l5 news, january 1978 - national space society

L-5 NEWSCaro lyn H e n s o n , E d i t o r

Membership Services:Bryna BlockMarc Boone

Wi l l iam Weig leAdministrat ive Services

Board of Directors:Isaac AsimovBarry Goldwater, Sr.Robert A. HeinleinG o r d o n R . W o o d c o c kBarbara Marx HubbardKonrad K. DannenbergHon. Edward R. Finch, Jr.James E. ObergLeonard DavidJ. Peter VajkJack D. SalmonPhi l l i p ParkerDavid M. FradinRomualdas SviedrysK e i t h H e n s o nC a r o l y n H e n s o nWi l l iam Weig leM a r k H o p k i n sN o r i e H u d d l eM a g o r o h M a r u y a m aH a r l a n S m i t hCarol Motts

Publication office: The L-5 Society,1060 E. Elm, Tucson, Arizona 85719.Published monthly. Subscription: $3.00per year, included in dues ($20.00 peryear, students $10.00 per year).subscription price to non-membersavailable on request. Second classpostage paid at Tucson, Arizona andadditional offices. Copyright ©1977 bythe L-5 Society. No part of thisperiodical may be reproduced withoutwritten consent of the L-5 Society. Theopinions expressed by the authors donot necessarily reflect the policy of theL-5 Society. Membership Services: L-5Society, 1620 N. Park Avenue, Tucson,Arizona 85719. Telephone: 602/622-6351

A PUBLICATION OF THE L-5 SOCIETY

VOL. 3 NUMBER 1 JANUARY 1978

In this issue:

1 OTA to Study SPS, Space Colonies? Carolyn Henson reports on aCongressional resolution calling for a study of O’Neill’s approach tobuilding solar power satellites.

2 House, Senate Plan Hearings

News from the Opposition Proxmire and Carter science advisorFrank Press sound off on space colonies.

3 Deep Seabed Mining: A Model for Extraterrestrial ResourceMining? Keith Henson examines legislation in the mill on seabedmining.

4 Because That’s Where the Money Is Marc Boone tells us how to getCongress to loosen up the purse strings.

5 News from NASA, ESASpace Factory StudyESA/NASA Summit MeetingESA to Provide Space Telescope ComponentsShuttle Orbiter Tests Completed

8 Astronaut Corps - Or Space Soldiers? It looks like the shuttlepilots corps will consist of military test pilots - and disgruntled airlinepilots aren’t happy about it. Robin Snelson reports.

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Penthouse Slams OTRAG If you thought Lutz Kayser had problemslast month, you should see him now! Carolyn Henson reports.

Earthport Update Mark Frazier’s dream is getting off the ground.

Brown Foundation Funds SPS Work Rice University gets a$100,000 grant.

Bibliography Update

Conferences

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19 Let ters

Inside the L-5 Society

Change of address notices, undeliverablecopies, orders for subscriptions, andother mail items are to be sent to:L-5 SocietyMembership Services1620 N. ParkTucson, AZ 85719

Cover: the NASA/ESA space telescope. See related story page 5. (Photocourtesy Dr. Bachall, Princeton, University).

OTA to Study SPS,Space Colonies?

by Carolyn Henson

Veteran Washington space lobbyistBarbara Marx Hubbard is one person whoisn’t fazed by Carter’s lack of interest inspace. If one branch of the governmentseems unresponsive, her tactic is to turn toanother: the U.S. House of Representativesand Senate.

With the assistance of several local L-5chapters, in particular the Washingtongroup, Hubbard organized a seminar onsolar power satellites and space coloniesfor Congresspeople and their staffs. HeldO c t o b e r 2 8 a n d 2 9 i n t h e R a y b u r nBuilding, it featured Princeton professorGerard K. O’Neill and Apollo-era NASAadministrator Thomas O. Paine, as well asa constellation of other space researchers.Their message? If we choose to do so, wecan establish cities in space producingsatell i te facil i t ies which will provideabundant solar power to Earth by the early9 0 ’ s .

Who heard that message? Represent-atives Dave Stockman (R-MI) and BarbaraMikulski (D-MD) attended, as well asHouse of Representatives staffers RebeccaTidman for Dante Fascell (D-FL), SteveKolterman for Richard Schulze (R-PA),Daren McRumel and Mary Beth Paladinofor Richard Nolan (D-MN), Jean MarieMcCarthy for Stan Lundine (D-NY), EllenBurton for Joel Pritchard (R-WA), BonnieJ . Poore for Harold Johnson (D-CA),Morry B. Markowitz for Hamilton Fish Jr.(R-NY), Jane D. Woodlin and Gary R.Bachula for Bob Traxler (D-MI), RobertWiekowski for Don Edwards (D-CA),Martin Wattenberg and Andrea Pamfilisfor Pat Schroeder (D-CO), Jan Tavislan forJ im Johnson (R-CO), Guy Cavalo forElliot Levitas (D-GA), Hal C. de Celly forJanice Whitten (D-MI), and Robin Weissfor Thomas Downey (D-NY). Tim Lynchfor George Brown (D-CA), Paul Parshleyand Bill Anderson represented the HouseInterior and Insular Affairs Committee(chaired by Morris Udall [D-AZ]), DarrellR. Branscome. Ezra D. Heitowitt, andJames W. Spensley represented the HouseS c i e n c e a n d T e c h n o l o g y C o m m i t t e e(chaired by Olin Teague [D-TX]). TheU.S. Senate was represented by JacquelineMerson for Jacob Javits (R-NY), CostasAvrokotos for John Heinz (R-PA), andJohn G. Stewart and Allan Hoffman for

