NRC Committee on Organization and Management of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics:

From my 25+ years experience of having my [theoretical] astrophysics research supported by both NSF and NASA, I would strongly recommend against this transfer of responsibility. Early in my career, I was the organizer of an Astrophysics and Space-Physics seminar series at Stanford and observed that astronomers and space physicists came from different planets as far as their approach to science. I realize that some parts of astronomy have become more space oriented, and thus comfortable with NASA, but that is not true of the majority of the field. NASA grant monitors are less focused on the best science, in my opinion, and more into the scientists and programs and organizations that they are familiar with. I never had as much confidence in the NASA review process, although I was successful at it, as I did with NSF. The NASA panels often seemed to generate a fair number of random-process results.

vanhoven@surfnetusa.com