Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Midterm Assessment of Progress Toward Implementation of the Decadal Survey (2024)
Chapter: Front Matter
Thriving on Our Changing Planet
A Midterm Assessment of Progress
Toward Implementation of the Decadal Survey
_____
Committee on the Review of Progress
Toward Implementing the Decadal Survey—
Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal
Strategy for Earth Observation from Space
Space Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Consensus Study Report
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This activity was supported by Contract 80HQTR22DA001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71814-1
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71814-7
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27743
Epub ISBN: 978-0-309-71817-2
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Midterm Assessment of Progress Toward Implementation of the Decadal Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27743.
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COMMITTEE ON THE REVIEW OF PROGRESS TOWARD IMPLEMENTING THE DECADAL SURVEY—THRIVING ON OUR CHANGING PLANET: A DECADAL STRATEGY FOR EARTH OBSERVATION FROM SPACE
CHRISTIAN D. KUMMEROW, Colorado State University, Co-Chair
ANNA M. MICHALAK, Carnegie Institution for Science, Co-Chair
STACEY W. BOLAND, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
FRANCISCO P. CHAVEZ, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH (NAS), University of California, Berkeley
KATHLEEN (KASS) O’NEILL GREEN, Kass Green and Associates
DEANNA A. HENCE, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DANIEL J. JACOB, Harvard University
DENNIS P. LETTENMAIER (NAE), University of California, Los Angeles
LESLEY E. OTT, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
DAVID T. SANDWELL (NAS), Scripps Institution of Oceanography
SUSAN L. USTIN, University of California, Davis
ISABELLA VELICOGNA, University of California, Irvine
XUBIN ZENG, University of Arizona
Staff
TARINI KONCHADY, Associate Program Officer, Space Studies Board
DWAYNE A. DAY, Senior Program Officer, Space Studies Board
LINDA M. WALKER, Senior Program Assistant, Board on Physics and Astronomy
DIONNA WISE, Program Coordinator
ARTHUR A. CHARO, Senior Program Officer, Space Studies Board
COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Senior Director, Aeronautics, Astronomy, Physics, and Space Science
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
MARGARET G. KIVELSON (NAS), University of California, Los Angeles, Chair
JAMES H. CROCKER (NAE), Lockheed Martin Corporation, Vice Chair
DANIELA CALZETTI (NAS), University of Massachusetts Amherst
ROBIN M. CANUP (NAS), Southwest Research Institute
DEEPTO CHAKRABARTY, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
MELINDA D. DYAR, Mount Holyoke College
ANTONIO L. ELIAS (NAE), Orbital ATK, Inc.
STEPHEN J. MACKWELL, National Science Foundation
PETER I. MESZAROS (NAS), The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
RICHARD M. OBERMANN, National Research Council
NELSON PEDREIRO (NAE), Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
CHRISTA D. PETERS-LIDARD (NAE), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
MARK P. SAUNDERS, Independent Consultant
HOWARD J. SINGER, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
KEIVAN G. STASSUN, Vanderbilt University
ERIKA B. WAGNER, Blue Origin, LLC
PAUL D. WOOSTER, SpaceX
ENDAWOKE YIZENGAW, The Aerospace Corporation
GARY P. ZANK (NAS), University of Alabama in Huntsville
Staff
COLLEEN N. HARTMAN, Director
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
ALEXIS BHADHA, Senior Financial Assistant
ZAKI QASIM, Senior Finance Business Partner
Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
ANA P. BARROS (NAE), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
STEVEN J. BATTEL (NAE), Battel Engineering
PAULA S. BONTEMPI, University of Rhode Island
SARAH T. GILLE, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
R. STEVEN NEREM, University of Colorado Boulder
MATTHEW PRITCHARD, Cornell University
DAVID ROY, Michigan State University
CHRISTOPHER RUF, University of Michigan
JOHN E. VIDALE (NAS), University of Southern California
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by BYRON D. TAPLEY (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin, and GRANT H. STOKES, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
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Contents
1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE DECADAL SURVEY
Overview of the Midterm Assessment Process
2 ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CHALLENGES IN A CHANGING EARTH SCIENCES OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
Scientific Highlights from NASA Earth Science Division Missions
Increased Demand for Earth Observations from Space
Full Exploitation of Other Opportunities: International Missions and Commercial Partners
3 ASSESSING PROGRESS TOWARD THE DECADAL SURVEY VISION
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
4 OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE ALIGNMENT WITH DECADAL SURVEY PRIORITIES
Budget Shortfalls: Implementing Missions Outlined in the Decadal Survey
Preface
In December 2022, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) formally requested that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convene an ad hoc committee to conduct a review of the responses from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to the 2017 Earth science and applications from space decadal survey, Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space. This request was made in accordance with the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, which requires that the performance of each division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate be assessed by the National Academies at 5-year intervals.
The Committee on the Review of Progress Toward Implementing the Decadal Survey—Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space held its first meeting on June 27, 2023, via teleconference and convened four public meetings during its information-gathering phase (September 28–29, 2023, in Washington, DC; November 2–3, 2023, in Irvine, California; December 4, 2023, via teleconference; and January 25–26, 2024, in Irvine, California). During the public meetings, the committee received briefings from Karen St. Germain (NASA), Waleed Abdalati (University of Colorado Boulder), Scott Braun (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Tim Newman (USGS), Steve Volz (NOAA), Fran Bagenal (University of Colorado Boulder), Wanda Ward (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Charlie Bolden (Charles F. Bolden Group, LLC), Wanda Sigur (Lambent Engineering, LLC), Duane Waliser (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Dave Schimel (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Paul Rosen (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Frank Webb (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Gerald Bawden (NASA), Steven Hamburg (Environmental Defense Fund), Joe Mascaro (Planet Labs PBC), John Worden (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), and Mauro Facchini (European Commission).
Committee on the Review of Progress Toward Implementing the Decadal Survey—Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space
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