Every 10 years, US astronomers have to make some tough decisions. Outlined in a plan called the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics, a set of studies produced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, these decisions determine the next decade's scientific priorities for the field. The Decadal Survey has set the stage for big leaps in space exploration since the early 1960s. The seventh report, called Astro2020, is expected at the end of this month. Scientific communities, funding institutions, and even Congress refer to these reports to make decisions about where to invest time and money.

Science funding agencies (NASA, DOE, and NSF), the science community, and the US taxpayer have all benefited enormously from the several-decade series of National Academies Decadal Surveys. These Surveys are one of the primary means whereby these agencies may align multi-year strategic priorities and funding to guide the scientific community. They comprise highly regarded subject matter experts whose goal is to develop a set of science and program priorities that are recommended for major investments in the subsequent 10 years. They do this using both their own professional knowledge and by synthesizing details from many thousands of existing and solicited documents. Congress, the relevant funding agencies, and the scientific community have placed great respect and value on these recommendations.