229 



Mr. Packard. I would like to know if you perceive these prob- 

 lems. 



Mr. Pedersen. Oh, yes. We have made very clear that this is 

 going to be a user-oriented facility. It is there, and one for custom- 

 ers to use. One of the advantages of international cooperation, I be- 

 lieve, is that in addition to the other things that have been men- 

 tioned here today — cost sharing and expanded capabilities, these 

 sorts of things — it also has the effect of building a broadened world- 

 wide customer base because countries investing in a Station obvi- 

 ously want to see some returns on their investments, and they 

 have an incentive to go out and encourage this activity. 



As a country that believes in the value of competition, I think we 

 ought not to be — and I was happy to hear Joe Gavin, I think, say 

 this — that our industries ought not to be afraid that the Japanese 

 and the Canadians and the Europeans are interested in the com- 

 mercial possibilities of space microgravity and so on. They ought to 

 take that as a challenge, and I think that there is nothing like 

 some competition to get people interested in moving. And I see that 

 in our industry already. 



But we have said to other countries as well, developing countries. 

 Third World countries, nonparticipants in the development phase, 

 that it will be open and available to them on a fair basis, fairly 

 priced, and we have had already, I might add, some very serious 

 inquiries from other countries, both Third World and developed 

 countries, about using the Station, building experiments to be used 

 on it, building instruments to be used on it. 



Mr. Packard. I agree with that. It simply will inject a new set of 

 negotiating 



Mr. Pedersen. Oh, yes. 



Mr. Packard [continuing]. Problems that have to be worked out 

 in terms of the distribution of the revenues and the taxing mecha- 

 nisms and all the problems that are associated with business will 

 now become an international sphere. 



Mr. Pedersen. Well, Mr. Congressman, I have said many times I 

 would rather have to deal with the problems of more people want- 

 ing to use the station than we can handle and have to negotiate 

 ground rules than open a Station and have no one there wanting to 

 use it. So those kinds of problems I think I or my successor will 

 welcome. 



Mr. Packard. Thank you. I would agree with that. 



Mr. LuJAN [acting chairman]. Thank you very much, Mr. Peder- 

 sen, for very enlightening and enjoyable testimony. 



Mr. Pedersen. Thank you. 



[Answers to questions asked of Mr. Pedersen follow:] 



