Jul 29 1975
From The Space Library
Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, and Donald P. Hearth, Deputy Director of Goddard Space Flight Center, gave in their testimony before the Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications of the House Committee on Science and Technology a preview of the new NASA report "Outlook for Space." The report had been submitted to NASA by a 21-member study group established by Dr. Fletcher in June 1974 to develop an unconstrained listing of desirable and practical civilian space activities; to group these around goals, objectives, and themes; to define R&D tasks required by potential commercial and operational uses of space; to identify social and economic challenges that could benefit from space reported data; and to relate space goals and objectives to national ones.
All space objectives defined by the study group were evaluated in terms of their contribution to national interests, which included expansion of human knowledge, physical benefits to the U.S. and humanity, contribution to the vitality of the nation, exploration of the unknown, national prestige and self-esteem, and international cooperation.
The report suggested categorizing space missions as either earth oriented or extraterrestrial. Earth-oriented programs for the rest of the century should help increase food production by improved weather and water-availability forecasting, improved crop forecasting, improved detection and monitoring of diseases and infestations in vegetation. The consequent economic benefits and stabilization of the commodity market could gain hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Other earth-oriented space programs should emphasize improved forecasting of seasonal and climatic trends, to aid in the managing of food and energy resources and associated transportation requirements. Benefits from improved climate forecasting could reach hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
The space program should also address itself to the challenge of the unknown by adding to man's knowledge of cosmic and human evolution and destiny. Spacecraft could take instruments above the "dark and dirty glass" of earth's opaque atmosphere, and should continue to carry instruments to other planets, setting up laboratories there as well as bringing samples back to earth for analysis. Extraterrestrial missions should include textural, chemical, and isotopic planetary studies and comparisons of atmospheric trends for all planets and their satellites.
Plans should also continue for human activities in space, using both the Space Shuttle and free-flying laboratories to repair and maintain orbiting spacecraft systems and perform research in space. Although the study panel had found it difficult to assert that manned orbiting or planetary bases should be undertaken in the next 25 yrs, it found that man was an integral and necessary part of the more creative space-exploration programs. If the U.S. was to avail itself of the potential benefits of space, the next logical step for NASA's manned program could be development of a permanent space facility in which crews could work for extended periods. (H.R. transcript)
Communications Satellite Corp. had received initial orders to lease terminals on tankers and other commercial vessels for communications via the Marisat maritime-satellite system. Exxon International Corp. had ordered five shipboard terminals to provide communications with Exxon tankers at sea. The U.S. Maritime Administration had ordered terminals for six U.S.-flag ships as part of a cooperative cost-sharing program between USMA and the vessel owners.
The Marisat system, scheduled for commercial service later this year, would provide high-quality telex, data, and telephone communications 24 hrs a day to ships and offshore facilities. (ComSatCorp Release 75-48)
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