In , President Richard M. His successor, George H. Bush, in proposed sending humans to Mars [source: Weinraub ]. President George W. Bush in the s launched the Constellation program, which aimed to develop a new space vehicle and return to the moon by , a project envisioned as a prelude to a future Mars mission [source: Wall ].
Presidents also have undone their predecessors' plans. President Barack Obama in cancelled Constellation, after a presidential commission concluded that it was too far behind schedule and cost too much. Obama decided to abandon the moon return and instead send astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by , and then to Mars in the mids.
A robotic version of Orion was launched into space in [source: Wall ]. Under Obama's successor, Donald Trump, the moon return is again on the agenda, and NASA is contemplating selling naming rights to space missions to companies. Trump also wants to end direct federal support of the International Space Station ISS by in hopes that private space companies will take over [source: Dean ].
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board , convened to investigate the disaster, recommended technical and organizational issues and set the space program back two years as a result of its findings. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration, which called for the retirement of the space shuttle fleet by , the completion of ISS, and the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle.
It also called for a return to the Moon by in order to set up outposts for potential future missions to Mars. Congress provided start-up funds for the first year of the new space program in late Although the flight was successful, a piece of foam similar to the one that caused the Columbia accident was dislodged, grounding the shuttles until the problem was solved.
But the entire crew returned safely on August 9, In late August , the Michoud Assembly Facility, where the external tanks were constructed, was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. This delayed subsequent flights by several months, while damage from the hurricane was assessed. Discovery touched down successfully on July 17, , after increasing the ISS crew to three.
Although this did not delay the next mission, weather problems and other technical glitches continued to stymie scientists. Atlantis was the next successful space mission in September On December 4, , NASA announced that it was planning to build a permanent base on the Moon, with construction to commence in and projected completion in The plan, which would shift the role of NASA away from operating its own spacecraft to relying solely on commercial companies, was met with mixed reaction, including sharp criticism from several former astronauts , including Neil Armstrong.
The agency has sent spacecraft to Mercury and has Jupiter missions in the planning stages. The New Horizons mission to Pluto was launched in and will arrive in In August , the Phoenix Mars Mission was launched. Sturdier and fitted with better imaging equipment, the Phoenix lander explored the northern Martian planes and provided extensive data during its five-month mission. Its operations ended on May 25, , when communications failed after it suffered severe solar panel ice damage.
During the past two decades, NASA has failed in three separate attempts to develop a new launch capability. The absence of a concerted, heavily supported, and well-executed overall NASA mission in the future would leave a vacuum that could be easily filled by the already heavily budgeted military and national security outer space operations. As the U. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA is responsible for carrying out space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.
Presently, the agency manages orbital and off-planet missions such as Opportunity and Curiosity, the Mars Exploration Rovers; Cassini , a satellite in orbit around Saturn; the Hubble Space Telescope orbiting Earth that helps scientists explore the deepest reaches of space; the International Space Station, which is extending the permanent human presence in space; and Earth science satellites that send back data on oceans, climate, and other features. NASA operates 10 field centers and a variety of installations that conduct the day-to-day work in laboratories, on airfields, in wind tunnels, and in control rooms.
NASA also maintains four mission directorates under which most agency operations fall. These are:. Exploration Systems —This directorate will use the International Space Station as a stepping-stone for sending humans deeper into space, beginning with landing on an asteroid and then on Mars.
SMD seeks to understand the origins, evolution and destiny of the universe and to understand the nature of the strange phenomena that shape it. SMD also seeks to understand the nature of life in the universe and what kinds of life may exist beyond Earth; the solar system, both scientifically and in preparation for human exploration; and the Sun and Earth, changes in the Earth-Sun system, and the consequences of the Earth-Sun relationship for life on Earth.
The Space Operations Mission Directorate also oversees requirements for development, policy, and programmatic oversight. The directorate is similarly responsible for agency leadership and management of NASA space operations related to Launch Services, Space Transportation, and Space Communications in support of both human and robotic exploration programs.
Press Releases - Recent. According to USASpending. Alliant Techsystems Inc. The Deep Space Network networks communication facilities supporting interplanetary spacecraft missions, radio, and radar astronomy observations and exploration of the solar system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory , a research center responsible for building and operating unmanned spacecraft, is fully staffed and supported by NASA.
