From: Groswald, Lewis [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 4:22 PM To: Alexander, Joseph Subject: The National Academies Seeks Your Input
Dear Colleague, The Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Research Council have been charged by the Presidents of the National Academies to conduct a study on the Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program. I am contacting you on behalf of the chair of the NRC Committee, Gen. Lester Lyles (USAF retired), and the members of the committee to invite your organization to share your views on issues that the committee should consider. The committee has been charged to recommend overarching civil space goals that are important for our national interest, identify issues that are critically important to achieving these goals and ensuring future progress of the U.S. civil space program, and consider options to address unresolved issues. We ask that you consider the following topics: Is your field or sector impacted by space, or is reliant on space assets? What do you think space can contribute to your field or industry if at all? How? We hope that as you take these considerations into account, you also inject your own questions, comments and criticisms. There are no right or wrong answers - we simply want to gauge your organization's perspectives on the matter of civil space. The committee is working on a relatively tight schedule with a target completion date for its report of Spring 2009. Therefore your input and advice will most useful if we can hear from you by early January 2009. In deference to the volume of letters that we expect, and the limited time available to the committee members, we ask that you limit your responses to two pages at the most. Please email your responses in to the Study Directors Joseph Alexander at [email protected], with a copy to Brian Dewhurst at [email protected]. We are looking forward to understanding your perspectives. Meanwhile please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions about the study. Sincerely, Lewis Groswald Research Associate Space Studies Board National Research Council The National Academies 500 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-334-2385 [email protected]
