A Journey To Inspire Innovate And Discover Report Of The President S Commission On Implementation Of United States Space Exploration Policy

Chairman: Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, Jr.

On January 27, 2004, the President signed an Executive Order creating a Presidential Commission “to obtain recommendations concerning implementation of the new vision for space exploration activities of the United States.” The Commission was chartered to make recommendations to the President on the following: Science research agenda to be conducted on the Moon and other destinations as well as human and robotic science activities that advance our capacity to achieve the policy; The exploration of technologies, demonstrations, and strategies, including the use of lunar and other in situ natural resources, that could be used for sustainable human robotic exploration; Criteria that could be used to select future destinations for human exploration; Long-term organization options for managing implementation of space exploration activities; The most appropriate and effective roles for potential private-sector and international participants in implementing the policy; Methods for optimizing space exploration activities to encourage the interest of America’s youth in studying and pursuing careers in mathematics, science, and engineering; and Management of the implementation of the policy within available resources The nine Commissioners appointed by President come from industry, government service, academia, and the military. Collectively, they experience in space operations, technology, space science, and senior federal government management. The Commission conducted extensive public outreach, as described in the chairman’s transmittal letter and in several appendices to this report. This report represents the consensus recommendations of all nine Commissioners.

On Jan. 14, 2004, Pres. Bush announced a new vision for the U.S. civil space program based upon exploration of the Moon, Mars, & beyond. Then he created a Comm. to examine & make recommendations on implementing this new vision. This is the final report of the Commission. Contents: The Space Exploration Vision; Organizing the U.S. Gov't. for Success: Nat. Vision, Transforming, & NASA, & Enabling Technol.; Building a Robust Space Industry: Technology Transfer, Encouraging Commercial Activities, & International Participation; Exploration & Science Agenda; Inspiring Current & Future Generations: Formal Educ. Opportunities, New Univ. Partnerships to Train the Next Generation of Explorers, & Public Engagement. Illustrations.

In January 2004, President George W. Bush created the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy--A Journey to Inspire, Innovate, and Discover is the Commission's final report. The Commission sought extensive input for its deliberations, from within the U.S. government and directly from the public in the United States and abroad. They held five televised public hearings, and heard public testimony from 96 individuals representing academia, industry, media, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, astronauts, labor unions, state governments, federal government agencies, international space agencies, and professional associations. Public comments strongly supported the new space vision, by a 7-to-1 ratio. The Commission fully supports the President's vision and finds that this journey of exploration will sustain vital national objectives here on Earth. It will provide inspiration for our youth to enter technical fields, generate economic benefit to our nation through the creation of additional technical jobs, improve the competitiveness of our industrial base in the world marketplace, provide clear recognition of America's leadership, and improve prosperity and the quality of life for all Americans. The Commission concludes that fundamental changes must take place in how the nation approaches space exploration and manages the vision for success. This national effort calls for a transformation of NASA, building a robust international space industry, a discovery-based science agenda, and educational initiatives to support youth and teachers inspired by the vision.

In February 2004, the President announced a new goal for NASA; to use humans and robots together to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. In response to this initiative, NASA has adopted new exploration goals that depend, in part, on solar physics research. These actions raised questions about how the research agenda recommended by the NRC in its 2002 report, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond, which did not reflect the new exploration goals, would be affected. As a result, NASA requested the NRC to review the role solar and space physics should play in support of the new goals. This report presents the results of that review. It considers solar and space physics both as aspects of scientific exploration and in support of enabling future exploration of the solar system. The report provides a series of recommendations about NASA's Sun-Earth Connections program to enable it to meet both of those goals.

Both the President's commission on how to implement the President's space exploration initiative and Congress asked the NRC undertake an assessment and review of the science proposed to be carried out under the initiative. An initial response to that request was the NRC February 2005 report, Science in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration. While that report's preparation, NASA created capabilities and strategy roadmapping efforts which became the object of the next phase of the NRC review. The new NASA administrator modified that NASA activity resulting in changes in the NRC review effort. This report provides a review of six science strategy roadmaps: robotic and human exploration of Mars; solar system exploration; universe exploration; search for earth-like planets; earth science and applications from space; and sun-earth system connection. In addition, an assessment of cross-cutting and integration issues is presented.

On 29 July 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which became operational on 1 October of that year. Over the next 50 years, NASA achieved a set of spectacular feats, ranging from advancing the well-established field of aeronautics to pioneering the new fields of Earth and space science and human spaceflight. In the midst of the geopolitical context of the Cold War, 12 Americans walked on the Moon, arriving in peace “for all mankind.” Humans saw their home planet from a new perspective, with unforgettable Apollo images of Earthrise and the “Blue Marble,” as well as the “pale blue dot” from the edge of the solar system. A flotilla of spacecraft has studied Earth, while other spacecraft have probed the depths of the solar system and the universe beyond. In the 1980s, the evolution of aeronautics gave us the first winged human spacecraft, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station stands as a symbol of human cooperation in space as well as a possible way station to the stars. With the Apollo fire and two Space Shuttle accidents, NASA has also seen the depths of tragedy. In this volume, a wide array of scholars turn a critical eye toward NASA’s first 50 years, probing an institution widely seen as the premier agency for exploration in the world, carrying on a long tradition of exploration by the United States and the human species in general. Fifty years after its founding, NASA finds itself at a crossroads that historical perspectives can only help to illuminate.