Civilian Space Stations and the U.S. Future in Space November 1984 NTIS order #PB85-205391 Recommended Citation: Civilian Space Stations and the U.S. Future in Space (Washington, DC: U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, OTA-STI-241, November 1984). Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 84-601136 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Foreword I am pleased to introduce the OTA assessment of Civilian Space Stations and the U.S. Future in Space. This study was requested by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science and Technology, and the request was endorsed by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on the Budget. The study was designed to cover not only the essential technical issues surround- ing the selection and acquisition of infrastructure in space, but to enable Congress to look beyond these matters to the larger context; the direction of our efforts. Given the vast capability and promise available to the country and the world because of the sophisticated space technology we now possess, equally sophisticated and thoughtful decisions must be made about where the U.S. space program is going, and for what purposes. The Advisory Panel for this study played a role of unusual importance in helping to generate a set of possible space goals and objectives that demonstrate the diverse opportunities open to us at this time, and OTA thanks them for their productive com- mitment of time and energy. Their participation does not necessarily constitute con- sensus or endorsement of the content of the report, for which OTA bears sole respon- sibility. It often happens that information generated during the course of an OTA study can be used as legislation moves through Congress. A number of statements presented in Senate and House hearings by OTA and a technical memorandum drawn from the analysis have already contributed to the course of the debate. This report, the culmina- tion of the OTA process, is now a resource for both Congress and the National Com- mission on Space, which Congress has created in order to give full and fundamental review to the basic questions of charting our course. It is OTA’S hope that the publica- tion of the study will also expand the circle of those who can effectively engage in the debate and contribute to the decision process. Director . Ill — Civilian Space Stations and the U.S. Future in Space Advisory Panel Robert A. Charpie Chairman President, Cabot Corp. Harvey Brooks Moya Lear Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Chairman of the Board Public Policy Lear Avia Corp. Harvard University George E. Mueller, Jr. * Peter O. Crisp President and Chief Executive Officer President System Development Corp. Venrock, Inc. Carl Sagan Freeman Dyson Director of the Laboratories for Planetary Professor Studies Institute for Advanced Studies Cornell University James B. Farley Eugene Skolnikoff Chairman of the Board Director Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc. Center for International Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology Charles E. Fraser Chairman James Spilker Sea Pines Co. President Stanford Telecommunications Inc. Andrew J. Goodpaster President Frank Stanton Institute for Defense Analyses President Emeritus CBS Inc. Charles Hitch Professor James A. Van Allen The Lawrence-Berkeley Laboratory Head, Physics and Astronomy Department University of California, Berkeley University of Iowa Bernard M. W. Knox Director Center for Hellenic Studies OTA appreciates the valuable assistance and thoughtful comments provided by ad- visory panel members at many points during the assessment. OTA, however, accepts sole responsibility for the views expressed in this report. *Retired. iv OTA Civilian Space Stations and the U.S. Future in Space Project Staff John Andelin, Assistant Director, OTA Science, Information, and Natural Resources Division William F. Mills* and Nancy Naismith, ** Science, Transportation, and Innovation Program Manager Thomas F. Rogers, Project Director Philip P. Chandler, Deputy Project Director R. James Arenz, Senior Analyst Randolph H. Ware, Congressional/ Fellow Paula Walden, Research Assistant Marsha Fenn, Administrative Assistant R. Bryan Harrison, Office Automation Systems Analyst Betty Jo Tatum, Secretary Contractors Lewis White Beck Courtland Lewis Charles G. Bell Charles Mathews Hubert Bortzmeyer Peter Ognibene Eva Brann Nicholas Rescher William Capron Alex Roland Computer Sciences Corp. Satellite Systems Engineering William Schneider, Principal Iinvestigator Wilbur Pritchard, Principal Iinvestigator Arthur Danto Kenneth Sayre Leonard David Science & Technology Consultants Eagle Engineering Russell Drew, Principal Iinvestigator Hubert Davis, Sr., Principal Iinvestigator Jerome Simonoff