-worlds-new-horizons-decadal-survey %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13045/report-of-the-panel-on-implementing-recommendations-from-the-new-worlds-new-horizons-decadal-survey %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 34 %X The 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey report, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics (NWNH), outlines a scientifically exciting and programmatically integrated plan for both ground- and space-based astronomy and astrophysics in the 2012-2021 decade. However, late in the survey process, the budgetary outlook shifted downward considerably from the guidance that NASA had provided to the decadal survey. And since August 2010—when NWNH was released—the projections of funds available for new NASA Astrophysics initiatives has decreased even further because of the recently reported delay in the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2015 and the associated additional costs of at least $1.4 billion. These developments jeopardize the implementation of the carefully designed program of activities proposed in NWNH. In response to these circumstances, NASA has proposed that the United States consider a commitment to the European Space Agency (ESA) Euclid mission at a level of approximately 20 percent. This participation would be undertaken in addition to initiating the planning for the survey's highest-ranked, space-based, large-scale mission, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requested that the National Research Council (NRC) convene a panel to consider whether NASA's Euclid proposal is consistent with achieving the priorities, goals, and recommendations, and with pursuing the science strategy, articulated in NWNH. The panel also investigated what impact such participation might have on the prospects for the timely realization of the WFIRST mission and other activities recommended by NWNH in view of the projected budgetary situation. The panel convened a workshop on November 7, 2010. The workshop presentations identified several tradeoffs among options: funding goals less likely versus more likely to be achieved in a time of restricted budgets; narrower versus broader scientific goals; and U.S.-only versus U.S.-ESA collaboration. The panel captured these tradeoffs in considering four primary options: Option A: Launch of WFIRST in the Decade 2012-2021; Option B: A Joint WFIRST/Euclid Mission; Option C: Commitment by NASA of 20 percent Investment in Euclid prior to the M-class decision; or Option D: No U.S. Financing of an Infrared Survey Mission This Decade. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Review of Progress in Astronomy and Astrophysics Toward the Decadal Vision: Letter Report %D 2005 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11230/review-of-progress-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics-toward-the-decadal-vision %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11230/review-of-progress-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics-toward-the-decadal-vision %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 24 %X In the past few years, programmatic changes at NASA, issues raised by the NRC report, Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century(CQC), and scientific and technological advances combined to prompt consideration of a reexamination of the overall science strategy set forth in Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium (AANM). Discussions followed between the Board on Physics and Astronomy and NASA and NSF that resulted in a request by the two agencies to prepare a short report addressing the points leading up to calls for the reexamination. The report was also to assess progress towards the vision set forth in the AANM and CQC studies. This letter report presents the result of that study. It reviews the context that led up to the request and the most exciting advances in astronomy and astrophysics and key technological developments since the AAMN report was published, and it provides an outlook for fulfilling the decadal vision of the two previous studies. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Evaluation of the Implementation of WFIRST/AFTA in the Context of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics %@ 978-0-309-30129-9 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18712/evaluation-of-the-implementation-of-wfirstafta-in-the-context-of-new-worlds-new-horizons-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18712/evaluation-of-the-implementation-of-wfirstafta-in-the-context-of-new-worlds-new-horizons-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 70 %X Evaluation of the Implementation of WFIRST in the Context of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics assesses whether the proposed Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (AFTA) design reference mission described in the April 30, 2013 report of the AFTA Science Definition Team (SDT), WFIRST-2.4, is responsive to the overall strategy to pursue the science objectives of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, and in particular, the survey's top ranked, large-scale, space-based priority: the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). This report considers the versions of WFIRST-2.4 with and without the coronagraph, as described in the AFTA SDT report. The report compares the WFIRST mission described in New Worlds, New Horizons to the AFTA SDT WFIRST-2.4 design reference mission, with and without the coronagraph, on the basis of their science objectives, technical complexity, and programmatic rationale, including projected cost. This report gives an overview of relevant scientific, technical, and programmatic changes that have occurred since the release of New Worlds, New Horizons, and assesses the responsiveness of the WFIRST mission to the science and technology objectives of the New Worlds report. