NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 19930013418: Space Station Freedom Utilization Conference: Executive summary

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by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

N93-22607
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SPACESTATIONFREEDOMUTILIZATIONCONFERENCE
Introduction
concurrent Space Station Freedom Payload
Data Services Workshop. The attendees
From August 3-6, 1992, Space Station Freedom included approximately 100 researchers and
Program (SSFP) representatives and prospec- 100 experiment hardware developers.
tive Space Station Freedom researchers
gathered at the Von Braun Civic Center in The conference featured more than three
Huntsville, Alabama, for NASA's first annual dozen exhibits sponsored by private compa-
Space Station Freedom (SSF) Utilization nies, NASA offices, and foreign space agen-
Conference. cies. The exhibits included mock-ups of
hardware and potential experiments and
Conference Chairman John-David Bartoe, Director provided information on equipment and
of User Integration for the Spacelab/Space Station services available to researchers on Space
Utilization Program in NASA's Office of Space Station Freedom. (See List of Exhibitors,
Flight, told attendees that the purpose of the Appendix C.)
conference was to bring together prospective
space station researchers and the people in In a keynote address to participants, NASA
NASA and industry with whom they would Administrator Daniel GoIdin said the conference
be working to exchange information and was a needed and timely effort to spur the
discuss plans and opportunities for space development of a space station research
station research. community. Freedom should be thought of as
an international research center in space
The conference was the first annual meeting J where researchers will be able to share
that NASA organized for space station facilities to do basic research in such disci-
researchers. Almost 700 people attended, plines as materials processing and biotechnol-
including 500 who participated in the utiliza- ogy. Moreover, it will allow scientists to
tion conference and 200 who participated in a perform life sciences research necessary for
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SPACE STATION FREEDOM UTILIZATION CONFERENCE
missions to the Moon and Mars. He urged NASA officials told attendees that the first
those in attendance to spread the word about research initiatives on Space Station Freedom
research opportunities on Freedom, with the may be flying just five years from now.
aim of doubling or tripling the number of Investigators associated with the Spacelab Life
researchers at next year's utilization confer- Sciences 1(SLS-1) mission launched on the
ence. Space Shuttle in June 1991 and the U.S.
Microgravity Laboratory I (USML-1) mission
In plenary and splinter sessions, speakers launched in June 1992 spoke at the conference.
described space station capabilities, plans and They reported on the results of space station
opportunities for research. Freedom will precursor experiments in life sciences and
accommodate experiments in its laboratory materials processing that were conducted on
modules and observational payloads mounted these flights. Crew members of other Space
external to the modules. It will provide Shuttle missions dedicated to science told
researchers access to the microgravity envi- researchers how to make the most of human
ronment of space, with resources such as presence in orbit.
power, communications and crew time to
perform experiments. In addition, laboratory NASA officials explained the kinds of research
support equipment such as refrigerators and that the agency's various "user" organizations
gloveboxes will be available to support support, so that prospective space station
experiments. NASA research organizations researchers could determine where to seek
also will be developing facilities that will sponsorship. These organizations -- the
support a broad range of research. Such NASA program offices that sponsor space-
facilities include the Fluid Physics Dynamics based research -- are the Office of Aeronau-
Facility, Advanced Protein Crystal Growth tics and Space Technology, Office of Commer-
Facility and a2.5meter Life Sciences Centrifuge. cial Programs, Office of Space Flight, and
Office of Space Science and Applications.
Opportunities for flying space station precur- Representatives of these organizations
sor experiments were also detailed -- for explained how NASA announces research
instance, Get Away Special payloads, the opportunities and how researchers obtain
Office of Commercial Programs' Wakeshield sponsorship.
Facility for high-vacuum research, Spacelab
missions, and the Office of Aeronautics and Representatives of the international partners
Space Technology's In-Space Technology in Space Station Freedom -- the Canadian
Experiment Program (IN-STEP). Researchers Space Agency, European Space Agency, and
with space flight experience described what it National Space Development Agency of Japan
is like to work in space and what kinds of -- told conference attendees about their plans
services crew members can offer to investiga- for research on Freedom. These presentations
tors.
made it clear that international cooperation in
space research is not an option; itis a given.