Astrobiologist Richard Hoover wrote in a paper published by the Journal of Cosmology that filaments and other findings inside a year-old space rock appeared to be fossilized alien microbes. It was not the first time Hoover had made such a claim. Marathon Oil had its own stake in the project as it was trying to develop biofuels technology to sell to NASA, which some suggested was the reason Bolden killed the project.
Revkin, New York Times. James E. Hansen SpaceRef. On July 26, , NASA confirmed that at least one space program worker intentionally tried to sabotage a computer that was due to be flown on the shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour was launched on March 11, , and returned safely after a day mission to the International Space Station. In July , independent investigation panels revealed that their research had uncovered a pattern of NASA allowing astronauts to fly missions while visibly under the influence of alcohol.
According to flight surgeons and astronauts, crew members preparing to fly raised questions about efficacy, mental health issues and overall leadership. One impaired astronaut was launched aboard a Russian Soyuz aircraft while another involved a scrubbed space shuttle flight. As debate over the future direction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA raged inside and outside the agency, one former astronaut offered a radical suggestion: Shut it down and start over.
Harrison Schmitt, member of Apollo 17 and former Republican U. The ex-astronaut explained that NASA was too much of a bloated bureaucracy ever to be effective again. With Congress itching to shrink the federal budget and little to show for recent space endeavors consuming billions of dollars, President Barack Obama decided to alter the mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA. Gone went a plan to return to the moon in favor of deep space missions, while the government placed more purpose in the development of private space companies.
So NASA was ordered to cancel a new rocket intended for Constellation and begin working on going deeper into the solar system, while partnering with private space explorers to handle shorter missions. Many observers were impressed with the achievement at that cost. In general, federal users have a wide range of needs in terms of satellite data continuity, quality, format, and resolution. They often adapt to data formats provided by NASA, but express that they have limited or no influence over data characteristics see also Chapter 5 , section 5.
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Get This Book. Visit NAP. Looking for other ways to read this? No thanks. Suggested Citation: "3 Partnerships with Federal Agencies.
Page 48 Share Cite. BOX 3. Page 49 Share Cite. Page 50 Share Cite. Page 51 Share Cite. Page 52 Share Cite. Department of Agriculture. Page 53 Share Cite. Box 3. Page 54 Share Cite.
Environmental Protection Agency. Page 55 Share Cite. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Page 56 Share Cite. Department of Homeland Security. Page 57 Share Cite. Minerals Management Service.
Page 58 Share Cite. Examples of Requirements. Page 59 Share Cite. Page 60 Share Cite. National Center for Environmental Prediction. Page 61 Share Cite. Page 62 Share Cite. Page 63 Share Cite. Coastal Services Center. Page 64 Share Cite. Page 65 Share Cite. Page 66 Share Cite. Page 67 Share Cite.
Page 68 Share Cite. Page 69 Share Cite. Page 70 Share Cite. Interagency Working Groups. Page 71 Share Cite. Page 72 Share Cite. Purpose is to facilitate the conduct of scientific research and long-range technology development Jan. Page 73 Share Cite. Page 74 Share Cite. Page 75 Share Cite.
Page 76 Share Cite. Page 47 Share Cite. Login or Register to save! Stay Connected! National Application. Partner Agencies. NASA Contributions. Partner Agencies Decision-Support Tools. Energy management sources and integration into the power grid through use of RETScreen Location of energy management facilities Biomass crop selection and maintenance strategies. Improved crop production assessments Increased agricultural productivity and reliability. Improved a surveillance systems Arbonet Integrated environmental factors into EPHTN Improved accuracy and precision of disease predictions with a corresponding increase in warning time.
Improved water quality and quantity assessments Forecasts of precipitation and daily crop water use toward reduction of real irrigation Seasonal predictions for optimum vegetation selection and improved water use efficiency.
Multiple-day air quality forecasts and robust emissions control planning. In addition to these primary recommendations, others include: NOAA and NASA should improve and formalize the process of developing and communicating operational requirements and priorities. Earth Science and Applied Sciences Program. Agreement Type. NASA Signatory. Partner s. National Association for Search and Rescue. Technology Solutions to Search and Rescue Applications.
Cooperation in Water, Coastal and Earth Science. Agreement for temporary one-year assignment of NASA employee. Cooperation in Environmental and Earth Science and Applications. Cooperation in water resource management. Energy Research and Development Portfolios. United States Group on Earth Observations. Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy. Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittees.
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