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Report of the Committee on a Commercially Developed Space Facility (1989) / Chapter Skim
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INTRODUCTION
Pages 5-8

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From page 5...
... as long ago as 1978 concluded that "there is opportunity for meaningful science and technology (related to materials processing) developed from experiments in space," although it did not discover "any examples of economically justifiable processes for producing materials in space." A decade later, another committee of the NRC characterized the microgravity environment as "unique" and "valuable," and recommended that it should "be considered primarily as a tool for research and secondarily as a manufacturing site," since "significant demands for manufacturing opportunities are unlikely in the near term." This committee also noted that access to the microgravity environment for research purposes is "presently available to U.S.
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From page 6...
... dated March 24, 1988, such a facility would provide in low Earth orbit a sizeable pressurizable volume containing standard Space Station-compatible racks for mounting various types of equipment, and would make available specified average and peak power levels to such equipment. It would be capable of operating in two modes.
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From page 7...
... James Fletcher formally requested that the NRC conduct an independent study of the CDSF that addressed the following issues: (1) the scientific and commercial benefit to the nation of developing a Commercially Developed Space Facility prior to Space Station operations; (2)
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From page 8...
... 5. A commercial enterprise, as opposed to a government activity, is generally defined as being funded by money from private sources with private capital at risk, in which the product or service is paid for on delivery, and which receives little or no government supervision.
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Key Terms

  • microgravity environment
  • space station
  • developed space
  • space facility
  • commercially developed

  • flight opportunities
  • microgravity materials
  • station operations
  • facilities required
  • anticipated microgravity

  • microgravity activities
  • space engineering
  • commercial space
  • space initiative
  • standard space

  • space transportation
  • initiative developed
  • science assessment
  • nasa review
  • manufacturing opportunities

  • significant enhancement
  • significant demands
  • draft nasa
  • nasa draft
  • significant economic

  • increased flight
  • significant budgetary
  • house economic
  • commercial users
  • station assembly


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