WelcomLeunch
"We're building the space station for you."
This conference theme was articulated by
Spacelab/Space Station Utilization D&isiotl
Director Robert Parker ofNASA's Office ofSpace
Flight.
Now is the right time for members of the
research community to gather together and
discuss what they want to do and how they
want to do it, NASA Associate Administrator for
Space Systems Development Arnold Aldrich told
attendees. Aldrich discussed NASA's plans
ParticipantsenjoyedtheWelcomeLunch. for extended-duration (up to 14 days) and
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
long-duration (14-28 days) Space Shuttle (Ohio), and Kennedy Space Center's Space
missions that will serve as space station Station Processing Facility (Florida).
precursor missions.
In Fiscal Year 1988, Congress appropriated
Plans are now in the works for joint U.S.- only half of the funds that NASA requested
Russian missions in space, including the flight for the space station program ($393 million vs.
of a U.S. astronaut on a long-duration mission $767 million). In FY 89, NASA sought $967
to the Russian space station Mir. He also
reported that NASA is considering the
purchase of Russian Soyuz spacecraft used to
transport crews to and from the Mir space
station. These spacecraft could serve as
Assured Crew Return Vehicles (ACRVs), or
"lifeboats," for Space Station Freedom crews.
Session1:OverviewandResearch
Capabilities
Space Station Freedom Director Richard
Kohrs, Office of Space Systems Development,
NASA Headquarters:
NASA field centers and contractors are
organized to develop "work packages" for
Space Station Freedom. Marshall Space Flight
Center and Boeing are building the U.S.
laboratory and habitation modules, nodes, OpeningPlenarySpeakers:RobertMoorehead,RobertPhillips,John-David
BartoeandRichardKohrs.
and environmental control and life support
system; Johnson Space Center and McDonnell
Douglas are responsible for truss structure, million for the program, and Congress
data management, propulsion systems, appropriated $900 million. NASA's FY 90
thermal control, and communications and request was $2.05 billion compared to an
guidance; Lewis Research Center and appropriation of $1.75 billion; the FY 91
Rocketdyne are developing the power system. request was $2.45 billion, and the appropria-
tion was $1.9 billion.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is contrib-
uting a Mobile Servicing Center, Special After NASA restructured the Space Station
Dextrous Manipulator, and Mobile Servicing Freedom program in response to directions
Center Maintenance Depot. The National from Congress, the agency's full budget
Space Development Agency of Japan request of $2.029 billion for Space Station
(NASDA) is contributing aJapanese Experi- Freedom in FY 92 was appropriated. For FY
ment Module (JEM), which includes a pres- 93, NASA is seeking $2.25 billion for the
surized module, logistics module, and program; the planned budget for FY 94 is $2.5
exposed experiment facility. And the Euro- billion. Further alterations to the hardware
pean Space Agency (ESA) is contributing the configuration for Freedom would be a serious
Columbus laboratory module. setback; NASA intends "to stick with the
current baseline" and continue planning for
NASA ground facilities that are now in utilization.
various stages of development to support
Space Station Freedom include: Marshall Space Station Freedom Program and Opera-
Space Flight Center's Payload Operations tions Deputy Director Robert Moorehead,
Integration Center and Payload Training Office of Space Systems Development, NASA
Complex (Alabama), Johnson Space Center's Headquarters:
Space Station Control Center and Space NASA's plan for building up space-based
Station Training Facility (Texas), Lewis research capabilities begins with extended-
Research Center's Power System Facility duration Space Shuttle missions that will
O'_IGtNAL PAGE
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SPACE STATION FREEDOM UTILtZA TtON CONFERENCE
Thermal Control System Radiator
ESAAttached
Pressurized
Communications Module
Antenna
Power Module Radiator
\
Node
Pre-lntegrated
Truss Japanese
Module
Center
U.S. Laboraton/
Module Propulsion
Pressurized Module
Docking Resource Node
Solar Array
Adapters
Pressurized Logistics
Module
PermanentlyMannedCapability(PMC).
