Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

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In response to the need for increased external input into its planning processes, the Office of Exploration Systems of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) asked the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) at the National Academies to plan a series of open workshops on issues important to technology development for human and robotic exploration and development of space (see Appendix A for the statement of task). Issues surrounding this topic include the formulation of specific processes to guide technology development, the need for pervasive strategic planning for technology development at NASA, increased synergy between NASA and other government agencies in technology development, and the need to address the expansion of activities in space in a manner that involves the stakeholders.

The National Academies convened a steering committee to plan the workshops (see Appendix B for biographies of steering committee members). The first workshop held February 23-24, 2004, in Washington, D.C., focused on general policy issues surrounding the development and demonstration of space technologies. A summary of that workshop was released in May 2004.¹

The second workshop, the subject of this report, focused on the interrelationship between government, industry, and academia in the development of advanced space technology. Participants at the September 8-9, 2004, workshop, held at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, California, included government, industry, and academic stakeholders in technology development—both space and nonspace. Owing to the great diversity of subjects that could be discussed, the steering committee decided to focus the agenda on examples of relationships between government, industry, and academia in non-NASA federal agencies. Discussions were organized in three separate areas—Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) relationships, Department of Defense (DOD) relationships, and National Science Foundation (NSF) relationships. The intent of this focusing was to be able to discuss best practices and examples of cooperative efforts between the federal government and various stakeholders and to possibly apply lessons learned from the discussion to NASA space exploration efforts. It was also the intent of the steering committee to provide opportunities for attendees to fully participate in the discussions. The workshop agenda is presented in

Appendix C and the list of participants in Appendix D. Focusing questions provided to the speakers in advance are presented in Appendix E.

This report represents a factual summary, prepared by the National Academies staff with steering committee assistance, of the proceedings of the workshop. The workshop report is not a comprehensive report on the myriad of relationships between government, industry, and academia in technology development; rather, it is a synopsis of the presentations by individual panelists and speakers and of the discussions at the workshop. It should not be taken as a consensus report of either ASEB or the National Research Council.

This report is organized as follows: Chapter 2 introduces the workshop’s topic. Chapter 3 presents the discussion during the panel on DARPA relationships, Chapter 4 contains an overview of the discussion during the panel on DOD relationships, and Chapter 5 summarizes the discussion on NSF cooperative programs. Also, to aid the reader, an index of selected topics can be found in Appendix G.

Darrell R. Branscome

Chair, Steering Committee for Workshops on Issues of Technology Development for Human and Robotic Exploration and Development of Space

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report 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 wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Oliver Boileau, Northrop Grumman (retired). Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

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