Principal-Investigator-Led Missions in the Space Sciences

Principal Investigator-Led (PI-led) missions are an important element of NASA's space science enterprise. While several NRC studies have considered aspects of PI-led missions in the course of other studies for NASA, issues facing the PI-led missions in general have not been subject to much analysis in those studies. Nevertheless, these issues are raising increasingly important questions for NASA, and it requested the NRC to explore them as they currently affect PI-led missions. Among the issues NASA asked to have examined were those concerning cost and scheduling, the selection process, relationships among PI-led team members, and opportunities for knowledge transfer to new PIs. This report provides a discussion of the evolution and current status of the PIled mission concept, the ways in which certain practices have affected its performance, and the steps that can carry it successfully into the future. The study was done in collaboration with the National Academy of Public Administration.Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1 Introduction2 PI-Led Programs, Roles, and Relationships3 The Selection Process4 Management of PI-Led Missions5 PI-Led Mission Performance: Cost, Schedule, and Science6 Lessons Learned from PI-Led Mission Experiences7 Conclusions and RecommendationsAppendix A Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and StaffAppendix B Previous Space Studies Board Report Findings andRecommendations on Principal-Investigator-Led MissionsAppendix C Definitions of PI-Led Missions From NASA Announcementsof OpportunityAppendix D Excerpts on PI-Led Missions from National ResearchCouncil Decadal Survey ReportsAppendix E Major Changes in Requirements Between Announcements ofOpportunityAppendix F Number of Publications from Explorer and DiscoveryMissionsAppendix G Previous Studies on Lessons Learned from PI-Led MissionsAppendix H AcronymsAppendix I Excerpt from the National Academy of PublicAdministration Report Principal Investigator-Led Missions in SpaceScience