Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
14 Only communications satellites have proven to be true commercial successes; the commercial futures of other space applications and of the commercial launch industry without government involvement appear highly uncertain. PURPOSEFUL, LONG-TERM MANNED SPACE FLIGHT The appropriate long-term reason for putting humans into space remains an area of continuing controversy. Given the costs of a manned space flight program, and its role as the most visible segment of the U.S. space effort, the committee believes that the next Administration should address the rationale for a continued manned program directly, recognizing that there are significant disagreements among thoughtful individuals on this question. Some call for commitment now to a bold program of human exploration and expansion beyond the vicinity of Earth. Others believe that the emphasis should be on dis- covering the capabilities of humans as permanent residents in Earth orbit and the impact on crews of living and working in the space environment. Still others believe that a large program of manned space flight activity should be postponed in favor of other space activities with more immediate scientific and economic benefits, particularly because a manned program would require a large commitment of U.S. scientific and technological resources, substantial government funding in quest of returns that are largely intangible, and political support that may not be forthcoming. Although there are situations in which human involvement as an operator of space systems is justified, the most sustainable rationale for today's manned space program is related to the research and technology development activities that are necessary precursors to any decision to commit the United States to sending humans to Mars for initial exploration or back to the Moon for ex- tended stays. Humanity's aspiration to explore other worlds, and perhaps even- tually to expand human presence and activity beyond the immediate vicinity of Earth, provides a vision that gives meaning to current activities involving humans in space. To pursue this aspiration, an orbital laboratoryâa space sta- tionâand a focused life sciences program are essential. Giving primary em- phasis to life science and technology development activities, linked to long-term human exploration and expansion, in plans for utilizing a space sta- tion provides a long-term focus for that effort. The ultimate decision to under- take further voyages of human exploration and to begin the process of expanding human activities into the solar system must be based on nontechni- cal factors, and this is appropriately the province of the political process. There is, however, a clear need for substantial scientific and technological research to provide a foundation on which such a decision can be intelligently made. Given human aspirations and technical capabilities, it is difficult to deny that
