Thriving in Space: Ensuring the Future of Biological and Physical Sciences Research: A Decadal Survey for 2023-2032

Not since the Apollo era have U.S. capabilities and ambitions for space exploration grown in intensity or breadth of interest as is seen in the present. More astronauts conduct more experiments in space now than ever before. Commercial trips to space expand participation in science and spawn increased desires for personal space travel. Industrial processes are being developed for space, and NASA is headed back to the Moon with the Artemis program, and then on to Mars. All of this exists because the United States has invested in the science and technology to further develop space-based research and applications. Research in the biological and physical sciences has been critical to those advances being humanly possible, safer than ever before, and inspiring. For the United States to continue to lead among the pioneering nations that embrace space exploration for both national security and global sustainability interests, it is necessary to resolve several scientific challenges that leverage or require the space environment in the coming decade. For the United States to thrive in that international competition and to benefit the majority of citizens who will not themselves travel to space, it is imperative to foster a biological and physical sciences (BPS) research and technology community that includes scholars, practitioners, explorers, and enthusiasts. This goal can be accomplished by substantially increasing national investment in BPS research infrastructure and investigators, concentrating U.S. effort on ambitious yet focused key scientific questions that strategically advance space exploration and transform knowledge of how the world works, and considering new investment in large-scale research campaigns. The past decade saw the launching of new capabilities and scientific experiments into space, providing a deeper understanding of our planet, solar system, and universe. Human presence in space enables complex operations and observations. Additionally, space experiments have changed the understanding of the physical nature of the universe, led to the development of unique materials, and given insight into plant, animal, and microbial health and productivity in the extreme environment of space. Progress in understanding the effects of extended space travel on human health has led to new findings on aging; musculoskeletal, respiratory, and neurological health; and host-pathogen interactions. These successes have fueled further exploration ambitions, with more humans spending time in space and reaching out beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), separated from the rich and protective resources of Earth. The Committee on the Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space 2023-2032 of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine envisions a future that is encapsulated in the name of this report: Thriving in Space: Ensuring the Future of Biological and Physical Sciences Research: A Decadal Survey for 2023–2032. This report sets forth the priorities and challenges in scientific pursuits that position the United States not just to participate and survive in that expanding sphere of discovery but also to lead and flourish in the coming decade, as the nation returns humans to the Moon and reaches on toward Mars. The recommendations, key scientific questions (KSQs), overarching themes, and research campaigns in this report guide the country toward that future. Current excitement in the benefits and urgency of space exploration is driven by several key developments. The return of humans to the Moon through the NASA Artemis program is occurring during a time of tremendous public and commercial interest in traveling into deep space. The commercial development of space, especially in LEO, is occurring as science on the International Space Station (ISS) invites both discovery and application. The burgeoning launch capacity from the United States, combining capacity provided by government and private entities, has fueled public interest, including the advent of civilian spaceflight participants, while diversifying the opportunities to study and exploit the space environment. The world is entering a new era fueled by humanity's connection to space and marked by greater opportunities, interest, resources, and innovation than ever before, rivaling and indeed exceeding the magnitude and relevance of the Apollo era. At the same time, there are many significant challenges in Earth-based societies, such as impact of population growth and climate change on the environment and civil organization. The success of NASA and the United States in fully developing this new era depends on the nation's ability to effectively address the wide range of engineering, biological, and physical sciences needed to explore space safely and productively. That the nation now stands on this threshold is a direct result of implementations from the first and pivotal decadal survey of this community, Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era (NRC 2011). That survey in 2011 set about the task of rebuilding the science necessary for space exploration and enabling science to be done from space to benefit Earth. The science community has indeed recaptured that vision; it is now critical for the nation to secure the path forward. This report presents a high-priority research strategy to enable and derive knowledge from the exploration of space in the decade just begun, 2023-2032. Federal investment in this science occurs primarily through the NASA Division of Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS Division), now within the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). However, space exploration missions-and especially the exploitation of space environments for science and technology-are increasingly supported by other government agencies and the private sector. Therefore, in developing its recommendations, the committee was keenly aware of the lead role of NASA in forming a hub, linking its mission to the interests of other government agencies and the increasingly important commercial entities supporting exploration and development. Constituent panels of the committee identified critical fundamental science opportunities, including those that support and are supported by human presence in space and that are enabled by this potentially synergistic public/private network. Those science opportunities are expressed in the form of KSQs that are the priorities for the next decade. This summary highlights the committee's top findings and recommendations based on those priorities.