double the research capability currently package design reviews will take place from
provided by Spacelab and culminate in Space February to April 1993, followed by a systems
Station Freedom. The 14-day USML 1mission CDR.
flown on the Space Shuttle in June 1992 was a
space station precursor mission, dedicated to Space Station Freedom Program Chief
microgravity and life science research. Scientist, Robert Phillips, Office of Space
Systems Development, NASA Headquarters:
Freedom will be a permanent space-based NASA has allocated research accommoda-
research facility, providing a working envi- tions on Freedom (equipment, utilities, etc.) to
ronment nearly free of buoyancy-driven the program offices that sponsor space-based
convection, sedimentation, and hydrostatic research and development as follows: Space
pressure and featuring access to the ultra-high Science and Applications (OSSA) -- 52
vacuum of space (for external payloads). In its percent, Commercial Programs (OCP) -- 28
crew-tended phase, Space Station Freedom percent, Aeronautics and Space Technology
will provide 40 times Spacelab's capability, (OAST) --12 percent, and Space Flight (OSF)
and in its permanently occupied phase, -- 8percent.
Freedom will provide 110 times Spacetab's
capability. (The Russian space station, Mir, Most of OSSA's allocation will be used for
offers 26 times Spacelab's capabilities.) microgravity and life science experiments,
although OSSA's space physics, astrophysics,
According to NASA's current schedule, the earth science and applications, and solar
first launch of a space station element will take system exploration divisions also will use
place in November 1995, with permanently some of this allocation.
occupied capability planned for September
1999. This year, NASA will conduct space Other Federal agencies have expressed
station critical design reviews (CDRs). Work interest in using Space Station Freedom. They
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
include the National Institutes of Health biology, space physiology, and biomedical
(NIH), U.S. Geological Survey, National monitoring and countermeasures research.
Science Foundation, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. User Integration Division Director John-
Departments of Agriculture and Energy. NIH David Bartoe, Spacelab/Space Station
and NASA have already signed a memoran- Utilization Program, Office of Space Flight,
dum of understanding regarding joint space NASA Headquarters:
research. Researchers who want to use NASA facilities
must find a NASA sponsor. The agency's
Payload interfaces with space station lab program offices periodically issue announce-
support equipment must be simple, and ments of opportunity (AOs) for research
experiment packages must be highly con- proposals involving major hardware procure-
rained. Freedom's research facilities will ments and NASA research announcements
feature International Standard Payload Racks (NRAs) for proposals involving existing
(ISPRs), experiment racks that are about twice hardware or minor hardware procurements.
the size of a Spacelab rack. ESA's Columbus
lab will feature 20 racks, the U.S. lab will have
12 racks, and the Japanese lab will have 10.
Thus Freedom will have a total of 42 racks
MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH
versus 8for Spacelab.
• Materials Science
NASA is considering outfitting some rack
Electronic andphotonic materials
space to accommodate small, self-contained Metals, alloys andcomposites
payloads similar to the Get-Away-Special Glasses and ceramics
canisters and middeck-locker experiment • Fundamental sciences
packages flown on Space Shuttle missions. Fluiddynamics andtransport phenomena
Combustion science
Because of the large number of planned
Gravitational physics
experiments, crew time allotted to experi-
• Biotechnology Experiments
ments on Freedom at permanently occupied
Macromolecular crystalgrowth
capability will average 25 minutes per rack
per day, compared to six hours per rack per
day on Spacelab missions. Hence, telescience LIFESCIENCES RESEARCH
-- the remote operation of space-based
experiments by researchers on the ground -- • Crew health, safety andproductivity
will play a very important role in space station Monitor crew health
research. Developcountermeasures to adverse
effects ofprolonged exposure to lowgravity
• Basic and applied research
Plans for supporting life sciences research on
Study effects of gravity on livingsystems
Freedom focus on the two basic goals of
Cell andtissue growth
NASA's space life sciences program: to ensure Biologically based support systems
the health, safety, and productivity of humans
in space and to acquire fundamental knowl-
TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
edge of biological processes. Today, "there
are no known factors" that will limit long-
duration human stays in space. • Space Construction
• Structural dynamics andcontrol
Space-based research has already shown that • Space materials andenvironmental effects
• Space power systems
people and plants respond the same way to
• Thermal management
the microgravity environment: they lose
• Fluidmanagement
structure. However, the mechanisms by
• Propulsion
which they respond are different, and re- • Automation androbotics
searchers do not yet know much about these • Sensors
mechanisms. Life science research accommo- • Information systems
dations on Freedom will include facilities for • Human systems engineering
experiments designed to address this and
other questions, in fields such as gravitational Long-TermResearchObjectives.
