Planetary Atmospheres: Decadal Survey of Priorities for 2003-2013

At the request of NASA, the NAS/NRC Space Science Board and its Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration have organized a community assessment of the scientific priorities of the U.S. planetary science research programs. Community response to this initiative is being coordinated by the Division for Planetary Science of the American Astronomical Society. We will present a description of the progress made by the Planetary Atmospheres Community Panel, which has the difficult mission of summarizing current knowledge, identifying key science questions, and recommending research priorities and actions needed to create and maintain future capabilities. A comparative approach is clearly valuable in identifying the issues of greatest importance and in making recommendations that are likely to be implemented. We wish to attract broad participation in the survey process and to solicit input about key research needs. The needs are divided into the broad categories of (1) Comparative Understanding, (2) Observations, (3) Modeling, (4) Laboratory and Theory, and (5) Future Capabilities. Let us know about your opinions, interests, and recommendations by electronic mail, by posting at the AAS Web site, or at the AGU Meeting. http://www.nationalacademies.org/ssb/ssefrontpage.html http://www.aas.org/ ~dps/decadal/