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Optimizing the U.S. Ground-Based Optical and Infrared Astronomy System %@ 978-0-309-37186-5 %D 2015 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21722/optimizing-the-us-ground-based-optical-and-infrared-astronomy-system %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21722/optimizing-the-us-ground-based-optical-and-infrared-astronomy-system %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 134 %X New astronomical facilities, such as the under-construction Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and planned 30-meter-class telescopes, and new instrumentation on existing optical and infrared (OIR) telescopes, hold the promise of groundbreaking research and discovery. How can we extract the best science from these and other astronomical facilities in an era of potentially flat federal budgets for both the facilities and the research grants? Optimizing the U.S. Ground-Based Optical and Infrared Astronomy System provides guidance for these new programs that align with the scientific priorities and the conclusions and recommendations of two National Research Council (NRC) decadal surveys, New Worlds, New Horizons for Astronomy and Astrophysics and Vision and Voyages for Planetary Sciences in the Decade 2013-2022, as well as other NRC reports. This report describes a vision for a U.S. OIR System that includes a telescope time exchange designed to enhance science return by broadening access to capabilities for a diverse community, an ongoing planning process to identify and construct next generation capabilities to realize decadal science priorities, and near-term critical coordination, planning, and instrumentation needed to usher in the era of LSST and giant telescopes. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Revealing the Hidden Nature of Space and Time: Charting the Course for Elementary Particle Physics %@ 978-0-309-10194-3 %D 2006 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11641/revealing-the-hidden-nature-of-space-and-time-charting-the %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11641/revealing-the-hidden-nature-of-space-and-time-charting-the %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %P 176 %X As part of the Physics 2010 decadal survey project, the National Research Council was asked by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to recommend priorities for the U.S. particle physics program for the next 15 years. The challenge faced in this study was to identify a compelling leadership role for the United States in elementary particle physics given the global nature of the field and the current lack of a long-term and distinguishing strategic focus. Revealing the Hidden Nature of Space and Time provides an assessment of the scientific challenges in particle physics, including the key questions and experimental opportunities, the current status of the U.S. program and the strategic framework in which it sits and a set of strategic principles and recommendations to sustain a competitive and globally relevant U.S. particle physics program. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T A Performance Assessment of NASA's Astrophysics Program %@ 978-0-309-10490-6 %D 2007 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11828/a-performance-assessment-of-nasas-astrophysics-program %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11828/a-performance-assessment-of-nasas-astrophysics-program %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 60 %X While a number of remarkable discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics have taken place over the past 20 years, many important questions remain. Continued progress in these fields will require NASA’s leadership. To help determine if NASA can meet this challenge, Congress, in the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, directed the agency to have "[t]he performance of each division in the Science directorate...reviewed and assessed by the National Academy of Sciences at 5-year intervals." In early 2006, NASA asked the NRC to conduct such an assessment for the agency’s Astrophysics Division. This report presents an assessment of how well NASA’s current program addresses the strategies, goals, and priorities outlined in previous Academy reports. The report provides an analysis of progress toward realizing these strategies, goals, and priorities; and a discussion of actions that could be taken to optimize the scientific value of the program in the context of current and forecasted resources. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessment of Impediments to Interagency Collaboration on Space and Earth Science Missions %@ 978-0-309-16350-7 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13042/assessment-of-impediments-to-interagency-collaboration-on-space-and-earth-science-missions %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13042/assessment-of-impediments-to-interagency-collaboration-on-space-and-earth-science-missions %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %K Space and Aeronautics %P 80 %X Through an examination of case studies, agency briefings, and existing reports, and drawing on personal knowledge and direct experience, the Committee on Assessment of Impediments to Interagency Cooperation on Space and Earth Science Missions found that candidate projects for multiagency collaboration in the development and implementation of Earth-observing or space science missions are often intrinsically complex and, therefore costly, and that a multiagency approach to developing these missions typically results in additional complexity and cost. Advocates of collaboration have sometimes underestimated the difficulties and associated costs and risks of dividing responsibility and accountability between two or more partners; they also discount the possibility that collaboration will increase the risk in meeting performance objectives. This committee's principal recommendation is that agencies should conduct Earth and space science projects independently unless: It is judged that cooperation will result in significant added scientific value to the project over what could be achieved by a single agency alone; or Unique capabilities reside within one agency that are necessary for the mission success of a project managed by another agency; or The project is intended to transfer from research to operations necessitating a change in responsibility from one agency to another during the project; or There are other compelling reasons to pursue collaboration, for example, a desire to build capacity at one of the cooperating agencies. Even when the total project cost may increase, parties may still find collaboration attractive if their share of a mission is more affordable than funding it alone. In these cases, alternatives to interdependent reliance on another government agency should be considered. For example, agencies may find that buying services from another agency or pursuing interagency coordination of spaceflight data collection is preferable to fully interdependent cooperation. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T New Worlds, New Horizons: A Midterm Assessment %@ 978-0-309-44510-8 %D 2016 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23560/new-worlds-new-horizons-a-midterm-assessment %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23560/new-worlds-new-horizons-a-midterm-assessment %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 138 %X New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics (NWNH), the report of the 2010 decadal survey of astronomy and astrophysics, put forward a vision for a decade of transformative exploration at the frontiers of astrophysics. This vision included mapping the first stars and galaxies as they emerge from the collapse of dark matter and cold clumps of hydrogen, finding new worlds in a startlingly diverse population of extrasolar planets, and exploiting the vastness and extreme conditions of the universe to reveal new information about the fundamental laws of nature. NWNH outlined a compelling program for understanding the cosmic order and for opening new fields of inquiry through the discovery areas of gravitational waves, time-domain astronomy, and habitable planets. Many of these discoveries are likely to be enabled by cyber-discovery and the power of mathematics, physics, and imagination. To help realize this vision, NWNH recommended a suite of innovative and powerful facilities, along with balanced, strong support for the scientific community engaged in theory, data analysis, technology development, and measurements with existing and new instrumentation. Already in the first half of the decade, scientists and teams of scientists working with these cutting-edge instruments and with new capabilities in data collection and analysis have made spectacular discoveries that advance the NWNH vision. New Worlds, New Horizons: A Midterm Assessment reviews the responses of NASA's Astrophysics program, NSF's Astronomy program, and DOE's Cosmic Frontiers program to NWNH. This report describes the most significant scientific discoveries, technical advances, and relevant programmatic changes in astronomy and astrophysics over the years since the publication of the decadal survey, and assesses how well the Agencies' programs address the strategies, goals, and priorities outlined in the 2010 decadal survey. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Space Studies Board Annual Report 2010 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13214/space-studies-board-annual-report-2010 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13214/space-studies-board-annual-report-2010 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 130 %X The Space Studies Board (SSB) was established in 1958 to serve as the focus of the interests and responsibilities in space research for the National Academies. The SSB provides an independent, authoritative 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 assessments, facilitates international research coordination, and promotes communications on space science and science policy between the research community, the federal government, and the interested public. The SSB also serves as the U.S. National Committee for the International Council for Science Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). This volume reviews the organization, activities, and reports of the SSB for the year 2010. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Panel Reports—New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics %@ 978-0-309-15962-3 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12982/panel-reports-new-worlds-new-horizons-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12982/panel-reports-new-worlds-new-horizons-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 578 %X Every 10 years the National Research Council releases a survey of astronomy and astrophysics outlining priorities for the coming decade. The most recent survey, titled New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, provides overall priorities and recommendations for the field as a whole based on a broad and comprehensive examination of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context. Panel Reports—New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics is a collection of reports, each of which addresses a key sub-area of the field, prepared by specialists in that subarea, and each of which played an important role in setting overall priorities for the field. The collection, published in a single volume, includes the reports of the following panels: Cosmology and Fundamental Physics Galaxies Across Cosmic Time The Galactic Neighborhood Stars and Stellar Evolution Planetary Systems and Star Formation Electromagnetic Observations from Space Optical and Infrared Astronomy from the Ground Particle Astrophysics and Gravitation Radio, Millimeter, and Submillimeter Astronomy from the Ground The Committee for a Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics synthesized these reports in the preparation of its prioritized recommendations for the field as a whole. These reports provide additional depth and detail in each of their respective areas. Taken together, they form an essential companion volume to New Worlds, New Horizons: A Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The book of panel reports will be useful to managers of programs of research in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over the agencies supporting this research, the scientific community, and the public. