International Cooperation for Mars Exploration and Sample Return (1990) / Chapter Skim
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5 Summary and Concluding Recommendations
5 Summary and Concluding Recommendations
Pages 26-30
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From page 26... ...
This report takes as a premise that the United States will undertake a significant program of Mars exploration, and it focuses on the implementation of U.S.-USSR cooperation in that context. From a scientific perspective, international cooperation can be utilized to accomplish scientific objectives in a most effective manner.
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From page 27... ...
All of these considerations have led the committee to the conclusion that a program of cooperative Mars exploration with joint leadership by the United States and the USSR, and with significant contributions, yet to be defined, from the world scientific community, including the European nations and possibly Japan and Canada, is by far the preferred approach. The committee considers that the best approach to initiating cooperative Mars exploration with the USSR would be a highly coordinated exploration program of independently conducted missions that strikes a balance between the two extremes of very close cooperation involving split responsibilities and joint technical operations, and independently conducted, nearly noninteracting, parallel programs.
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From page 28... ...
To implement Mars exploration and sample return, the United States should develop the capability to undertake several of these excursions independent of the performance of the USSR. Within the context of the recommended cooperative intemational program, the committee recommends that the actual design of spacecraft hardware and conduct of early missions be carried out independently and in parallel by the two nations.
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From page 29... ...
With a coordinated schedule and targets of exploration agreed upon in advance and by mutual consent, the competitive elements of Mars exploration could be confined to those areas in which they would indeed be beneficial the enhancement of the science as well as the related and required technologies. Altogether, the recommended approach would allow a rapid start on international cooperation for Mars sample return, would yield substantial economies if the program were to achieve the recommended scientific objectives for Mars investigations, could be implemented now without undue concern for technology transfer or burdens associated with interfacing and systems integration across unfamiliar international boundaries, and would allow a graceful path to increasingly close levels of cooperation as experience was gained and as the international situation might permit and make desirable.
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From page 30... ...
The returned martian samples will be of utmost scientific importance and will have immense prestige associated with them. The control, care, and distribution of these materials will be under the jurisdiction of the nation returning the samples, but the committee recommends that there be a commitment to a joint scientific research program with the USSR that will provide these materials to qualified scientists throughout the world.
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