An array of large, medium, and small spacecraft, including the canceled solar probe flight into the Sun’s atmosphere, should be launched over the next 10 years as part of a “time ordered” mix of projects to better understand the Sun and the Sun–Earth environment, according to a National Research Council report. Put together over 18 months by a 15-member solar and space physics survey committee, the report lays out a literal flow chart of NASA, NSF, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projects based on “scientific importance, technological readiness, and synergy among different programs,” said committee member James Burch of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas.
The report, released in early August, contains recommendations for programs separated into three basic categories: moderate programs (mostly space missions costing between $250 and $400 million); small programs (costing less than $250 million); and “vitality” programs that are not missions per...
