Space studies board in support of core and cospar the board serves as the U.S. National committee (usnc) for the international council for science's (icsu's) cospar, which is an international,…

Space studies board in support of core and cospar the board serves as the U.S. National committee (usnc) for the international council for science's (icsu's) cospar, which is an international, multidisciplinary forum for space research. The U.S. Representative to cospar is appointed by the chair of the NRC and participates fully in SSB meetings, whether or not a currently appointed SSB member. A member of the board's staff serves as executive secretary for the usnc. The usnc executive secretary provides staff support to the U.S. Representative to cospar, works directly with the staff of the cospar bureau on behalf of the usnc, assists other SSB members when they have cospar business on behalf of the usnc, prepares U.S. Responses to cospar calls for information and nominations for officers and awardees, and facilitates communication between cospar and the U.S. Space research community. As part of its role as the cospar usnc, the board distributes the annual aeronautics and space report of the president to cospar officials, national member committees, and representatives. The report, which serves as the U.S. Report to cospar, is an inclusive, general summary of the activities, progress and significant achievements of all U.S. Federal agencies involved in space science, applications, technology, and aeronautics. The board, on occasion, conducts informal information exchange sessions with space-faring nations within cospar scientific assemblies. When appropriate, members and staff of the board and its standing and ad hoc study committees participate in cospar scientific sessions to present the results of SSB reports to the international community. The board that is covered by this proposal and resulting contract includes studies on questions of national importance lying within the domain of programs of SMD and relating to space and earth sciences. This scope includes scientific, technical, and programmatic aspects of investigations of: * the origin, evolution, and destiny of the universe; its contents; and the search for and study of earth-like planets and habitable, extra-solar environments; * the earth system and changes to that system using space-based and sub-orbital observations; * the sun and its history, the sun s connections to the environments of the bodies of the solar system, and the heliosphere out to its interface with the interstellar medium; * planetary science, robotic exploration of the solar system, astrobiology (including the origin and evolution of life), and scientific aspects of human exploration of solar system bodies; and * national policy questions relating to the goals, roles, and interrelationships of space and space-based science and issues of supporting technology and institutional infrastructure.