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Introduction
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Prov. 29:
The past quarter century of space science has been extraordi-
narily productive. The United States has held the lead in space
science during most of these years, exploring new worlds, discover-
ing new phenomena in space, and providing new ways to observe
and predict changes in the global environment. The national space
science program has amply fulfilled the objective of the National
Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 to extend Inhuman knowledge
of the Earth and of phenomena in the atmosphere and in space.
Moreover, it has contributed substantially to other objectives
set forth in the act, including the development of space technology,
the preservation of U.S. leadership in space, and the fostering of
international cooperation. National investment in space science
has produced a treasure of trained people and facilities that can
continue to be productive far into the future. It is a perishable
treasure, however, and it is eroding rapidly with the present lack
of scientific missions and the aging of academic facilities.
For the past 30 years, scientific investigation has been neither
the only objective of the space program of the United States, nor
even the dominant one. The Apollo project and the development of
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the Space Transportation System and, more recently, of the Space
Station were not primarily designed to respond to requirements set
by the various disciplines of space science. ~stead, establishing a
human presence in space and accomplishment of large engineering
projects for their own sake have driven a major part of our space
program since the establishment of NASA in 1958. The steering
group for this study recommends that the present ordering of
priorities in the national space program be changed.
The steering group proposes that, as the nation considers its fu-
ture in space' the advance of science and its applications to human
welfare be adopted and implemented as an objective no less central
to the space program of the United States than any other, such as
the capability of expanding man's presence in space. Other related
activities, such as the development of space technology, should be
carried out so as to maximize scientific return. The steering group
believes that attaining the objectives of science can provide any
degree of challenge to the development of space technology that
may be desired. This will ensure that the scientific and engineering
resources available are effectively utilized in the national interest,
as required by the act of 1958. This same standard~btaining
the greatest scientific advance for the available resources should
prevail when determining the balance between manned and un-
manned space activities as well.
Provided the nation recovers Fill access to space rapidly after
the Challenger accident, a large number of scientific missions will
be in space or well along toward launch—by the last years of this
century. These missions promise a rich harvest of scientific results
that wall significantly improve our understanding of the universe.
The challenge to the space sciences is to take a bold leap forward
after 1995, carrying them closer to answers for the most funda-
menta] questions about the nature of the universe. By responding
to this challenge, space science will also contribute to our under-
standing of the delicate ecological balance that sustains life on
Earth. Together, these advances will provide deeper insight into
the world and our relation to it. Applications of this knowledge
will directly enhance the quality of life for Al humans. Moreover,
new technology developed to meet the requirements of science will
have many earth-bound applications.
Someday it may be possible to launch and maintain factories
in space where we can profitably manufacture exotic materials.
Today, there is no way to predict whether or not this will be
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feasible. Only a grasp of the underlying science, developed from
performance of fundamental experiments In the low-gravity envi-
ronment of space, will allow us to decide whether or not these
aspirations are realistic, and, if so, to select the most prom~s-
ing avenues for development. The steering group believes that
such beneficial applications of space technology as these have their
best and perhaps only- chance to flourish if science is made the
principal objective of the civilian space program.
This study focuses on large-scale scientific undertakings.
There is every reason to believe that, if they are to succeed, they
must be built on ~ solid foundation of supporting research and
technology, and on such small-scale exploratory projects as the
present Explorer, Observer, Spartan, and suborbital programs.
Supporting research must include stable funding for vigorous the-
oretical and laboratory studies. It is these that will provide the
framework for understanding the data obtained from scientific
· e
missions.
The past 40 years of international activities at high alti-
tudes and ~ space have generated a remarkable range of scientific
achievements. The twenty-first century promises to build on these
achievements at an accelerating rate, provided the nation furnishes
the necessary resources and does not repeat its mistake of denying
itself a sturdy, redundant system of access to space. Automated
spacecraft, remote sensing instruments, and manned space sta-
tions will continue to add profound insights into the nature of the
universe.
This report discusses the opportunities for space science in
the period from 1995 to 2015. The study on which this report is
based was devoted to six subjects: (1) the planet Earth; (2) plan-
etary and lunar exploration; (3) solar system space physics; (4)
astronomy and astrophysics; (5) fundamental physics and chem-
istry (relativistic gravitation and m~crogravity science); and (6) life
sciences. Each subject was developed by a separate task group and
is discussed In an individual volume. Collectively, these volumes
set forth the scientific opportunity that exists in space research
and its applications. Exploiting this opportunity should be the
paramount consideration in the national debate on the goals of
the civilian space program. This overview volume contains a per-
spective on progress in the six disciplines of space science. It also
includes the prospects for major achievements by 1995 from mis-
sions already under way or awaiting new starts. Finally, it presents
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a get of lon~r~ge gods far these dl~lphues durlog the Arm tan
decades ~ the ~enty-Arst century.
Abe fig pages present broad themes far future sclentlOc
pu~ults and bighllg~ some examples of blg~prlorhy ~sslons far
the turn of the century. A ~w ~co~endatlons are cued far each
disciple to suggest bow these tbe~s might be developed.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
space program
