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2 Goals for U.S. Civil Space Activities
Pages 15-48

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From page 15...
... In the 21st century, civil space activities affect our daily lives and also advance the national interest in a variety of ways. Space systems play integral roles in government, business, and personal communications, positioning, and navigation; in weather monitoring and forecasting; in producing remote-sensing information for agriculture, urban land-use planning, and natural resources management; in commercial enterprises that are becoming increasingly significant factors in global economic competitiveness; and in opening new windows on humanity's place in the cosmos.
From page 16...
... Space activities provide economic opportunities, stimulate innovation, and support services that improve the quality of life.
From page 17...
... civil space program and will serve as a basis for achieving the sixth goal, which is of particular importance: • To enhance U.S. global strategic leadership through leadership in civil space activities.
From page 18...
... protection of Earth and its inhabitants through the use of space research and technology. By achieving this goal, the United States and its international partners will • Establish a comprehensive satellite Earth observation system, and the links to ground-based observing and information networks, that provide The data necessary to understand Earth's changing climate and to predict its regional consequences, Reliable predictions of weather throughout the world, and Comprehensive satellite observations of society's use of Earth and of the natural phenomena that can affect our environment;
From page 19...
... Climate Perhaps the single most important task that can be assigned to the U.S. civil space program is to provide observations of Earth from the vantage point of space.
From page 20...
... Understanding the properties of near-Earth asteroids, how they are likely to behave upon impact, their locations and likelihood of collision with Earth, and options for mitigation are essential tasks for the U.S. civil space program.
From page 21...
... civil space program is to sustain U.S. leadership in science by seeking knowledge of the universe and searching for life beyond Earth.
From page 22...
... By achieving this goal, the U.S. civil space program will  • Dramatically extend the understanding of the origins, evolution, and destiny of our star -- the Sun -- our solar system, and the universe, and of the physical laws that govern them;  • Use unique opportunities in space to discover and understand life elsewhere and extend our understanding of life here on Earth; and • Share the knowledge that enriches our understanding of our place in the universe with all of humankind.
From page 23...
... The ability to observe gravitational wavesripples in spacetime itselfwill open a revolutionary new window on the universe, observing many phenomena that cannot be detected directly with traditional telescopes. Observational evidence for dark matter and dark energy, for which scientists have no current explanation, shows that the laws of physics as they developed in the 20th century are not complete, and further investigation is necessary. The civil space program supports research vital to answering a number of open questions about the nature of the universe and the physical laws that govern it.
From page 24...
... 24 AMERICA'S FUTURE IN SPACE BOX 2.1 Seeing Titan Up Close In the 1990s, Saturn's moon Titan appeared to be little more than a fuzzy yellow ball when observed with the best ground-based telescopes. The radar on the Cassini spacecraft penetrated Titan's dense atmosphere and revealed river valleys feeding into apparent lakes, which the spacecraft's infrared detec tors then determined to be at least partly composed of liquid methane and ethane (Figure 2.1.1)
From page 26...
... The opportunity for careful investigation of samples returned to Earth from Mars, Europa, Enceladus, and other sites that seem to offer a hope of having life is a major rationale for supporting an active space exploration program. If life is not found on such bodies, that too would provide a valuable perspective on the uniqueness of biological systems on Earth.
From page 27...
... Nations that seek to be among the leaders in human space exploration do so in order to increase their competence in technical fields and to gain the respect of others. In short, human spaceflight creates a perception of national leadership.
From page 28...
... The United States associates human spaceflight with the cultural theme of the frontier, as reflected in the President's Scientific Advisory Council's 1958 rationale for space exploration, Introduction to Outer Space, which stated, "Since man is such an adventurous creature, there will undoubtedly come a time when he can no longer resist going out and seeing for himself." Russia, China, and other nations also connect the appeal of human spaceflight to cultural themes expressed in literature and mythology that link human spaceflight with a vision of the future. Today, telerobotic spacecraft are the only explorers of other solar system objects.
From page 29...
