Ground Rules for Site Visits

SMEX Phase A Teams -

On January 15 I sent you the draft ground rules for the SMEX site visits (see archive).

Here are the final ground rules for the SMEX site visits. The changes are minor: (i) Our site visit teams are larger than originally guessed, 21-24 members (rule 2), (ii) we request you to let us know of any security requirements in accommodating non-citizen permanent residents on the site visit team (rule 2), and (iii) no video taping of the site visit (rule 5).

I assume that you are aware of a major change in the organization of NASA Headquarters: the Office of Space Science and the Office of Earth Science are being combined into a Science Mission Directorate under the leadership of Al Diaz (formerly Director of Goddard Space Flight Center). Several of you have asked me about the new organization and any impact on the SMEX downselect.

As of today, the new organization structure has not been finalized. Nor have the senior managers (e.g. division directors) been identified for the new organization. Here is what I can tell you.

• As of now, and with one exception, there is no impact on the schedule or process with the SMEX downselect. The evaluations and site visits will take place as scheduled. I still expect a downselect decision by early November 2004, and I do not anticipate any change in the selection criteria. The only exception is the science briefings to the AA by the PI teams. After Diaz establishes his science leadership team, I will discuss the downselect process with him and establish whether PI presentations will be a part of that process. I hope to resolve this issue by mid-September.
• The issue of how many SMEX missions will be downselected (one or two) will be dealt with at the upcoming Space Science Advisory Committee and Subcommittee meetings on July 26-30 in San Diego.
• Until the new organization is complete, I cannot tell you what organizational entity will manage the Explorer Program at Headquarters. However, unless my role in the new organization prevents me from doing so, I am planning on completing the SMEX downselect myself. (As evidence of this, I have already planned which baseball games I will attend while on travel for site visits.)

I look forward to seeing you in late August and September.

Paul Hertz
Explorer Program Scientist

SMEX Downselect Page

NASA Headquarters Responsible Office: Code SZ
Last Updated: 8 July 2004
Author: Paul Hertz (Code SZ)