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Assessment of Technical and Scientific Capabilities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Community Input

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are conducting an assessment of the technical and scientific capabilities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). More information about the assessment, including the statement of task, can be found here: https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/CAST-PSSI-26-04

To inform the assessment, the National Academies invite input from interested stakeholders on topics related to the condition of GSFC facilities, workplace environment, infrastructure, and other factors that may affect the Center’s ability to carry out its scientific and technical mission.

All submissions will be posted on a publicly accessible website maintained by the National Academies and will be available in the project’s Public Access File. Please do not include proprietary, confidential, classified, controlled, or copyrighted material in your response. Comments received by July 10, 2026 will be shared with the study committee and may inform discussions at future committee meetings.

Please limit your responses to 500 words per question. Feel free to provide links to publicly available reports, studies, or other resources that you believe would be useful for the committee's consideration.

Name (optional):

Affiliation (optional):

Email (optional): This question requires a valid email address.

Identifying Category (check as many boxes as applicable)

1. Technical and Scientific Capabilities
What do you consider to be GSFC's most important technical and scientific capabilities today? Which capabilities are essential to maintain or strengthen to ensure long-term success in NASA's science, technology, and exploration missions? What areas could be strengthened through partnerships to enhance technical capabilities, scientific impact, or mission execution? If possible, please categorize whether these capabilities are considered critical to future cutting-edge scientific discovery or crewed space exploration.

2. Facilities and Infrastructure
How well do GSFC's current facilities, laboratories, testbeds, clean rooms, mission operations infrastructure, and other physical assets support its scientific and technical mission? What infrastructure investments, upgrades, or modernization efforts would most improve the Center's ability to conduct cutting-edge research, development, integration, testing, and mission operations?

3. Workforce and Workplace Environment
How effectively does GSFC attract, develop, and retain the scientific, engineering, technical, and operational workforce needed to maintain its capabilities and accomplish its mission? What workplace, organizational, or other factors enhance or hinder collaboration, innovation, workforce development, and long-term capability sustainment?

4. Future Readiness and Strategic Positioning
Looking ahead to the near future, what scientific, technological, operational, or workforce challenges and opportunities are most likely to affect GSFC capabilities? How should the Center adapt its capabilities, facilities, partnerships, and organizational approaches to remain at the forefront of scientific discovery and space exploration?

5. Resilience and Mission Sustainability
What factors pose the greatest risks to maintaining GSFC's long-term technical and scientific capabilities? What actions would best improve resilience and mission sustainability?

6. Other Comments
Are there any additional observations, recommendations, or concerns regarding GSFC's technical capabilities, scientific leadership, facilities, workforce, infrastructure, or future role within NASA that the committee should consider?

7. Acknowledgement

Your contribution will be disseminated by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as part of the committee’s public record.

As a contributor of input to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee on Assessment of Technical and Scientific Capabilities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center study ("input"), I hereby grant a nonexclusive, no-cost, worldwide, transferable, irrevocable license authorizing NAS and others acting on their behalf to publish, use, duplicate, disclose, and display my input. (Nonexclusive means that you may grant these same rights to other parties without violating this licensing agreement.)

I understand and agree that the foregoing input may be edited and used by NAS or their agents in whole or in part for the following purposes: (1) posting to the NAS website and other dissemination via the worldwide web and other electronic media; (2) listing in the Public Access File created for the study; and (3) reproduction in NAS’ print publications.

By checking the box, I confirm that I am authorized to provide the license granted herein, and I further confirm that: (1) the input is original to me and does not contain any material that would violate the copyrights, trademarks, or any other property rights of others; and (2) I have obtained or I am willing to assist in obtaining sufficient rights with respect to any third-party materials included in the contributed materials to provide the license herein, and that I am able to produce evidence of such rights, if such rights are requested.

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