SPACE DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY 



Advances in laser technology create opportunities for 

 high-energy laser weapons for use in space. Progress has 

 been made toward establishing the technology base for 

 chemical laser weapons, and unconventional laser con- 

 cepts that equal or exceed the performance of existing 

 devices are being developed (p. 36). 



An advanced-test, high-energy electron accelerator, to 

 be completed in 1982, will provide scientific data on the 

 feasibility of propagating stable, high-power, high-energy 

 electrons in the atmosphere over distances of military 

 interest (p. 36). 



NUCLEAR TEST VERIFICATION TECHNOLOGY 



Research to provide a wider range of sensor options for the 

 detection and identification of nuclear tests will be pur- 

 sued. A marine seismic system demonstration program 

 should significantly enhance global monitoring ca- 

 pabilities of underground and underwater nuclear tests. 

 By the end of 1983, the program should demonstrate the 

 feasibility of installing and operating the most advanced 

 type of seismic detector in a borehole in the deep ocean 

 floor (pp. 36-37). 



usefulness of space flight. The 1970s were a period of 

 consolidation and assessment of the most fruitful direc- 

 tions for future research and application. Space activities 

 in the 1980s are expected to be characterized by more 

 international cooperation and competition and to be more 

 sophisticated in technology, with results valuable for both 

 commercial and military applications (pp. 38-39). 



THE SPACE SHUTTLE 



Two successful test flights of the Space Shuttle in 1981 

 opened a new phase in the exploration and uses of space 

 for scientific, commercial, and military purposes. The 

 Shuttle is heavily booked for its early years of operation. 

 Technologies under development aim to increase its 

 pay load and stay-time capacities. Planning aimed at im- 

 plementing the full Space Transportation System is being 

 pursued. That system consists of the Shuttle, the Euro- 

 pean-developed Spacelab, and upper stages for boosting 

 payloads from the Shuttle's low-Earth orbit to higher 

 orbits. The Shuttle is expected to offer unique oppor- 

 tunities for infrared and optical solar astronomy and. by 

 deploying the Space Telescope, will greatly extend our 

 view into the universe, (pp. 39-41). 



HUMAN RESOURCES 



The armed services are likely to continue to experience 

 serious problems in recruiting and retaining sufficient 

 numbers of qualified engineers for their advanced re- 

 search and development programs. Since several of those 

 programs involve cooperation with university research 

 laboratories, faculty recruitment and retention problems 

 in engineering schools are also a serious concern (p. 37). 

 The Department of Defense is pursuing research in 

 several behavioral science fields to make more effective 

 use of its personnel at all levels. Priority programs aim 

 both at the development of computer-based instruction 

 and training systems and at a better understanding of the 

 interactions between humans and the complex, automated 

 systems that underlie present and future defense ca- 

 pabilities (pp. 37-38). 



SPACE 



Space has been referred to as the new, limitless ocean. 

 Given the historic impulse to explore, understand, and 

 control uncharted regions, there is no doubt that humans 

 will seek to master space. To ensure that the U.S. space 

 program comprises a logical, efficient, cost-effective se- 

 quence of activities, space planning needs to be carried 

 out with a very long range time perspective. During the 

 1960s, the U.S. space program concentrated on demon- 

 strating both the technological feasibility and the potential 



REMOTE SENSING AND COMMUNICATIONS 



During the next 5 years, increased use is likely to be made 

 of remote sensing and communications satellites. The 

 anticipated transition of the experimental Landsat system 

 to full operational use during the decade emphasizes the 

 desirability of resolving a host of institutional issues at the 

 local, State, Federal, and international levels. High pri- 

 ority should be given to reducing the cost of data handling 

 from remote sensing and communications satellites and to 

 encouraging greater participation by the private sector and 

 by State and local governments (pp. 41^2). 



INTERNATIONAL ISSUES 



Space offers an attractive arena for international coopera- 

 tion. At present, 10 European countries under the man- 

 agement of the European Space Agency are developing 

 Spacelab, which will be an integral component of the 

 Space Transportation System, and there could be some 

 continuing cooperation with the Soviet Union in the life 

 sciences during the next 5 years. International competi- 

 tion in civil space applications could also intensify. 

 Ariane. a predominantly French rocket, has, for example, 

 been billed as a potential alternative to the Shuttle for 

 delivering satellites into orbit (p. 42). 



Several less developed countries have profited from 

 U.S. communications and remote sensing satellite sys- 

 tems. However, the existence of those systems has also led 

 to demands for a "new information order" that could 

 place severe limitations on transborder information flow. 



XV 



