Editor’s note: A National Research Council Assessment of NASA’s Astrophysics Program will be released on Wednesday, 7 Feb. at 4:00 pm EST. This congressionally mandated report assesses the strategies, goals, and priorities of NASA’s program to study celestial objects and the physical laws that govern the universe. The report identifies ways NASA can reduce mission costs and boost the diversity of its missions.

Biologist, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Biologist and Payload integrator, Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, Lapsed climber, Explorer, Synaesthete, Former Challenger Center board member 🖖🏻