Keith’s note: NASA presentations at a National Academies of Science on Tuesday left the panel confused and concerned about what NASA plans to do with its Astrobiology research. NASA did not communicate well – at all. The emergent impression is that Astrobiology will now be spread across all of what Science Mission Directorate does (good) but that Astrobiology’s higher profile will now recede such that it is just another thing that missions do.
NASA spurred the emergence of Astrobiology in the 1996/1997 at NASA Ames. I was in those meetings and that is when I grabbed the Astrobiology.com domain. NASA has fostered its growth over the decades such that it is a world wide phenomenon. Sadly, NASA now seems to have lost interest in that leadership position while the rest of the world is racing to create their own Astrobiology programs. The enthusiasm NASA once had is now fading.These NAS presentations clearly spoke to that abdication.
Over the past several years NASA has pursued an effort called NASA DARES – Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy which sought to “will “build on all of these community efforts to produce a comprehensive, forward-looking framework for NASA’s astrobiology missions and research, fully aligned with the findings and recommendations from the monumental efforts that preceded it.” It was a wish list devoid of any cogent strategy.
I have participated in a number of NASA DARES events. They were ill-focused, not attached to any specific strategy nor aimed at identifying a strategy that made sense or responded ot the realities of NASA’s short- and long-term priorities. It was a bunch of ideas in search of a place to become something. Now that landing site is being scattered and with it Astrobiology at NASA.
The final NASA DARES report is being peer reviewed and edited and will be presented at the opening of the upcoming AGU meeting in December 2026 and posted online immediately thereafter. It should be obvious by now that its findings will be moot in light of these announced changes to NASA Astrobiology efforts.
Last week the NASA Administrator announced some new Planetary Protection Directives. Even though I was the first to post this, it took me nearly a week and 3 requests to get NASA Public Affairs to respond with the statements that they had provided to other media outlets last week. When the issue was raised today by the NASA committee, the NASA representative’s response was to dance around the topic and mention everything but the two specific directives – one of which says “NASA Planetary Protection Officer, under OSMA and in consultation with SMD will Lead a modernization assessment of NASA’s planetary protection requirements across all solar system bodies that NASA explores, and deliver recommendations for implementation by December 2026.”
NASA’s Administrator likes to collect his new ideas and reinvigoration efforts as “Ignition” activities. However, the net effect of recent decisions seems to be snuffing out Astrobiology. Team Astrobiology At NASA needs to come up with a better story and clearer rationale as to what they are or are not doing – and why.
Astrobiology will continue without NASA’s leadership, to be certain. It is just too exciting and important not to continue.
This time last year I posted something on Astrobiology.com (“How Do YOU Say “Astrobiology”?“) that spoke to the global interest that I see developing in astrobiology in a graphic and a list of words .
The National Academies Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences meeting continues with open sessions on Wednesday and closed sessions on Thursday. background info here.
Wednesday
Event video page: https://vimeo.com/event/6225722
10:05 AM PDT — Discussion of Planetary Research Program Dr. Kathleen Vander Kaaden,
(25-minute presentation and 20-minute discussion) Director of Planetary Research
Programs, NASA-PSD
11:05 AM PDT — Update from the Mars Exploration Program Dr. Lindsay Hays
(25-minute presentation and 20-minute discussion) Senior Scientist for
Mars Exploration, NASA-PSD / Ms. Tiffany Morgan, Director, Mars Exploration Program, NASA-PSD
1:00 PM PDT — Feedback Discussion with NASA Leadership (45-minute discussion)
Focus: CAPS Observations and Feedback from Open Session Discussions
Participants
- Dr. Kathleen Vander Kaaden, Director of Planetary Research Programs, NASA-PSD
- Ms. Tiffany Morgan, Director, Mars Exploration Program, NASA-PSD
- Dr. Rebecca McCauley Rench, Program Scientist, Astrobiology Program, NASA-PSD