Marc Giget Eugene Skolnikoff Jerry Grey Teledyne Brown Engineering JML, Inc. James E. Wilson John Logdson, Principal /investigator *Through September 1983. * *After September 1983. Contributors James Arnold, University of California/ Saunders Kramer, U.S. Department of Energy California Space Institute Louis Laidet, Embassy of France James M. Beggs, National Aeronautics and Gordon Law, Office of Technology Space Administration Assessment William Bumgarner, Computer Sciences Corp. Robert Lottmann, National Aeronautics and Ashton Carter, Massachusetts Institute of Space Administration Technology John McElroy, National Oceanic and William F. Cockburn, Embassy of Canada Atmospheric Administration Anthony Cox, Embassy of the United Wilfred Mellors, European Space Agency, Kingdom Washington Office* David Criswell, University of California/ William Perry, Hambrecht & Quist (Member California Space Institute of Technology Assessment Advisory Troy Crites, Aerospace Corp. Council) Philip Culbertson, National Aeronautics and Irving Pikus, National Science Foundation Space Administration Udo Pollvogt, MBB/Erno Richard Dal Belle, Office of Technology Luther Powell, National Aeronautics and Assessment Space Administration Maxime Faget, Space Industries Ian Pryke, European Space Agency James Fletcher, University of Pittsburgh (Member Eberhardt Rechtin, Aerospace Corp. of Technology Assessment Advisory James Rose, McDonnell Douglas Council) Joseph E. Rowe, Library of Congress Robert F. Freitag, National Aeronautics and Hans Traumann, Embassy of the Federal Space Administration Republic of Germany Robert Frosch, General Motors Corp. Ernesto Valierani, Aeritalia Karl Harr, Aerospace Industries Association Charles Vick, Consultant John Barrington, Communication Satellite David C. Wensley, McDonnell Douglas Corp. Ray Williamson, Office of Technology Allen Hill, Boeing Aerospace Corp. Assessment John Hedge, National Aeronautics and Space Gordon Woodcock, Boeing Aerospace Corp. Administrate ion * Retired vi Participants in U.S.S.R. Workshop, Dec. 13, 1982 Craig Covault Courtland Lewis Aviation Week & Space Technology Biotechnology, Inc. Philip E. Culbertson James E. Oberg Associate Deputy Administrator Consultant NASA Headquarters Kenneth S. Pederson Merton Davies Director The Rand Corp. International Affairs Division NASA Headquarters Ed Ezell National Museum of American History Geoffrey Perry Smithsonian Institution Consultant John R. Hilliard Paul Rambaut Air Force Systems Command Headquarters NASA Headquarters Andrews Air Force Base p. Diane Rausch Nicholas Johnson NASA Headquarters Principal Technologist Marcia Smith Teledyne Brown Engineering Specialist in Aerospace and Energy Systems Saunders Kramer Science Policy Research Division Consultant Library of Congress Participants in Skylab Workshop, Jan. 25, 1983 Leland Belew Kenneth Kleinknecht Consultant Manager Procurement, Manufacturing and Tests for David Compton Spacecraft Systems Contractor Martin Marietta Corp. History Office Charles Mathews NASA/Johnson Space Center Consultant John Disher Edmond Reeves Consultant Chief Astrophysics Payload Branch Herbert Friedman Spacelab Flight Division Chairman NASA Headquarters Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics William Schneider and Resources Vice President National Academy of Sciences Control Systems Activity Computer Sciences Corp. Owen Garriott Astronaut Robert Snyder NASA/Johnson Space Center Chief, Separation Processes Branch NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center Roger Hoffer Jesco H. Von Puttkamer Professor Technical Engineer Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Operations Management Purdue University NASA Headquarters Vli Participants in Low-Cost Alternatives to a Space Station, Apr. 4, 1983 Jacques Collet Kazuo Matsumoto Head of Long-Term Program Representative European Space Agency National Space Development Agency of Japan Paris Office Wilfred Mellors Wilbur Eskite Head (currently retired) Deputy Chief European Space Agency Systems Planning and Development Robert Noblitt National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Senior Systems Analyst Information Service Teledyne Brown Engineering National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Alain Perard Edmund J. Habib Long-Term Study Manager Vice President for Engineering CNES Paris Satellite Systems Engineering Udo Pollvogt Tadahico Inada President Washington Representative for NASA ERNO-USA, Inc. National Space Development Agency of Japan Scientific Section Hans Traumann Embassy of Japan Attache Scientific and Technological Affairs Akihiko lwahashi Embassy, Federal Republic of Germany Representative Science and Technology Agency H. J. Weigand Government of Japan Consultant MBB, Space Division Norbert Kiehne DFVLR (Deutsche