The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released the 2024 Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) Decadal Survey, produced by a steering committee that included Associate Prof. Allison Jaynes from the University of Iowa.

The report entitled "The Next Decade of Discovery in Solar and Space Physics:
Exploring and Safeguarding Humanity’s Home in Space" presents a vision for solar and space physics to advance understanding of physics in space; comprehend the nature of the complex interactions between Earth, the sun, and the surrounding space environment; safeguard Earth from the harmful effects of space weather; and support human space exploration. This vision builds on the past decade’s history-making explorations throughout the heliosphere — the protective “bubble” encompassing the sun and planets and extending to the far reaches of the solar system. 

"I'm proud to have represented the University of Iowa and all the amazing science we do here as part of the communal effort to develop a strategic science plan for the next decade in solar and space physics. We have a lot of discovery science to look forward to, especially for those who are just starting their careers in this dynamic field," Jaynes said.

The report lays out a comprehensive research strategy and road map for the next decade that, with sufficient investment and increased efforts to coalesce and support the workforce, would make substantive progress on science questions and help achieve critical space weather applications. The survey has three science themes: Sun-Earth-Space, A Laboratory in Space, and New Environments, along with guiding questions for the next decade of solar and space physics research and beyond.

The report was co-sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.