Foreword 



NASA is contemplating a future in space that would include permanent human 

 colonies on the Moon and Mars, as well as automated probes into the solar system 

 and studies from space of Earth systems. Before such efforts can be attempted, the 

 Agency must resolve life sciences issues central to the success of the U.S. civilian 

 space program. 



To identify these issues, the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) authorized the estab- 

 lishment of the Life Sciences Strategic Planning Study Committee (LSSPSC) in the 

 spring of 1986. Organized in the following summer under the chairmanship of Dr. 

 Frederick C. Robbins, the LSSPSC was charged with developing a comprehensive 

 view of space program issues related to the life sciences, recommending goals for 

 NASA's life sciences efforts, and devising feasible scientific and technical strategies 

 to achieve these goals. 



The LSSPSC presents the results of its research, including findings, recommenda- 

 tions, and a strategy for life sciences, in this report. The study is the third in a 

 series commissioned by the NAC on major parts of the space program. The earlier 

 publications were Planetary Exploration Through Year 2000: A Core Program (NASA, 

 1983), developed by the Solar System Exploration Committee, and Earth System 

 Science: A Closer View (NASA, 1987), drafted by the Earth System Sciences 

 Committee. 



In presenting a global view of life sciences at NASA, the LSSPSC report focuses on 

 programs and issues that cut across disciplinary and organizational lines. The Life 

 Sciences Division, the organizational center for life sciences activities at the Agency, 

 is multidisciplinary in approach, incorporating activities that extend from basic 

 science to clinical applications. Programmatic research concentrates on needs fun- 

 damental to human space flight, on the intricate workings of Earth as a biosphere, 

 and on the possibilities of life past, present, and future in the universe. 



The challenge for the Life Sciences Division lies in its multidisciplinary approach, 

 which necessitates the ongoing integration of contributions from various scientific 

 areas and sponsoring organizations. The value of its programs to NASA comes 

 from this same approach, designed to meet certain of the Agency's diverse require- 

 ments. Life sciences research is basic to establishing the capabilities for safe and 

 productive, long-term human activity in space, to developing human communities 

 on other planets, to exploring the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the 

 universe, and to reestablishing U.S. leadership in civilian space endeavors. 



