White House Releases New Space Policy Document
NOTE: President Clinton yesterday signed into law H.R. 3666, the VA/HUD/Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 1997, after both the Senate and the House approved the conference report (see FYIs #137-138 for details.)
The approaching end of the millennium, and the possibility of past life on Mars - although greeted with cautious skepticism by scientists and government alike - have focused attention on the U.S. space program. This comes just as the National Science and Technology Council and the National Security Council have culminated more than a year’s review by releasing a paper on a new National Space Policy. President Clinton announced the new policy on September 19. The policy document will serve as a basis for a bipartisan summit on the future of the nation’s space program to be held later this year. (A 15-page fact sheet on the policy is available on the Web at the following address: www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OSTP/NSTC/html/fs/fs-5.html ).
The new National Space Policy addresses objectives and commitments for the civilian space program, the space-related portion of national defense, and federal policies with respect to the commercial space sector. Although the document is referred to in a White House press release as “the first post-Cold War assessment of American space goals and opportunities,” it unveils no revolutionary changes for the civil space program. To a large extent the policy validates NASA’s current activities. It urges the U.S. to maintain a leadership role in space exploration while pursuing greater levels of national and international partnerships, and incorporates NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin’s mantra of performing the agency’s activities “faster, better, cheaper.” Regarding the government’s policies toward the commercial space sector, the document emphasizes enhancing the global competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space industry. The greatest departure from previous policy comes in the area related to national defense. In addition to urging closer coordination between the defense and intelligence communities on space policy, the document, for the first time, makes known previously-classified information about U.S. photo reconnaissance activities.
For the civil space program, the policy reaffirms the U.S. commitment to the International Space Station to “support future decisions on the feasibility and desirability of conducting further human exploration activities,” and recommends renegotiating the legal framework to include Russia along with the other international partners. In addition to pursuing international collaborative missions, the U.S. is encouraged to explore “possible adoption of international standards for the interoperability of civil research spacecraft communications and control facilities.” The policy urges NASA to work with the private sector on R&D to facilitate a presidential decision, by the end of the decade, on a next-generation reusable launch vehicle to reduce the cost of space access. As part of a strong continued commitment to space and Earth sciences, the policy directs NASA to undertake an effort to support a robotic presence on the Martian surface by the year 2000, as well as long-term programs to explore other bodies in the solar system, to identify and characterize planets in other solar systems, and to observe and analyze Earth’s systems. The document does not advocate manned exploration of Mars or other destinations at this time.
To support U.S. competitiveness in the commercial space arena, NASA is directed to promote public-private partnerships, and to acquire data, equipment, and services from the private sector “to the fullest extent feasible.” It is advised to facilitate private-sector access to government space-related hardware, facilities and data as appropriate, and to encourage timely transfer of space technologies. The policy recommends identifying and amending, or eliminating, laws or regulations that “unnecessarily impede commercial space sector activities.” NASA is also directed to privatize or commercialize its space communications operations “no later than 2005.”
The new space policy was mentioned briefly by OSTP’s Associate Director for Science, Ernest Moniz, at a September 25 hearing by the Senate Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee on the possible evidence for past life on Mars. As in a similar House hearing on September 12 (see FYI #135), NASA researchers were careful to state that the evidence suggesting microfossils in a Martian meteorite was not conclusive. Asked by Subcommittee Chairman Conrad Burns (R-MT) whether exploration of Mars was an appropriate activity for the federal government to undertake, witnesses from government and academia agreed that, regardless of whether or not the existence of life was validated, the study of the Martian surface was scientifically valuable and could contribute much to our understanding of the Earth. Moniz stated that the U.S. was “well on the way to establishing a robotic presence on Mars by 2000,” and possibly launching a sample-return mission by 2005. All the witnesses stressed, however, the importance of careful planning and preparation beforehand to ensure the best choice of samples returned.