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SPACE STATION FREEDOM UTILIZATION CONFERENCE
OSSA's Microgravity Science and Applica- researchers will not get involved in the flight
tions Division is in the process of releasing a planning process this far in advance unless
series of discipline-oriented NRAs for funda- their payloads are very complex.
mental physics and chemistry, materials
science, and biotechnology investigations to All space station researchers will be assigned
fly on Freedom. OSSA's Life Sciences Divi- payload accommodations managers to work
sion plans to release its first NRA for space with them throughout the payload integration
station investigations in about two years. process. This process encompasses analytical
integration -- "a paper process" addressing
detailed payload requirements, physical
SPACESTATION RESEARCH CAPABILITIES AT
integration (including optional functional
PERMANENTLY MANNEDCAPABILITY (-2000)
testing), and operations integration (compat-
• 3Laboratory Modules ibility, interface with crew, uplink com-
• 1HabitationModule mands).
• 2.5m(8.2ft)Centrifuge Facility
• Pressurized workingenvironment Because 60 percent of payloads proposed for
• 42International Standard Payload Racks
Space Station Freedom thus far require less
• ForPayloads:
than one rack of space, NASA wants to be able
Power -30kW
Thermal Control -30kW to handle small payloads in a fast, simple
Data Transmission Rate -50 Mbps fashion. "The payload integration process is
• Apermanent crewof4with2dedicated being streamlined to better accommodate
to research
researchers"; NASA's goal is to complete
• 4attachment pointstotruss forexternal space station payload integration in less than a
payloads
year.
• t0 locations forexternal payloadsonJEM
Exposed Facility (zenith,nadir,wake viewing)
Session2:ResearchPlansand
Opportunities
NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space
Technology plans to release an NRA shortly Deputy Assistant Administrator Ray Arnold,
for robotics, life support, thermal manage- Office of Commercial Programs, NASA
ment, and other technology development and Headquarters:
validation experiments that require some sort Between now and the time that Space Station
of flight testing. The Office of Commercial Freedom is available, NASA's Office of
Programs seeks cooperative research propos- Commercial Programs (OCP) can arrange for
als in which NASA provides space flights in the launching of commercial experiments on
return for access to experimental data. A facilities ranging from sounding rockets to
national network of 17Centers for the Com- expendable launch vehicles to Spacelab and
mercial Development of Space, cosponsored Spacehab (a commercial pressurized lab
by NASA and private-sector partners, pro- module designed to fly in the Space Shuttle
vides a way for prospective commercial users cargo bay) and aWakeshield Facility being
of space to work with the agency. developed to accommodate high-vacuum
research. Toward creating an industry-driven
NASA is developing a policy that will estab- research environment in space, OCP is
lish the price commercial reimbursable focusing its resources on NASA's national
researchers will pay for access to Freedom's network of Centers for the Commercial
accommodations, resources, and standard Development of Space (CCDSs).
