NASA is ending financial support for eight planetary science assessment groups (AGs) by the end of April. Louise Prockter, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division (PSD), communicated this decision in a Jan. 16 letter to the leaders of these organizations.
Reasons for the Decision
Prockter cited several factors for discontinuing the current support model, including:
- Recent changes in the NASA landscape.
- Executive orders.
- The elimination of other advisory committees.
- A "highly constrained" planetary science budget.
While acknowledging the value of the AGs, PSD stated it can no longer formally support them.
Future of the Groups
NASA is not abolishing the AGs, and they may continue operating independently without agency funding. Prockter noted that several groups intend to self-organize and continue their activities. NASA may offer some minor support, such as covering travel expenses for students attending AG meetings.
Broader Context
This move is part of a wider effort by NASA and other federal agencies to reduce the number of advisory committees. Last year, NASA abolished the Planetary Science Advisory Committee, along with advisory committees in astrophysics, Earth science, and heliophysics. The agency plans to replace these with a single science advisory committee, though its membership and meeting plans have not yet been announced.
Other federal agencies have taken similar steps, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) removing the entire membership of its Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) last August, which has not yet been reconstituted.