... Such results could include achievement of a fundamentally new understanding or perspectives, or development of an essential new enabling capability that leads to an opportunity to visit and observe some new location. Meeting a high standard for performance can ensure that the human spaceflight program in the United States is able to be a leader among the nations with human spaceflight capability and that human spaceflight can serve the broad needs of the nation for technology development, economic growth, and inspirationfundamental components of the nation's strategic leadership.
From page 30...
... (and global) economy currently enjoys significant direct and indirect economic benefits from space activities.
From page 31...
... The critical scientific or technical breakthroughs that are possible, and in some cases necessary, and b. How a vibrant space program can be achieved by selecting from an array of approaches to realizing potential breakthroughs across the full spectrum of NASA's goals.
From page 32...
... as a larger pyramid of economic activity depends on the space industrial base's products. At the next tier, and at about $80 billion per year, the satellite-based services portion of the space economy is twice the size of the space-related manufacturing sector.
From page 33...
... The newly developing area where the value-added of satellitebased infrastructure is being demonstrated is in the delivery of broadband Internet access. Connectivity to the Internet or other large data networks in geographically remote locations is being made possible by space infrastructure.
From page 34...
... An area of increasing concern, monitoring severe space weather events will become vital as society relies increasingly on technologies that are vulnerable to these events. In the third and largest tier of economic activity are industries that rely on or utilize the space infrastructure that is in place.
From page 35...
... Commercial human spaceflight activities began in 1990 with the flight of a Japanese journalist via Soyuz to Mir. The first of seven paid flights on Russian vehicles to the ISS occurred in 2001, and private spaceflight continued with suborbital test flights above the defined edge of space, 100 km, in 2004.
From page 36...
... While the human space exploration program should not be justified based on the prospect of advances in these areas, a vigorous U.S. civil space program whose priorities are determined by assessing where it can lead to transformative scientific or technical outcomes will become a leading-edge driver and consumer of these technologies.
From page 37...
... global economic competitiveness. INSPIRE CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS Space activities provide an opportunity to excite interest in science and engineering among young people and to promote scientific and technical literacy in the general public.
From page 38...
... The importance of the civil space program transcends the generation gap .
From page 39...
... civil space activities. The broad array of enabling technologies required for successful space activities today and for future space missions encompasses robotics, advanced materials, advanced communications, advanced propulsion and power systems, biomedical sciences, and many more (Figure 2.7)
From page 40...
... civil space program. Furthermore, a reputation for competence 17  See National Research Council, NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2008, for specific recommendations about NASA education programs.
From page 41...
... in executing space missions that advance the frontier is likely to help attract talented foreign nationals to study and work in the United States, as well as to inspire our own students to enter technical fields. Spirit of Optimism Civil space activities also can exert an influence in building citizens' confidence in a brighter future.
From page 42...
... global strategic leadership through leadership in civil space activities.
From page 43...
... civil space program will • Establish, exercise, and sustain global space leadership as an essential tool for U.S. global strategic leadership; • Actively pursue and expand international partnerships; and • Create a robust and safe space-operating regime and ensure that space becomes a more productive global commons for science, commerce, and other activities.
From page 44...
... The United States has an opportunity to work cooperatively with other nations to protect its interests in space, but a strong and active civil space program is necessary to accomplish this goal. 18  Global commons are assets that are not owned by anyone but are central to life and used for the good of all.
From page 45...
... It is in the U.S. national interest to actively conduct leading-edge human and robotic civil space activities that set positive legal and convention precedents; to exert technical and diplomatic leadership in the evolution of space stewardship systems, rules, and organizations; and to ensure that space continues to be a productive global commons for science, commerce, and other lawful activities.
From page 46...
... civil space efforts -- Earth stewardship, advancing scientific knowledge, expansion of the frontiers of human spaceflight, and provision of technology, economic, and societal benefits -- are
From page 47...
... The number of objects in Earth orbit has increased steadily (by 200 per year on average) as more nations develop space programs.
From page 48...
... Sufficient human resources and research infrastructure -- including public and private institutions and world-class research facilities -- need to be maintained to enable the nation to ramp up selected space activities within 1 or 2 years as national needs change or as major unexpected scientific or technical breakthroughs occur. The committee's proposed fifth goalinspiring current and future generationslinks the program goals with people who support the civil space program.


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