Report Series - Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science
Options for the Fifth New Frontiers
Announcement of Opportunity
Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science
Space Studies Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
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This study is based on work supported by Contract No. NNH17CB02B/NNH17CB01T with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any agency or organization that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-68050-9
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-68050-6
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25868
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Report Series—Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science: Options for the Fifth New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25868.
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Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
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COMMITTEE ON ASTROBIOLOGY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE
CHRISTOPHER H. HOUSE, Pennsylvania State University, Co-Chair
WILLIAM B. MCKINNON, Washington University, St. Louis, Co-Chair
ERIK ASPHAUG, University of Arizona
RONALD BREAKER, NAS,1 Yale University
BETHANY L. EHLMANN, California Institute of Technology
KATHERINE H. FREEMAN, NAS, Pennsylvania State University
ALEXANDER G. HAYES, Cornell University
SARAH M. HORST, Johns Hopkins University
JAMES F. KASTING, NAS, Pennsylvania State University
EDWIN S. KITE, University of Chicago
MELISSA MCGRATH, SETI Institute
CLIVE R. NEAL,2 University of Notre Dame
NITA SAHAI, University of Akron
MARK P. SAUNDERS, Independent Consultant
DAVID J. STEVENSON, NAS, California Institute of Technology
Staff: DAVID H. SMITH, Senior Program Officer; MIA BROWN, Research Associate; MEGAN CHAMBERLAIN, Senior Program Assistant; COLLEEN HARTMAN, Director, Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
SPACE STUDIES BOARD
MARGARET G. KIVELSON, NAS, University of California, Los Angeles, Chair
JAMES H. CROCKER, NAE,3 Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (retired), Vice Chair
GREGORY P. ASNER, NAS, Carnegie Institution for Science
JEFF M. BINGHAM, U.S. Senate (retired)
ADAM BURROWS, NAS, Princeton University
MARY LYNNE DITTMAR, Coalition for Deep Space Exploration
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
VICTORIA HAMILTON, Southwest Research Institute
CHRYSSA KOUVELIOTOU, NAS, George Washington University
DENNIS P. LETTENMAIER, NAE, University of California, Los Angeles
ROSALY M. LOPES, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
STEPHEN J. MACKWELL, American Institute of Physics
DAVID J. MCCOMAS, Princeton University
LARRY J. PAXTON, Johns Hopkins University
ELIOT QUATAERT, University of California, Berkeley
MARK SAUNDERS, Independent Consultant
BARBARA SHERWOOD LOLLAR, University of Toronto
HOWARD SINGER, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
HARLAN E. SPENCE, University of New Hampshire
MARK H. THIEMENS, NAS, University of California, San Diego
ERIKA B. WAGNER, Blue Origin, LLC
PAUL D. WOOSTER, Space Exploration Technologies
EDWARD L. WRIGHT, NAS, University of California, Los Angeles
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1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
2 Clive Neal recused himself from the committee’s discussion of the findings related to the Lunar Geophysical Network because of his announced involvement with that New Frontiers mission target. See Appendix, “Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest.”
3 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
Acknowledgment of 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 institutional standards for 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:
Michael E. Brown, NAS,1 California Institute of Technology,
Adam S. Burrows, NAS, Princeton University,
Brett W. Denevi, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory,
Stephen J. Mackwell, American Institute of Physics,
Julie Rathbun, Planetary Science Institute,
Irwin I. Shapiro, NAS, Harvard University, and
James J. Wray, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the findings of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Charles F. Kennel, NAS, University of California, San Diego. He was 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 of the report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
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1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.