An international discussion on research in solar and space physics

This report is the result of a four-day workshop convened jointly by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council and the European Science Foundation (ESF). Fifty scientists from thirteen nations attended, representing the U.S. Space Science Board (SSB) and the ESF's Space Science Committee (SSC), for the purpose of investigating the prospects for more effective cooperation in research in solar and space physics. Discussions during the workshop concerned: (1) the status of solar and space physics as academic subjects, in order to investigate the potential for the future of these research areas in terms of the training of new scientists; (2) the future plans and programs of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), and several European countries, in order to assess the potential for cooperation in expected research opportunities; and (3) U.S./European cooperation in terms of past successes and problems. Much of the discussion concerned the differences between the U.S. and European systems in the planning of space programs, initiating missions, and selecting and developing experiments. It was recommended that an international solar and space physics program should be established and that it should be constructed from currently planned missions by ESA and NASA.