What does NASAs Science Mission Directorate do?
The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) engages the nation’s science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners around the world to answer fundamental questions requiring the view from and into space. SMD seeks to understand the origins, evolution, and destiny of the universe and to understand the nature of the strange phenomena that shape it. SMD also seeks to understand: – The nature of life in the universe and what kinds of life may exist beyond Earth; – The solar system, both scientifically and in preparation for human exploration; and – The Sun and Earth, changes in the Earth-Sun system, and the consequences of the Earth-Sun relationship for life on Earth. The Science Mission Directorate also sponsors research that both enables, and is enabled by, NASA’s exploration activities. The SMD portfolio is contributing to NASA’s achievement of the Vision for Space Exploration by striving to: – Understand the
