being pursued in Canada, Europe, Japan, and the Soviet Union. The Council will continue its efforts to be a catalyst for these international efforts and to be a source of information on SPS-related subjects. As the severity and long-term challenges of the energy problems increase, so does the Council’s responsibility. Solutions to these challenges are of national and world importance, and the Council plans to make positive contributions to United Nations’ programs. The Council is taking active steps to increase membership so as to better serve the public and its members. Membership at present includes 92 individuals, 5 nonprofit organizations, and 12 corporations. There has been considerable progress in SPS-related studies as a result of the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA’s SPS Concept Evaluation and Development program; however, much more remains to be accomplished. The Council will actively support increasing efforts in the SPS program. The Council looks forward with confidence to a year of growth and continued service to its members and the public. NEWS ITEMS Office of Technology Assessment Workshops Ray Williamson reports that OTA has completed each of three workshops pertaining to the SPS. The workshop areas were Technical Options, Institutional Issues, and Public Opinion Issues. OTA is now preparing a report on SPS based, in part, on these workshops. This report will probably not be made available to the public this year. The workshops consisted of invited consultants from industry and academia who worked with OTA staff to explore critical issues and options for SPS. The workshops were three day sessions held from December 1979 through the Spring of 1980. National Academy of Science Study The National Science Foundation and The Department of Energy are funding a study of SPS by the National Academy of Science. Dr. John Richardson, Study Director, reported preliminary impressions of the study at the SPS Program Review in Lincoln, Nebraska, April 22. A feeling that permeates the study is that much of the uncertainty arises because SPS represents a large extrapolation of scale. Further, costs for the SPS appear high but are also not firm. Areas that appear to need further work include: estimates of the net energy ratio, the protection of astro workers from ionizing radiation, the microwave health hazard, allocation of orbits, societal effects, and the expandability of the SPS system to provide additional quantities of power, i.e. the extent to which SPS can supplement other systems. The NAS study is being conducted by a blue ribbon panel chaired by Dr. Dale Corson, President, Cornell University.
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