New NRC Decadal Survey About to Start — This One is for Solar and Space Physics

The Space Studies Board (SSB) at the National Research Council is about to begin a new Decadal Survey for solar and space physics. This will be the second in this discipline. The first was published in 2003. SSB Senior Program Officer Art Charo will be the study director for this one as he was for the first.

A website has been established for the study where you can learn about its parameters and nominate someone (including yourself) to serve on the steering committee or one the panels. Decadal Surveys typically take two years to complete. The steering committee is expected to hold five meetings in 2010-2011 and each of the three panels (Solar & Heliosphere Physics, Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interactions, and Atmosphere-Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Interactions) will meet three times in 2010-2011.

The Decadal Survey is intended to prioritize research for the 2013-2022 time frame, so presumably will have to be completed in time to influence FY2013 budget decisions, which would be sometime before August 2011.

The NRC is at the end stages of the Astro2010 Decadal Survey for ground- and space-based astronomy and astrophysics. Decadal Surveys for Planetary Science, and for Biological and Physical Sciences in Space, also are underway.