services. Space requirements, energy con-
sumption, crew time needs, and length of stay Joint endeavor agreements (JEAs) are among
in space will be considered in establishing the the means by which OCP currently arranges
prices. The space station pricing policy will be to fly commercial experiments on NASA
based on the agency's existing Space Shuttle missions; OCP is working on new legal
and Spacelab pricing policy. instruments that will further ease commercial
access to space. OCP's Space Station Freedom
NASA is planning Space Station Freedom utilization flight plan shows seven racks in use
flights using a five-year planning horizon, but for commercial research by 1997. OCP has a
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
commercial Space Station Freedom planning chemical, and biological processes in the space
team in place, including CCDS representatives environment. OSSA's goals are to advance
and JEA partners. knowledge of the Earth, the solar system, and
the universe; use the unique qualities of the
Director for Space W. Ray Hook, NASA space environment to advance research; and
Langley Research Center: expand human presence into the solar system.
Over the last 25 years, NASA's Office of
Aeronautics and Space Technology has logged OSSA's strategic plan includes a Space
quite abit of space flight experience that will Shuttle-to-Space Station Freedom transition
aid in planning space station research: 26 plan, focused on the use of Freedom to
experiments on Skylab missions, 8 on expend- support preparations for long-duration
able launch vehicles (ELVs), and 12on the human missions in space. OSSA's strategy for
Space Shuttle. OAST technology initiatives using Freedom calls for ensuring a range of
begin with basic research and proceed to utilization options, from small self-contained
proof of feasibility, technology development, or rapid-response payloads to attached
subsystem and system development, and payloads and facility-class payloads.
system testing, launch, and operations.
For facility-class payloads, OSSA will solicit
OAST's current activities include a research research proposals three years before flight
and technology (R&T9 program, the Civil and assemble science teams for investigations
Space Technology Initiative, and the In-Space two years before flight. OSSA's Life Sciences
Technology Experiments Program (IN-STEP). Division has developed a strategy for using
IN-STEP sponsors the design, development, Freedom as follows: Phase 1,Biomedical
and flight of technology experiments for
private-sector, academic, and NASA research-
ers on ELV, Space Shuttle, and Space Station
Freedom missions.
Some of OAST's most recent technology
investigations include a tank-pressure-control
experiment flown as a Get Away Special
payload on the Space Shuttle in August 1991,
a middeck zero-gravity experiment flown in
September 1991 to measure truss-structure
and fluid-slosh dynamics, and an orbital
acceleration research experiment flown in
June 1992.
This summer, OAST plans to release a new
AO that will solicit proposals for space
technology experiments to fly on Space
Station Freedom beginning in 1997. OAST
will select 50 proposals for concept develop-
ment in the areas of space materials and InsidetheU.S.LaboratoryModule.
coatings, cryogenic fluid handling, human
support, space power, vibration isolation, Monitoring and Countermeasures (BMAC)
space communication, in-space construction Program; Phase 2,building of a national/
and repair, and sensors. international life science research capability;
and Phase 3,establishment of an international
Space Station Utilization Branch Chief Philip life science facility for in-depth studies of
Cressy, Flight Systems Division, Office of medical issues related to long-duration
Space Science and Applications, NASA human missions in space,
Headquarters:
NASA's Office of Space Science and Applica- The Microgravity Science and Applications
tions (OSSA) will use Space Station Freedom Division has outlined its utilization strategy as
to further its goal of studying physical, follows: Phase, 1,provision of transitional
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SPA CE STATION FREEDOM UTIL IZATION CONFERENCE
hardware for use during crew-tended stage; The only viable technique for analyzing the
Phase 2,provision of facility-class hardware structure of these proteins is x-ray diffraction
during crew-tended stage; and Phase 3, of the proteins in their crystal form. The better
onboard research during permanently the quality of a protein crystal, the more
occupied capability and evolution to crew- useful it is to researchers who are trying to
tended free flyers. delineate its structure. The microgravity
environment of space allows protein crystals
Prospective researchers asked whether crew to grow nearly undisturbed by convection and
movements on Space Station Freedom would other gravit),-driven forces that cause flaws to
disturb experiments requiring a carefully form in them on the ground. In space, lack of
controlled microgravity environment. NASA convection enables protein crystals to grow
officials reported that the effects of crew more slowly than they do on Earth, and the
movements are being monitored on Space slower a protein crystal grows, the fewer flaws
Shuttle missions, but thus far it has been it will have.
