DPS Mailing #01-21: Planetary Community Decadal Study Website

DPS SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – Planetary Community Decadal Study Website

Sponsors: Division for Planetary Sciences, American Astronomical Society

Meteoritical Society

Planetary Geology Division, Geological Society of America

Planetary Sciences Section, American Geophysical Union

http://www.aas.org/~dps/decadal

The decadal study is underway, conducted by the National Research Council, and
will generate a document that recommends priorities and agendas for solar
system exploration over the period 2003-2013. It will have a significant impact
beyond that period as well. A decadal study strives to present the
consensus of the community in setting these priorities and agendas. This site
is part of an initiative by the major planetary science professional societies
above to realize that goal.

Two principal capabilities are planned for this website:

Creation of Ad Hoc Panels to discuss specific issues with the goal of generating
white papers (for which a template is provided). These white papers will be
forwarded to the appropriate NRC panels and posted on the community decadal
site for discussion and comment. Ad hoc panel membership will be open to all
and allowed to grow to the limit determined by each organizer. If more than one
panel wishes to attack a given topic, we encourage them. The posted white papers
ultimately will be gathered into a single volume and published – a source
document for the first decadal report and future decadal reports.

Online forums will be provided for you to discuss specific issues in real time.
New discussion forums will be created as needed. The availability of this
capability will be announced shortly. All forums will be moderated.

Mark V. Sykes,

DPS Chair, dpschair@aas.org

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Nick Schneider, on behalf of the DPS Committee
(submissions to Al Harris: awharris@lithos.jpl.nasa.gov)