Additional information:
Download "Visions and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022"
PDF Icon (9.7 MB),
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/docs/Vision_and_Voyages-FINAL.pdf this document sets out priorities for which planetary missions should be undertaken in the next ten years.
We are awaiting the spring release of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey that will chart our course for the next 10 years. The Planetary Science Decadal Survey is organized by the National Research Council at the request of NASA and NSF. Its objective is to set clear priorities for solar system exploration for the coming decade. NASA and Congress and the Office of Management and Budget highly value the decadal survey process for establishing NASA's science priorities.
http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/division-corner/planetary-science-division-corner/ I took another look after I remember JPL and something about planetary research division. I was also thinking that NASA contracts out a lot of work which you might be interested
Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) - 2011
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={AEF75D0F-2272-7DE7-D52A-295B47C8F5CF}&path=open Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) - 2011
http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/faqs/ ======
first comments:
There are lot of people who work for NASA but most of the jobs have little to due with development of space travel technology and/or colonizing other planets. Most of the research work has to do with study of the earth, its atmosphere and Aerospace Technology (AST)
The exception may be Jet Propulsion Laboratory, they are developing robotics that are used on most exploration missions
These are a few knowledge areas that NASA is interested in
climate science; remote sensing including both passive (e.g., radiometry) and active optical (e.g., lidar) systems; radiative transfer theory; cloud physics; atmospheric chemistry/physics; physical meteorology; atmospheric dynamics and transport; instrument design, development and calibration; satellite system design; mathematical modeling, numerical analysis and statistics; satellite data validation and analysis; and computer programming/applications.