Background

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has a long tradition of turning to accomplished citizens for advice and guidance on major program and policy issues before the agency. This tradition originates with NASA's predecessor organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Established in 1915, the NACA became the United States' premier aeronautical research institution; it was governed by an advisory committee appointed by the President of the United States. The NACA's "main committee" served as a board of directors, and a group of research advisory committees guided the NACA's research in specific areas.

With the creation of NASA in 1958, the NACA was abolished, and its research centers--Ames Research Center, Lewis Research Center, and Langley Aeronautical Laboratory--were incorporated within the new space and aeronautics agency along with some elements of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy then engaged in rocket-related work. The tradition of turning to nongovernment sources for independent judgment and guidance survived, however, as NASA established new advisory committees to assist it with planning for its new and continuing responsibilities in aeronautics, space technology, space science and applications, and human space flight.

In 1967, the U.S. Congress directed NASA to form an Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) to advise the NASA Administrator on safety issues and hazards in NASA's aerospace programs. The Congress envisioned a continuity of membership and a degree of professional technical expertise for the ASAP that makes it unique in NASA's advisory committee structure to this day. By 1971, the principal sources of advisory committee support for the NASA Administrator, in addition to the ASAP, were the Space Program Advisory Council and the Research and Technology Advisory Council and their subcommittees focused on particular aerospace science and engineering disciplines. These two advisory committee structures, which enjoyed notable success in the approximately 6 years of their existence, were combined in 1977 to form the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) and its standing advisory committees focusing on particular program areas. The Council and its committees, chartered on December 12, 1977, went into operation with the first meeting of the Council, held on May 1 and 2, 1978.

The NASA Advisory Council and its committees are considered "internal" in that they are chartered by NASA, their members are chosen by NASA, and they provide their advice and counsel directly to the NASA Administrator. NASA also receives valuable advice from "external" advisory groups, in particular, the Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, administered by the National Research Council for the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. These two boards, however, are advisory to many elements of the Federal Government and are primarily responsible to their parent academies. Thus, they provide their counsel from a different perspective than that of NASA's own advisory structure.

The present NASA advisory structure consists of two top-level committees that report to the NASA Administrator, the ASAP, established by Congress to examine safety issues, and the NAC. There are nine standing committees that report to the NAC. The Council and its committees review the agency's policies, programs, and strategies and consider the degree to which they achieve their objectives. The NAC also serves as an additional source of reflection and consultation for the NASA Administrator on broad-reaching issues. From time to time, study groups or task forces may be asked to examine particular issues of special concern.

The ASAP and the NAC and its subgroups are agency advisory committees. They are chartered by NASA, their members are chosen by NASA, and they provide advice and counsel to the NASA Administrator. NASA also receives valuable advice from independent groups such as the Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, administered by the National Research Council for the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. These two boards, however, are advisory to many elements of the Federal government and are primarily responsible to their parent academies. Thus, they provide their counsel from a different perspective than that of NASA's own advisory groups.

Nine standing committees of the Council report formally to the Council and to their respective NASA program heads. Many of these committees have subcommittees and task forces that focus on specific programmatic areas. The full committees and the principal NASA offices with which they work are as follows:

Aeronautics Research Advisory Committee (ARAC)

Earth System Science and Applications Advisory Committee (ESSAAC)

Minority Business Resource Advisory Committee (MBRAC)

Space Science Advisory Committee (SScAC)

Planetary Protection Advisory Committee (PPAC)

Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Health Advisory Committee
(AMOHAC)

Education Advisory Committee (EAC)

Exploration Systems Advisory Committee (ESAC)

Financial Audit Committee (FAC)

NASA Advisory Group Meetings

The ASAP and the NAC and its committees are covered by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Accordingly, the meetings of the NASA advisory groups are open to the public unless they deal with matters qualifying for exemption under the Government in the Sunshine Act. Meetings are announced in advance by NASA in the Federal Register.

The NAC normally gathers four times a year for meetings that usually last 2 days. Other NASA advisory committees may meet more or less frequently. Meetings are held most often at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Occasionally a NASA advisory group may meet at a NASA Center or an off-site conference facility.

The records and files of NASA advisory groups are maintained by their respective executive secretaries. Copies of these records are available to the public upon request, subject to the exemptions allowed in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Reporting directly to the NASA Administrator, the Council consists of its chair, the chair of each of the standing committees, and three at-large members. The NASA Deputy Administrator serves as an ex officio member, as do the chairs of the National Research Council's Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board.

Members of the Council and the chairs of its committees and ad hoc subgroups are appointed by the NASA Administrator. Members of the Council are appointed for 2-year terms, but may, at the discretion of the NASA Administrator, be reappointed for additional 2-year terms. In order to infuse new people and ideas into the Council's deliberations without losing continuity, some membership changes are made on a routine basis.

Members of the Council and its subgroups do not receive financial compensation for their time and effort. However, NASA does reimburse them for their expenses. In their capacity as members of federal advisory committees, they must observe federal laws and regulations governing avoidance of conflicts of interest and the observance of ethical standards of conduct, including submission of an "Executive Branch Confidential Financial Disclosure Report".

Executive Director and staff support for the Council is provided by the NASA Office of External Relations. Management and legal compliance oversight for all NASA advisory committees is provided by the NASA Advisory Committee Management Officer (ACMO), who is also in the Office of External Relations. The NAC's committees, subcommittees, and task forces are also supported by executive secretaries and support staff assigned from the NASA program area that is of concern to each respective group. Executive Director and staff support for the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel is provided by the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance.

ABOUT THE NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL