Presenting NASA-DARES to the National Academies Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS)

October 8, 2025. This fall, I had the opportunity to present the NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy (NASA-DARES) to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science (CAPS). Steve Vance, who chaired Task Force 1, also presented after me, providing an overview of the task force’s process and key findings.

The meeting took place amid the 2025 government shutdown, which made the discussion feel especially timely. We spoke about how NASA-DARES is helping to coordinate astrobiology research across NASA Science divisions and mission directorates — even during uncertain periods — by connecting life-detection and habitability goals across planetary science, exoplanet exploration, origins-of-life studies, and human exploration. We also outlined how Task Force 2 will carry this effort forward toward completion of the strategy for release in 2026. It was a meaningful chance to share progress, reflect on lessons learned from Task Force 1, and gather feedback from CAPS on how best to sustain momentum across the astrobiology community.

You can watch the full session here on Vimeo; my presentation begins at 4:38:45.