The United States has publicly funded its human spaceflight program on a continuous basis for more than a half-century, through three wars and a half-dozen recessions, from the early Mercury…

Research in biological and physical sciences in space provides the critical scientific and technological foundations that make space exploration possible. As humanity looks towards the Moon and Mars for future…

Within the Office of Space Science of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) special importance is attached to exploration of the planet Mars, because it is the most like…

On November 8-10, 2010, the National Research Council’s Space Studies Board (SSB) held a public workshop on how NASA and its associated science and exploration communities communicate with the public…

Principal-investigator (PI) Earth science missions are projects involving relatively small spacecraft. To help NASA’s Office of Earth Science determine how best to address the challenges related to such missions, the…

Samples of Martian soil, rocks, and atmosphere are expected to be returned to Earth as early as 2015, so in 1999 the Committee of Planetary and Lunar Exploration of the…

Written in response to a request from NASA to evaluate its Advanced Human Support Technology Program. This report reviews advanced life support, environmental monitoring and control, extravehicular activities, and space…

The astronomy science centers established by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to serve as the interfaces between astronomy missions and the community of scientists who utilize the data…