This award provides the NSF portion of funding for a new survey of astronomy and astrophysics which will address the needs of the field for the 1990's. A committee will be created under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences and charged with preparing a priority-setting report. A group of leading astronomers that was convened to consider the need for and nature of a new astronomy survey concluded that eight to ten panels would be required to address scientific areas and to provide a mechanism for broad involvement of the astronomy community. The issuing of periodic surveys of astronomy and astrophysics began with the Whitford Committee, which commenced work in 1962 and issued a report in 1964. The Greenstein report was begun in 1969 and was completed in 1972; the Field Committee started its work in 1978 and issued a report in 1982. It is now time to prepare another decade report for the 1990's. Dr. John Bahcall at Princeton University has been named to lead the effort.
