Description

This report is one in a series written by the standing discipline committees of the Space Studies Board. The purpose of this new series is to assess the status of our nation's space science and applications research programs and to review the responses of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other relevant federal agencies to the Board's past recommendations. It is important, periodically, to take stock of where research disciplines stand. As an advisory body to government, the Space Studies Board should regularly examine the advice it has provided in order to determine its relevance and effectiveness. As a representative of the community of individuals actively engaged in space research and its many applications, the Board has an abiding interest in evaluating the nation's accomplishments and setbacks in space. In some cases, recurring budget problems and unexpected hardware failures have delayed or otherwise hindered the attainment of recommended objectives. In other cases, space scientists and engineers have achieved outstanding discoveries and new understandings of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe. Although the recent past has seen substantial progress in the nation's civil space program, much remains to be done. These reports cover the areas of earth science and applications, solar system exploration (and the origins of life), solar and space physics, and space biology and medicine.