NASA Releases Science Policy Draft for Public Comment
Buffeted by the fickle winds of fiscal policy, NASA has seen its budget shrink by 30 percent over the last two years, with more to come. This has resulted in drastic reductions, restructuring, and in some cases outright termination of programs. Making these changes in a reasonable and efficient manner calls for a clear statement of the space agency’s policies and principles. NASA has articulated policies for its science programs in a July 25 draft document entitled “Science in Air and Space: NASA’s Science Policy Guide.” The draft will be open for public comment for six months.
NASA policies “were, in many cases, established in the early 1960’s,” the document acknowledges, and “conditions are now changing in ways that require a reexamination of these policies.” In the post-Cold War era, more emphasis is being placed on international cooperation, global economic competitiveness, deficit-reduction, contributions to larger national goals, and partnerships with industry and academia.
“It is now clear that both the public and the political system expect benefits broader than purely scientific ones to be derived from NASA research programs and missions,” the draft states. In addition to contributing to the nation’s basic scientific knowledge, NASA has identified four areas in which the agency can make significant contributions to larger national goals: the economy, the environment, education, and exploration. In addition, NASA will explicitly direct “attention and resources” towards such areas as developing new technologies, providing a basis for (environmental) policy decisions, contributing towards foreign policy via international collaborations, developing the capabilities of universities and industry, contributing to math and science education and public outreach, and improving the health and well-being of Americans.
The 31-page guide provides an in-depth discussion of how to measure the quality of research programs, as well as how to broaden participation in them, and the responsibilities of participants. It concludes, “This reexamination of NASA’s basic policies concerning the conduct of its research program has reaffirmed the essential soundness of many of NASA’s traditional policies.... At the same time, it has described many areas of change and identified...a number of issues or critical areas where further changes are necessary or a more thorough analysis required.” These areas include: balancing flight missions and supporting research programs; assessing the peer review process; developing metrics for evaluating the performance of NASA science programs; encouraging and assessing the breadth and diversity of participation; defining and maintaining world-class capabilities at NASA Centers; enabling the most productive use of NASA research facilities; developing technology transfer policies for international cooperation; determining the best data dissemination approaches; leveraging resources to improve scientific literacy and public outreach; using NASA programs to enhance industry’s technology base; and determining the appropriate number of scientists, technologists, and students for the agency to support.
“Science in Air and Space” is available on the World Wide Web at http://dlt.gsfc.nasa.gov/cordova/guide.html , or by calling 202-358-0000.