difficult to separate the effects of crew move-
ments from other factors in play. Researchers Protein crystal growth experiments have
have nothing conclusive to report on how already flown on 14Space Shuttle missions.
crew movements might affect the micrograv- This year's USML-1 Spacelab mission in-
ity environment. cluded protein crystal growth experiments
conducted for commercial researchers.
U.S. Microgravity Laboratory IPayload [DeLucas, thefirst payload specialist with expertise
Specialist Larry DeLucas (associate director in protein cnystal growth research, performed
for protein crystal growth, Center for Macro- protein crystal experiments on USML-1.] The
molecular Crystallography, University of results of protein crystal experiments flown
Alabama in Birmingham): thus far have been larger crystals with more
Protein crystallography -- a research tool uniform morphologies.
used to study the structure of the complex
building blocks of living systems -- has a lot The Center for Macromolecular Crystallogra-
to gain from space-based research. In order phy (a NASA-cosponsored CCDS) currently
to know how a protein works in the human builds flight hardware to meet researchers'
body, researchers must understand its needs and handles sample loading and
molecular structure. Researchers have retrieval for flight experiments. 'q_he sample
identified 150,000 different proteins in the approval process is rapid"; NASA will
body, but they know the structure of fewer approve a change in sample material in a
than a third of them.
matter of days. The results of commercial
experiments are not made public.
Protein crystallography enables "rational drug
design": the development of drugs that bind
only with the target protein and, hence, do not
cause side effects. For example, pharmaceuti-
cal companies presently are interested in
developing drugs that can inhibit purine
nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), a protein
that plays a role in auto-immune diseases. To
continue these kinds of investigations; re- :
searchers need a constant supply of protein
crystals that are as free of flaws as possible.
Space Station Freedom will provide the kind
of research environment that will enable the
production of such supplies. In addition,
Freedom will provide t_ne kind oflong-
duration facility required by protein crystal
researchers: 40 percent of proteins require
PayloadSpecialistLarryOeLucasworkingattheMultipurposeGlovebox. more than two weeks to crystallize. And
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BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOOR/_PH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
finally, "to try to automate this process would corporate world, where the focus ison short-
be fruitless": a permanently occupied facility term profits, not long-term investment. Last
is required for the conduct of this kind of year, the aerospace companies that invested
research. the least in research and development saw
their stock prices go up the most. While the
The Center for Macromolecular Crystallogra- rest of the world gears up for the economic
phy is now working on a thermal enclosure
system for crystal growth investigations in the
Space Shuttle middeck and on Space Station
Freedom; this system will have a 50-pound
payload capacity and feature a hermetically
sealed, controlled temperature environment.
Ultimately, installing an x-ray generator on
Freedom would enable scientists to analyze
the results of crystal growth experiments in
orbit, reducing the loss of samples due to
deterioration or the stresses of reentry.
KeynotAeddressN:ASAAdministrator
DanieGl oldin
(In an address to conference attendees, NASA
Administrator Goldin urged prospective space
station researchers to recruit their colleagues for
next year's utilization conference: "the more you
NASAAdministratorDanielGoldinpresentinghisKeynoteAddress.
learn about possibilities on Space Station Freedom,
the more you get excited." Citing Freedom asan
example of "how nations can work together on competition of the post-Cold War era,
projects ofpeace instead of weapons ofwar," he America is chowing down on its seed corn to
urged the research community to think ofFreedom feed its belly today.
asNASA's newest field center and "the first
international research center in orbit." The text of NASA scientist Rick Chappell, who works at
Goldin's speech follows): Marshall, recently had an experience that
illustrates this quite clearly. As he jogged
One of the challenges we face as a society -- through the wildlife refuge that surrounds the
certainly in this period of slow economic launch pads at Cape Canaveral, he noticed an
growth -- is to focus not on the present, but armadillo by the trail. Later, he looked up and
on the future. I believe one of the reasons saw an eagle.
we're having problems with our economy is
that we're not investing in our future to the He wrote later on, "I was struck by the
degree we should. contrast of their different approaches to life.
