Getting the Green Light: How a research program is chosen for NASA funding

Superheroes of Science

How is a research program chosen for funding by NASA? As various scientific field campaigns are implemented, some of the campaigns reach the scientific research community and program scientists like Ken Jucks, Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Programs selected through peer-review for funding by NASA focus on answering science questions that are important to society, and that include the development of a solid, scientific approach toward answering these questions. The role of a NASA Program Scientist is to discover appropriate field campaigns from the research community that are happening during a time when NASA can organize funding to support the campaigns.

NASA is divided into a number of different Mission Directorates. The DCOTSS Campaign was funded as part of the Science Directorate (earth science division) to provide an opportunity that might enhance the capability of scientists to better understand the current state of the Earth system and to enable continual improvement in the prediction of future changes.