The study is the council's second decadal survey for solar and space physics. The committee that wrote the 454-page report, led by Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado in Boulder, pinpointed the top research priorities in heliophysics for the decade spanning 2013 to 2022.
More than 85 scientists and space system engineers contributed to the study, which aims to guide the ongoing and future initiatives of government agencies, including NASA, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The report emphasizes the need for research to better understand the sun, how it interacts with Earth and other bodies in the solar system, and the origins of potentially harmful space weather, said University of Michigan professor Thomas Zurbuchen, vice chairman of the decadal survey.
"We really have a feeling that the next decade is one that really moves us from a decade focusing to understand drivers of space weather to one that is focused on the responses of that," Zurbuchen told reporters in a news briefing in Washington today.
The decadal survey's recommendations focus on the types of missions that should be pursued, and how mission planners can keep these endeavors cost-effective without sacrificing their potential scientific return.
The report also suggests establishing a new line of midsize missions -- ones with price tags between $4 million to $9 million -- and encourages cooperation internationally and between agencies as a way to take advantage of available resources.
"The proposed strategy directed at NSF, NASA, and also NOAA is one that recognizes the increased societal importance of solar and space physics, and how important it is to tackle these new opportunities with a diverse set of tools -- from miniature satellites like cubesats to moderate and large missions," Zurbuchen said.
Read more at Discovery News
No comments:
Post a Comment