In contrast to the NRC solar system decadal survey, which spanned from 2003 to 2013, this roadmap extends from 2005 to 2035. In addition, nowhere is objective 3, which is concerned The roadmap uses the concept of habitability as its basic premise for scientific exploration, yet in its current form it does not clearly articulate how the planned investigations will address these requirements for life and how each mission will build on previous mission results. Initial steps to evaluating the habitability of a planetary environment require a determination of whether or not this combination of requirements was present long enough to allow life to originate, evolve, and persist. It is generally accepted that the requirements for life are reduced to three basic components: (1) liquid water, (2) sources of basic building blocks (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, plus minor elements), and (3) sources of energy. However, the panel cautions that the question of whether the basic requirements for the origin and persistence of life were present at some time during the history of a planet is complex. The panel agrees with this breakdown of goals and notes that it is consistent with, and supports, the goals outlined in the NRC solar system decadal survey. Both threads connect this roadmap to other strategic roadmaps through the exploration of Mars as a once habitable world, the exploration of the Moon as a preserved record of the earliest evolution of Earth and its impact environment, and the potential variety and habitability of planetary systems around other stars. The fundamental issue of how planetary systems become habitable is addressed in this roadmap from two complementary perspectives-comparative exploration of worlds and exploration of planetary architecture. Within that context five objectives are identified: (1) learn how the Sun’s family of planets and minor bodies originated, (2) determine how the solar system evolved to its current diverse state including the origin and evolution of Earth’s biosphere, (3) explore the space environment to discover potential hazards and search for resources that would enable permanent human presence, (4) understand the processes that determine the fate of the solar system and life within it, and (5) determine whether there is or ever has been life elsewhere in the solar system. The roadmap addresses the issue of habitability across two broad themes: (1) habitability in planetary environments and (2) habitability associated with planetary system architecture. Although habitability is clearly of great importance, the panel thinks that it is inadequate as the sole theme for solar system exploration and thus it undermines the role of fundamental discovery science. A second, overarching concern is that habitability is the basic premise for scientific exploration in this roadmap. One major area of concern this panel has with the solar system roadmap is that the concept of “habitability” is central to the roadmap but is not well developed in regard to scientific lines of enquiry and appropriate missions to respond to those scientific questions.
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