0191-9067/81/030201-O2SO2.00/0 Copyright ® 1981 SUNSAT Energy Council THE SPACE SHUTTLE — A NEW BEGINNING PETER E. GLASER Arthur D. Little, Inc. Acorn Park Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140 The space shuttle has successfully completed its maiden voyage and has closed a gap in our capability to sail the high seas of space. Now is the time to fix our sights beyond the difficulties which this ambitious project had to overcome — and overcome it did — onto visions of new enterprises which could result in greater achievements in space for the benefit of mankind. The space shuttle accomplishment places within our grasp the realization of plans for industrial uses of space, for converting solar energy in space for use on Earth, for further improving our ability to use satellites for communications, Earth observation, and weather prediction, for scientific studies, and for a stepping stone towards the use of limitless extraterrestrial resources. We now can plan with greater certainty an agenda for expanded uses of Earth orbits, build upon the achievements of the past, and be resolute in our determination that this historic space mission will be but the first of many which could remove the limits to growth which today circumscribe our Earth-bound civilization. There are no limits to the evolution and growth of the planet Earth’s civilization if we shed our preconceived notions about what is achievable in the future. Navigators crossed the oceans, aviators shrank global distances, and astronauts walked on the Moon. Evolution is a continuing process toward man’s perfection and technology is providing some of the tools. Today, many perceive the space shuttle as an opportunity to produce new materials in orbit and to utilize extraterrestrial energy and other resources in the solar system to improve the lives of all peoples throughout the world. By following through and utilizing the potential for expanded orbital operations with the space shuttle in subsequent missions, we have a unique opportunity to lead the way through the dangerous crisis represented by finite resources, destructive weapons, and unmet requirements. We can aspire to an ever-growing understanding of the universe around us and the place of man in it. Thus we can bequeath to generations as yet unborn the capacity to reach for the stars and to overcome the threats which appear to overwhelm us as we grapple with the exhaustion of resources, environmental degradation, and the deprivations experienced by the major portion of the global population. Utilizing the limitless resources of space, we no longer need to rely solely on resources which are under the political control of a few nations favored by geographical accident, and we must hope to see the day when men can beat their swords into plowshares and know war no more.
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