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Science in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration %@ 978-0-309-09593-8 %D 2005 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11225/science-in-nasas-vision-for-space-exploration %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11225/science-in-nasas-vision-for-space-exploration %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 37 %X In January 2004, President Bush announced a new space policy directed at human and robotic exploration of space. The National Academies released a report at the same time that independently addressed many of the issues contained in the new policy. In June, the President’s Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy issued a report recommending that NASA ask the National Research Council (NRC) to reevaluate space science priorities to take advantage of the exploration vision. Congress also directed the NRC to conduct a thorough review of the science NASA is proposing to undertake within the initiative. This report provides an initial response to those requests. It presents guiding principles for selecting science missions that enhance and support the exploration program. The report also presents findings and recommendations to help guide NASA’s space exploration strategic planning activity. Separate NRC reviews will be carried out of strategic roadmaps that NASA is developing to implement the policy. %0 Book %T Space Studies Board Annual Report 2007 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12096/space-studies-board-annual-report-2007 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12096/space-studies-board-annual-report-2007 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 182 %0 Book %E Siegfried, Tom %T Strange Matters: Undiscovered Ideas at the Frontiers of Space and Time %@ 978-0-309-50058-6 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10371/strange-matters-undiscovered-ideas-at-the-frontiers-of-space-and %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10371/strange-matters-undiscovered-ideas-at-the-frontiers-of-space-and %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Explore Science %P 318 %X Scientists studying the universe find strange things in two places—out in space and in their heads. This is the story of how the most imaginative physicists of our time perceive strange features of the universe in advance of the actual discoveries. It is almost a given that physics and cosmology present us with some of the grandest mysteries of all. What weightier questions to ponder than, "How does the universe work?" or "What is the universe made of?" There are any number of bizarre phenomena that could provide clues or even answers to these queries. The strangeness ranges from unusual forms of matter and realms of existence to wild ideas about how time and space are related to one another. Many of these proposals may well turn out to be wrong. But how many will be proven to be right? This book speaks for the scientific theorists who are bold enough to imagine and predict the impossible. New ideas are percolating in their heads every day. One physicist may dream of subatomic particles that could resolve a variety of cosmological conundrums while another may study the likes of "funny energy," which may explain how rapidly the universe is expanding. This is the stuff of Strange Matters. In broad terms, this book is about a variety of discoveries that theorists of the past imagined before the observers and experimenters actually saw them. Moreover, it is about the things that today’s are now imagining—but haven't yet been discovered or confirmed by the observers. Strange Matters artfully mixes the present with the past and future, reporting from the frontiers of research where history is in the process of being made. Each chapter examines a different step along the twisted path we've walked to gain our rudimentary understanding of the universe, incorporating historical examples of successful "prediscoveries" with current stories that relate brand new ideas. We come to see the universe not only in terms of what has already been discovered, but also in terms of what has yet to be observed. Strange Matters is a guide to the discoveries of the twenty-first century, a series of visions dreamt by the most imaginative scientists of our time merged with the achievements of the past—to point the way towards even greater accomplishments of the future. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium: An Overview %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10314/astronomy-and-astrophysics-in-the-new-millennium-an-overview %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10314/astronomy-and-astrophysics-in-the-new-millennium-an-overview %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 28 %X The report of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee (AASC), Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium, contains recommendations in priority order for new initiatives to realize the science goals of the field. It is the most recent in a series of surveys that are carried out once every ten years. In preparing the New Millennium report, the AASC made use of a series of panel reports that address various aspects of ground- and space-based astronomy and astrophysics. These reports provide in-depth technical detail. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope: Final Report %@ 978-0-309-09530-3 %D 2005 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11169/assessment-of-options-for-extending-the-life-of-the-hubble-space-telescope %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11169/assessment-of-options-for-extending-the-life-of-the-hubble-space-telescope %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 160 %X The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has operated continuously since 1990. During that time, four space shuttle-based service missions were launched, three of which added major observational capabilities. A fifth — SM-4 — was intended to replace key telescope systems and install two new instruments. The loss of the space shuttle Columbia, however, resulted in a decision by NASA not to pursue the SM-4 mission leading to a likely end of Hubble’s useful life in 2007-2008. This situation resulted in an unprecedented outcry from scientists and the public. As a result, NASA began to explore and develop a robotic servicing mission; and Congress directed NASA to request a study from the National Research Council (NRC) of the robotic and shuttle servicing options for extending the life of Hubble. This report presents an assessment of those two options. It provides an examination of the contributions made by Hubble and those likely as the result of a servicing mission, and a comparative analysis of the potential risk of the two options for servicing Hubble. The study concludes that the Shuttle option would be the most effective one for prolonging Hubble’s productive life.