Canadian Space Exploration Science and Space Health Priorities for Next Decade and Beyond A Community Report from the 2016 Canadian Space Exploration Workshop and Topical Teams Canadian Space Exploration: Science & Space Health Priorities 2017 This Page Intentionally Left Blank 2 Canadian Space Exploration: Science & Space Health Priorities 2017 Executive Summary On 24-25th November 2016, 208 scientists, engineers and students associated with Canadian universities, industry and government gathered in Montreal to consider Canada’s future in space under the Space Exploration theme ‘Science and Space Health Priorities for the Next Decade and Beyond’. This consultation event was co-ordinated by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in the context of the Government of Canada’s Innovation Agenda, and focussed on space exploration as an engine for innovation and a source for youth Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) inspiration. This event highlighted science opportunities and advances in a number of technology fields such as optics, robotics, sensors and data, with potential for new application developments in various sectors including health. Workshop participants welcomed this event with much enthusiasm, as they recognised that a renewal of science priorities by the space exploration science community was well-timed to position Canada for future space exploration opportunities and to enable socio-economic growth. Sustaining Canadian Science Leadership and Excellence Canada has a legacy of excellence in space. For example, Canada’s normalised citation index for astronomy and astrophysics positions Canada as the leader in the Group of 7 (G7) in this field. As a result of strengths in many space sciences, Canada is often sought after for science and engineering contributions to international Space Exploration missions in space astronomy, planetary science and space health. The previous meeting of the space exploration science community was held in December 2008, when Canada’s unique advantages for leading several promising areas of research were proudly described in the resulting community report ‘Canadian Science Priorities for the Global Exploration Roadmap’, the predecessor to this current report. At that time, NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander mission had just been completed, and carried the maple leaf to the surface of Mars in the form of a Canadian weather station which was the first laser-based instrument from any nation to operate from the surface of another planet. Canada had also become a partner in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a top priority of the Canadian Astronomical Society’s (CASCA) Long Range Plan (LRP), and was developing its largest-ever and most challenging space science contribution. In addition, Canadian community-driven microgravity research investigations, including some related to space health, were being considered for the full utilisation phase of the International Space Station (ISS). Since 2008, financial constraints have seen less funding directed at fundamental science and space which has seen several prominent international projects move forward without Canada’s participation. This has raised concerns about the sustainability of the community that have been reflected in several community white papers and the 2017 Fundamental Science Review. Science to Inspire the Next Generation of Canadians Today, the pace of change is accelerating, and Canada stands at a defining moment in a global innovation race, where non-traditional space-faring nations are launching new space science programs as flagship innovation and STEM initiatives. For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently approved its first mission to Mars, named Hope. In the spirit of the Government of Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan, Space Exploration drives a culture of innovation that reaches into Canadian schools as one of the most powerful sources of inspiration for STEM. Space Exploration captures the imagination of the very young, and the ambition, optimism and creativity of youth. It is accessible to all, in the expanses of our night sky and the sense that outer space transcends humanity, embracing our diversity. Executive Summary 3 Canadian Space Exploration: Science & Space Health Priorities 2017 Space Exploration offers three profound knowledge frontiers: a cosmic frontier of galaxies and stars, where we can probe how the Universe came to be the way we observe it today; a solar system frontier of neighbouring planets, moons, asteroids and comets as challenging targets for robotic and scientific exploration; and, a human exploration frontier, where limits of human endurance are both challenged and explored, and where humankind is looking to expand a zone of economic development beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The search for life beyond Earth is one of the most compelling scientific and societal goals. A nation contemplating such frontiers, seeks to design the future, and in doing so, creates the inspiration to push its next generation of scientists and engineers to reach further into space while generating socio- economic opportunities here on Earth. Canadian Space Agency Context The Space Exploration sciences are ‘Big Science’, requiring the infrastructure of space missions or human spaceflight for implementation, and careful consideration of opportunities to ensure maximum value for investments. For astronomy, access to space produces measurements that are not possible from Earth due to interference or blocking from the Earth’s atmosphere. For planetary science, the steps of orbiting, then landing on a solar system body, then bringing a sample back, each bring a dramatic increase in knowledge. For space health, the space environment presents physiological changes similar to aging, as well as an extreme environment for remote medicine relevant to delivery of health care in isolated Arctic communities. Industry advances in Space Exploration signature technologies, especially optics and robotics, are critical to enable steps forward, and create jobs and prosperity through technological innovation. Concerning space astronomy and planetary science, which are considered fundamental sciences by the CSA, the Canadian academic communities are recognised as the primary stakeholders, with future Canadian contributions intended to be science-driven and technology-enabled. For space health, the CSA program mandate is to mitigate health risks for future astronaut flights. The community priorities identified in this report are an important input that allows the CSA to best prioritise investments in space health in areas of Canadian strength and with shared benefits to health research of an aging and increasingly sedentary Canadian population. At present, the Space Exploration sciences are supported by the CSA with some foundational research funded by the granting councils. The existence of end-to-end roadmaps as presented in this report can allow for the kind of sustained, co-ordinated, career-following, government investment recommended by the Fundamental Science Review. Purpose of this Report This report reflects discussions at the 2016 Canadian Space Exploration Workshop (CSEW) where Canadian scientific and industrial experts presented ideas for consideration as priorities of Canada’s Space Program. These discussions and ideas were further developed by the following eight Topical Teams (TT): • Astrobiology; • Planetary Atmospheres; • Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Prospecting; • Planetary Space Environment; • High Energy Astrophysics; • Cosmology; • Cosmic Origins; and, • Space Health. Executive Summary 4 Canadian Space Exploration: Science & Space Health Priorities 2017 Each TT was university-led, including industry and student representation, with a mandate to produce a specific chapter of this report. As a result, the content of this report reflects the views of the communities as understood by the TT authors. This report provides a compelling vision for a renewed Canadian Space Exploration program. It provides ample evidence of a community prepared to maximise the impact of Government investments in space. The Science Priorities After a nearly two year long process, the community has selected a number of priorities for each of the eight space exploration Topics, with roadmaps for associated foundational research, instrument, technology and/or mission investments, and mission data analysis, that are designed to span one or more decades. The report addresses priorities for missions that will launch in the ‘Next decade and beyond’. This long planning horizon is necessary for space astronomy and planetary science missions. It is generally too late in 2017 to add new contributions to mid- or large-class space missions planned to launch before 2022. For space health, the mid-2020’s also mark the beginning of an expected transition to extend human exploration capabilities at the ISS to new infrastructure in deep space. TTs were asked to prioritise their science objectives and investigations based on the sum of three criteria: • Science Merit, • Importance to Community, and • Benefits to Canada. The task of community prioritisation was challenging and a balance approach was taken between enabling an individual’s ground-breaking idea, and providing a framework that allows intelligent program level resource management and capacity building. This balance will be enabled by regular updates to the report, which should occur at a minimum every 5 years. For astronomy, the CASCA LRP provides rigorous prioritisation of opportunities