During 1988, the National Research Council's Space Science Board reorganized itself to more effectively address NASA's advisory needs. The Board's scope was broadened: it was renamed the Space Studies Board and, among other new initiatives, the Committee on Human Exploration was created. The new committee was intended to focus on the scientific aspects of human exploration programs, rather than engineering issues. Their research led to three reports: Scientific Prerequisites for the Human Exploration of Space published in 1993, Scientific Opportunities in the Human Exploration of Space published in 1994, and Science Management in the Human Exploration of Space published in 1997. These three reports are collected and reprinted in this volume in their entirety as originally published.

Hearing to begin a national dialogue about the future of America's space program. Witnesses: Daniel Goldin, Admin., NASA; Howard McCurdy, Prof. of Public Admin., Amer. Univ.; Eilene Galloway, Hon. Dir., International Inst. for Space Law; Rick Norman Tumlinson, Pres., Space Frontier Fdn.; and Charles Conrad, chmn., Universal Space Lines. Also, testimony submitted for the record by: Marcia Smith, Former Exec. Dir., Nat. Comm. on Space; Louis Friedman, Exec. Dir., The Planetary Soc.; Keith Cowing, Ed., NASA Watch; Nat. Comm. on Space: Space for America; Pat Dasch, Exec. Dir., Nat. Space Soc.; and Elliot Pulham, Sr. V.P., U.S. Space Fdn.

Ever since the completion of the Apollo program, there has been a lack of consensus about the future of human spaceflight. The Columbia tragedy in February 2003 rekindled public debate about this question. In November 2003, the Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board organized a workshop to explore aspects of the question, what should be the principal purpose, goals, and priorities of the U.S. civil space program? This report presents a factual summary of that workshop, which identified past lessons learned and guiding principles for the future of the civil space program. Seven broad themes emerged from the workshop, and these themes are highlighted in the report. The report also presents discussions of strategies for the human spaceflight program and guiding principles of and boundary conditions for a 21st century space policy.

The Columbia Space Shuttle accident on 1. February 2003 presented the George W. Bush administration with difficult choices. Could NASA safely resume Shuttle flights to the International Space Station? If so, for how long? With two highly visible Shuttle tragedies and only three operational vehicles remaining, administration officials concluded on the day of the accident that major decisions about the space program could be delayed no longer. NASA had been supporting studies and honing plans for several years in preparation for an opportunity to propose a new mission for the space program. As early as April 1999, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin had established the Decadal Planning Team (DPT) to provide a forum for future Agency leaders to begin considering goals more ambitious than sending humans on missions to near-Earth destinations and robotic spacecraft to far-off destinations, with no relation between the two. Goldin charged DPT with devising a long-term strategy that would integrate the entire range of the Agency's capabilities, in science and engineering, robotic and human space-flight, to reach destinations beyond low-Earth orbit.