The
Tipping Point: Avoiding Catastrophe for a New Generation of Planetary, Solar
and Space Physicists in an Era of Unparalleled Discovery
Our society is witnessing an expansive
era of discovery in our exploration of the cosmos. Robotic explorers have given
us a detailed knowledge of Earth’s space environment and its interaction with
the Sun, including the threat of space weather to the satellite technologies on
which we are becoming increasingly dependent. For example, NASA’s Solar
Dynamics Observatory, STEREO, and IRIS missions have given researchers views of
the Sun’s surface and atmosphere with unprecedented resolution, giving new
insights into the causes and effects of solar eruptions. The recent THEMIS and
Van Allen Probes missions have helped answer questions about how geomagnetic
storms, which can damage satellites, proceed and how the radiation belts are
formed and evolve. The Curiosity rover
is assessing whether Mars had an environment capable of supporting life.
Cassini is completing its study of Saturn, its magnetosphere, moons, and ring
system. Orbiting spacecraft have revealed the crevice-riven ice crust of
Europa, the water-rich geysers of Enceladus, the ancient surface of Mercury,
and the hydrocarbon lakes of smog-shrouded Titan. A pair of spacecraft have
provided stunning detail about the Moon’s interior, helping to constrain models
of the formation of the Earth-Moon pair. Robotic probes have mapped the
heliosphere—the part of the galaxy dominated by the Sun’s influence, and we are
now reaching beyond our solar system as the Voyager spacecraft move into the
uncharted realm of galactic space. A spacecraft has discovered nearly a
thousand planets orbiting other stars – many in multiple planet systems –
allowing direct study of other solar systems vastly different from our own.
New missions hold promise to sustain this
remarkable pace of discovery. A solar probe will fly within 10 solar radii of
the Sun, which will be humankind’s first visit to a star. A spacecraft will
orbit an asteroid and return a pristine sample to Earth, while another will be
the first to visit the dwarf planet Ceres. A constellation of four spacecraft
in Earth orbit will investigate magnetic reconnection, a process involving the
often explosive release of energy stored in cosmic magnetic fields that is
important for understanding space weather and the sources of harmful radiation.
An orbiter will study the Martian atmosphere to better understand the nature of
climate change on that planet. Missions to Pluto and Jupiter’s polar regions
are en route.
We stand thus on the verge of
unparalleled discovery in space and planetary science. At the same time,
however, we face an imminent threat to the nation’s future leadership in these
areas: the loss of the next generation of scientists. Many
scientists—particularly our youngest investigators including students—rely on
relatively small research grants to support their research outside the budgets
of NASA missions. These funding opportunities are disappearing, and without
this critical funding, many scientists in solar, space, and planetary sciences
are being forced to leave the field.
This trend will only get worse, which will cripple our ability to carry
out important research in many areas, and will impair our ability to gain the
fullest return from our impressive array of missions.
In scientific research as in many
endeavors, innovation and discovery go hand in hand. New discoveries require
innovation, and innovations lead to discovery. Our country has led in both
areas throughout the space age, but many foreign countries such as India, China
and S. Korea are now rapidly gaining ground. The US cannot afford to lose a new
generation of solar, space and planetary scientists.
The trend in research funding
opportunities in recent years is alarming and has already begun to squeeze out
a generation of scientists. From 2006 to 2010, there was a 50% decrease in the
number of non-mission related research grants in Heliophysics at NASA, and this
lower level has been sustained since 2010. Similarly since 2003, there has been
a 45% reduction in the number of research grants awarded per year in Planetary
Science at NASA. Success rates for solar, space,and planetary science proposals
at both NASA and NSF have fallen from typical values of 30 - 40% in 2006 to 10
- 20% now, and will be lower still this coming year. If this contraction is sustained, we face the
potential loss of half the researchers in the field within just five to ten
years.
It is critical that our nation maintains
its leadership and competitiveness in solar, space and planetary science. We ask that you help avoid the catastrophic
situation facing the new generation of
solar, space and planetary scientists in the United States by providing increased funding
to support small research grants from NASA and NSF in solar, space
and planetary sciences in the 2015 budget and beyond. The consequences of a
loss of a generation of scientists in these fields will undermine the current
era of scientific discovery, positioning other countries to take the leadership
role in these important areas and to reap their scientific and technological
benefits.
Nathan A.
Schwadron
Associate
Professor of Physics
University of
New Hampshire
Robin Canup
Associate Vice President
Planetary Science Directorate
Southwest
Research Institute
Paul Cassak
Associate
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
West Virginia
University
William Lewis
Principal Scientist
Space Science and Engineering Division
Southwest Research Institute
Carrie Black
NSF AGS Postdoctoral Research Fellow
NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center
Gary P Zank
Eminent Scholar and Professor
Department of Space Science
Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, AL
Dr. Thomas
Berger
National Solar
Observatory
Sunspot, NM