International Cooperation for Mars Exploration and Sample Return (1990) / Chapter Skim
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2 General Considerations
2 General Considerations
Pages 5-11
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From page 5... ...
national policy charge NASA to conduct, for the United States, a vigorous program of space activities and to establish a position of international leadership in the exploration and understanding of the solar system and the broader universe. It is recognized that space science and exploration are an important international enterprise in which many of the world's nations wish to participate.
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From page 6... ...
The directive states that the goals of U.S. space activities include the promotion of "international cooperative activities taking into account United States national security, foreign policy, scientific, and economic interests," and the expansion of "human presence and activity beyond Earth orbit into the solar system." In addition, the directive states that the "United States will conduct international cooperative space-related activities that are expected to achieve sufficient scientific, political, economic, or national security benefits for the nation.
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From page 7... ...
Between the Mariner 4 flyby in 1964 and the Viking landings in 1976, the United States obtained global images of the martian surface, made the first determinations of the chemistry of martian soil and the martian atmosphere, established strict upper limits on the presence of biogenic material and biological activity, and conducted initial meteorological and seismological measurements. At the time of this writing, however, the United States has launched no further missions to Mars since Viking; indeed, only two planetary missions (Magellan to Venus in May 1989 and Galileo to Jupiter in October 1989)
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From page 8... ...
The committee also makes the assumption, for the purpose of this report that the program will include international participation and cooperation as enunciated in the Space Act of 1958 and the 1988 "Presidential Directive." 2,3 THE ENVIRONMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The United States has traditionally conducted an open civil program of space science and exploration, inviting participation by a broad cross-section of participants from the international community. In recent years a broad internationalization of space science has developed.
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From page 9... ...
At least three space agencies -- those of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the European community -- are capable of planning and executing ambitious planetary exploration programs. Only the United States and the USSR are now capable of executing programs of the scale involved in intensive Mars investigations.
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From page 10... ...
Therefore, the committee has assumed that the gross structure of any intensive Mars exploration program will be determined by policy and programmatic decisions made in the United States and in the USSR, and that, for at least the next decade, the opportunities for other nations to participate in intensive Mars exploration will depend on the programs undertaken by the United States and the USSR; it is for that reason that this report focuses on the possibility of U.S.-USSR cooperation. It should also be recognized, however, that because of the announced commitment by the USSR, international cooperation in Mars exploration is likely to be implemented whatever the U.S.
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From page 11... ...
The typical time between the formal new start of a space project in the United States and the launch is approximately 5 years. The planning leading up to a new start normally entails at least 2 to 3 years, generally more.
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