Where the armadillo never looks up --
When Iwas born in 1940, there were about concentrating only on its next meal, and
two billion people on Earth. Today, that's oblivious to the world around it -- the eagle
more than doubled to 5.5 billion. And when soars quietly and majestically. It is not rooting
I'm 100 years old, there'll be almost 10 billion. around the ground, but isstriving for the high
The people alive during my life have con- ground -- seeking a vantage point from
sumed more of the world's resources than all which to see the horizon and beyond."
those living in prior generations of human
history. We've already used more than we America's first spacecraft that landed on the
deserve, and now we're stealing from the Moon wasn't called the armadillo; it was the
future to buy the creature comforts of today. Eagle -- the symbol of America. This nation
didn't become the greatest in the world by
We see it in government, where we have big keeping its eyes on the ground. We are about
deficits year after year. We see it in the broad visions, about looking over the horizon
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SPACE STATION FREEDOM UTILIZATION CONFERENCE
to see the future, and then blazing the trail for But we can't keep living off Apollo's bounty.
others to follow. Currently, the hair of a scientist can turn gray
waiting to get his or her first experiment on
Technology is the fuel in our economic the shuttle, let alone the necessary follow-up
furnace. Technology creates growth. It research. A researcher can't make much
creates whole new industries and new jobs -- progress doing one experiment every few
high paying, high quality jobs that add value years or so. We can't keep attracting good
to our economy. people to do space science if the research they
need for their Ph.D.s takes decades to complete.
NASA's research and development of ad-
vanced technology reaches out into the future The House of Representatives took a giant
to bring back opportunities to the world of leap in the right direction last week when they
today. Between 1979 and 1986, the new voted to continue building Space Station
products generated from NASA science and Freedom. As Ilistened to the debate in the
House Chamber and watched the vote tally
grow, Iwas proud that in these difficult
economic times, Congress saw the wisdom in
investing in our future. It was not just a
victory for NASA, but a victory for America
and its international partners, who desper-
ately need the research and technology that
will come from a permanent facility in space.
Space Station Freedom will revolutionize our
way of life in the 21st century the same way
the Apollo program did in the 20th century.
A permanent space station will be the place
where we become a true space-faring nation
-- the place where we learn how to live and
work in space. And it will be an example of
how nations can unite and work together on
projects of peace. All of our plans to build an
outpost on the Moon and explore Mars
Artist'sConceptofSpaceStationFreedomandSpaceShuttle. depend on using Space Station Freedom to
conduct the necessary life science research to
engineering created over 350,000 new jobs. protect astronauts' health from the effects of
And believe me, this is a very conservative long-duration space travel.
estimate, because once NASA invents some-
thing and makes it available to industry, we While these studies are going on, the space
lose track of the many by-products that build station will have dual use lab equipment
on our pioneering work. where scientists can systematically study how
living organisms and other materials behave
NASA has been driving technology forward without gravity. Essentially, the space station
ever since it was created. Apollo brought us should be thought of as an international
untold bounty -- especially in medical research center in orbit. Researchers from
technology. Pacemakers, CAT scans, mag- universities and the private sector, such as
netic resonance imaging, intensive care pharmaceutical companies, and our interna-
monitoring equipment -- all got their start tional partners will be able to share facilities
because of research NASA needed to go into on Freedom to facilitate basic research in
space. Mission Control's computer networks materials processing, biotechnology, and life
and software are the great grandfathers of sciences.
what runs America's telephone system,
banking and credit card networks, and airline Biotechnology, for instance, is expected to be
computer networks. the big business of the 90s, going from $4
billion a year currently to $50 billion by the
12