Publisher's Synopsis
This is a comprehensive 2017 report on the aeronautical and space activities of the U.S. Federal Government for Fiscal Year 2016. The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 directed the annual Aeronautics and Space Report to include a "comprehensive description of the programmed activities and the accomplishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of aeronautics and space activities during the preceding calendar year" In recent years, the reports have been prepared on a fiscal-year basis, consistent with the budgetary period now used in programs of the Federal Government. This year's report covers activities that took place from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016. Please note that these activities reflect the Federal policies of that time and do not include subsequent events or changes in policy. National Aeronautics and Space Administration * Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate * Science Mission Directorate * Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate * Space Technology Mission Directorate * Department of Defense * Federal Aviation Administration * Department of Commerce * Department of the Interior * Federal Communications Commission * U S Department of Agriculture * National Science Foundation * Department of State * Department of Energy * Smithsonian Institution NASA launched a Translational Research Institute charged with researching and developing innovative approaches to reducing risks to humans during long-duration exploration missions, including NASA's Journey to Mars. The Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine was awarded a grant to develop and implement this institute, which includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as partners. Translational research is an interdisciplinary model of research that focuses on rapidly translating fundamental research concepts into practice, thereby generating tangible health outcomes-in this case, for astronauts. This new institute will expand research leadership in translational human performance, biomedical, environmental, cognitive, and behavioral science. It will also catalyze greater involvement of the broader science community in accomplishing the Agency's human exploration goals. Results or methods derived from laboratory experiments or clinical trials will be translated to point-of-care astronaut health and performance applications, using a bench-to-spaceflight model. In this way, the institute will rapidly produce promising new approaches, treatments, countermeasures, or technologies that have practical applications for spaceflight. The Translational Research Institute is a key component of NASA's strategy for reducing human exploration health and performance risks for the next generation of space exploration.
