Appendix 



Background on the Committee 



The activities of the Life Sciences Strategic Planning Study Committee (LSSPSC) 

 cover a relatively brief period. Established during spring 1986, the Committee con- 

 vened initially in September 1986. It concluded its work 20 months later, in March 

 1988. The product of the LSSPSC's efforts is this report. 



To meet its tasks, outlined in the Foreword, the Committee organized itself into 

 Study Groups, each consisting of two to five Committee members and one to three 

 consultants identified as Staff Associates. Of the original 11 Study Groups, 6 cor- 

 responded to NASA programs: Biomedical Research, Operational Medicine, 

 Gravitational Biology, Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS), Bio- 

 spherics, and Exobiology. The remaining five Study Groups investigated issues that 

 reached across program lines and scientific disciplines: Radiation, Systems 

 Engineering, Infrastructure, External Relations, and Applications. Each group was 

 charged with studying its given topic and recording its findings, along with cor- 

 responding recommendations, in a white paper. The findings and recommenda- 

 tions of the white papers were used as the basis for the overall findings and recom- 

 mendations advanced by the Committee. 



The original organization and tasking worked effectively, requiring only a few 

 modifications. When it became apparent that the scope of Systems Engineering 

 was too broad for one Study Group, two additional groups were added: Crew 

 Factors and Flight Programs. Figure 4 lists the resulting 13 Study Groups. Along 

 with the chairpersons and Committee members, it identifies the Staff Associates, 

 who participated with the Study Group members in researching and drafting the 

 white papers. 



As plans developed for the final report, the Committee decided to incorporate the 

 findings and recommendations of the External Relations Study Group into the 

 "Program Administration" paper. This material included information elicited from a 

 letter sent to 480 principal investigators in the larger scientific community informing 

 them of the Committee's study and requesting suggestions concerning research and 

 development, as well as administrative procedures, in the space life sciences. Figure 

 5 provides a copy of this letter, which drew about 100 responses. A summary of the 

 comments and a list of the respondees appears at the end of the presentation on 

 "Background on the Committee." 



The LSSPSC met six times to review progress toward its final report. Figure 6 

 identifies these meetings by date, place, and agenda highlights. The first three 



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