  The search for life on planets outside our solar system has largely been the
province of the astrophysics community until recently. A major development
since the NASA Astrobiology Strategy 2015 document (AS15) has been the
integration of other NASA science disciplines (planetary science, heliophysics,
Earth science) with ongoing exoplanet research in astrophysics. The NASA Nexus
for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) provides a forum for scientists to
collaborate across disciplines to accelerate progress in the search for life
elsewhere. Here we describe recent developments in these other disciplines,
with a focus on exoplanet properties and environments, and the prospects for
future progress that will be achieved by integrating emerging knowledge from
astrophysics with insights from these fields.
