Outer Planets Assessment Group

1. The Steering Committee (SC) members and Chair(s) should be as diverse as the outer planets community, in terms of topical scientific interest, experience, type of employer (commercial, small business, academia, government), and other parameters. We also strive to have a Steering Committee that is diverse along multiple axes.
2. The Steering Committee should consist of at least eight members, and should not exceed fifteen members unless additional expertise is necessary.
3. The Steering Committee should have at least one member with expertise in Technology to help link science goals and objectives to technical feasibility and mission design trades.
4. The Steering Committee should have an Early Career member, who should be within four years of receiving their terminal degree (PhD, Master’s or Bachelor’s) when joining the SC as a member.
5. Steering Committee members are expected to rotate representation on the Equity Diversity Inclusion Accessibility (EDIA) cross-AG WG; notional tenure on the WG is two years.
6. Steering Committee terms should be four years, except for the Early Career member, whose term is one year.
7. The Steering Committee should be led by a Chair (or Chair and Vice Chair). It would be beneficial for the Chair/Vice Chair to have experience serving on an AG, the PAC, or engaged with other community leadership activity. The term of the Chair is four years, after which they should remain on the Steering Committee for one to two years, for continuity.
8. New members of the Steering Committee are solicited through an open call to the community for nominations, and appointments are made by the OPAG Chair, in consultation with the NASA Liaison and the Steering Committee members.
9. After completion of a four-year term, a Steering Committee member may choose to serve one additional term, or may choose to roll off. Prior members of the Steering Committee are eligible for additional terms on the Steering Committee only after a four-year separation from the committee (with the exception of the Chair).
10. Any member of the outer planets research and engineering community is eligible to apply for membership on the Steering Committee. International participation is welcomed, just as it is for all OPAG meetings, but travel costs cannot be financially supported.

Additional Information on Steering Committee Membership:

• Application for Steering Committee Membership requires: a) a two-page CV, which should include a description of participation in OPAG or other outer planets community organizations, and b) a short (one-page or equivalent) statement of interest. Previous participation in OPAG community meetings is preferred, but not required.
• Travel for Steering Committee members from US institutions to OPAG meetings is paid for by NASA. Travel for NASA civil servant Steering Committee members is supported by their center’s community service funds.
• The Steering Committee holds telecons 1-2 times per month to plan the agenda for the next community meeting, to compile findings from past meetings, and to discuss community news as needed.
• The Steering Committee produces a draft list of Findings from each community meeting based on feedback and discussions during the meeting. The OPAG Steering Committee may produce occasional findings in between community meetings, on an as-needed basis, based on internal discussion. Findings are then passed forward to the PAC for consideration. Findings are posted on the OPAG website.
• Steering Committee membership openings are advertised to the community via a variety of channels, including the OPAG email list, the DPS Newsletter, and the Planetary Exploration Newsletter (PEN).