NASA - ROSES 06 - KaPow!

LTSA in topical action...

And a lovely wee e-mail crosses my mailbox.

It is the long dreaded "Amendment to ROSES 06"...

ROSES-2006 is the NASA Omnibus Research Opportunities solicitation for research in space sciences, covering most of the research done by university researchers, including some competed missions, and a lot of the research center individual research level efforts.

So... here we go:


CANCELED:

- Appendix C.18: Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology.
- Appendix C.20: Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development and Mission Concept Studies.
- Appendix C.21: Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets.

UNDER REVIEW - Due Date Canceled but may be postponed

- Appendix A.5: Physical Oceanography.
- Appendix A.11: Earth Surface and Interior.
- Appendix D.3: Long Term Space Astrophysics.
- Appendix D.7: Terrestrial Planet Finder Foundation Science.


REDUCED FUNDING - Amended

- Appendix A.3: Terrestrial Ecology and Biodiversity.
- Appendix A.8: Precipitation Science.
- Appendix A.10: Atmospheric Composition: Research and Modeling.
- Appendix A.14: Interdisciplinary Research in Earth Science.
- Appendix A.15: Earth System Science Research using EOS Satellites.
- Appendix B.2: Solar and Heliospheric Physics.
- Appendix B.3: Geospace Science.
- Appendices C.2 to C.12, C.16, C.17, C.19, and E.3: Planetary Science Research Program


There's a couple of rescopings - including APRA they will only accept proposals with 1 year periods so they have the flexibility to realign (cut) future funding as priorities are established.


So... they wiped out Astrobiology.

LTSA is the only long term (typically 5 years) "blue sky" program, and the selection is deliberately biased to junior researchers (senior postdocs and junior faculty, getting an LTSA can be make/break for an assistant professor heading for tenure).

Cutting TPF-FS makes sense when the mission no longer exists. But it kinda doubles the blow to people working in exoplanet fields.

Looks like ecology, climate and atmospherics ain't none too popular neither.
The "amendments" to those, at a glance, are all substantial cuts in available funding.

Ouch.