the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’sScience, Technology, and Space Sub-committee (chaired by Adlai Stevenson [D-IL]). The Office of Technology Assess-ment , which provides the House andSenate at their request with in-depthanalyses of technical and scientific issueswas represented by Dennis Miller, BillMills, and Gretchen Kilsrud.

The upshot of Hubbard’s seminar isHouse Concurrent Resolution 451, intro-duced by Olin Teague. (House ConcurrentResolution 447. introduced at the samet ime by L indy Boggs [D-LA] , DaveS tockman , and Ba rba ra Miku l sk i , i sidentical to Teague’s.) It calls for the Officeof Technology Assessment (OTA) to“de t e rmine t he f ea s ib i l i t y , po t en t i a lconsequences, advantages , and disad-vantages of developing as a national goalf o r t h e y e a r 2 0 0 0 t h e f i r s t m a n n e dstructures in Space for the conversion ofsolar energy and other extra-terrestrialresources to the peaceable and practical useof human beings everywhere.”

If passed, the resolution will initiate thefirst study of space colonies and solarpower satellites ever conducted by OTA. Ifyou would like a copy of the resolution, ort o m a k e c o m m e n t s , o r r e q u e s t m o r einformation, write to Mikulski, Boggs,Stockman, or Teague, U.S. House ofRepresentatives, Washington, D.C. 20515.

Note: Barbara Marx Hubbard is author ofThe Hunger of Eve, an autobiographywhich includes fascinating tidbits fromher activities as a Washington lobbyist.She is a Director and one of the majorfinancial supporters of the L-5 Society.

What is OTA? It is a research arm of theU.S. Senate and House of Representatives.Following are some details on OTA, liftedstraight from the Congressional Directory(avai lable f rom the U.S . GovernmentPrinting Office, Washington, DC. Ad-dresses below which don’t include the cityare in Washington, DC.)

OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGYASSESSMENT

Created by Public Law 92-484

Senate Annex, 119 D Street NE. 20510.Phone, (202) 224-8711

Director. -- Emilio Q. Daddario. 1414 34th Street20007.

Deputy Director. -- Daniel V. De Simone, 2743North Wakefield Street, Arlington, Va.22207.

Assistant Director. -- Ellis Mottur, 6500 TallTree Terrace, Rockville, Md. 20852.

TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT BOARD

Chairman. -- Edward M. Kennedy, Senator fromMassachusetts.

Vice Chairman. -- Marjorie S. Holt, Representa-tive from Maryland.

Appointed by the Senate:Ernes t F . Hol l ings , Sena tor f rom South

Carolina.Hubert H. Humphrey, Senator from Minne-

sota.Clifford P. Case, Senator from New Jersey.Richard S. Schweiker, Senator from Pennsyl-

vania.Ted Stevens, Senator from Alaska.

Appointed by the House:Olin E. Teague, Representative from Texas.M o r r i s K . U d a l l , Representative from

Arizona.George E. Brown, Jr., Representative from

California.Clarence E. Miller, Representative from

Ohio.Larry Winn, Jr., Representative from Kansas.

Ex-Officio. -- Emilio Q. Daddario.Executive Assistant to the Director. -- Barbara B.

Baron, 3514 Livingston Street 20015.Personal Assistant to the Deputy Director.

-- Marion H. Fitzhugh, 705 CrittendenStreet NE. 20017.

Operations Officer. -- Robert F. Daly, 7613Chancellor Way, Springfield, Va. 22152.

Administrative Officer. -- Thomas P. McGurn,6701 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda, Md.20023

Personnel Officer. -- Evelyn H. Davis, 8263 TollHouse Road, Annandale. Va. 22203; phone(202) 224-8713.

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Public Affairs Officer. -- Charles W. Wixom,6726 Houndmaster Road, Springfield, Va.22152; phone (202) 224-8996.

Public Participation Officer. -- Thomas G.Jennings, 115 Second Street NE. 20003.

Publications Officer. -- John C. Holmes, 4225San Carlos Drive, Fairfax, Va. 22030

Librarian -- Judith C. Russell, 513 Indepen-dence Avenue SE. 20003.

Energy Assessment Program Manager. -- LionelS. Johns, 6811 Selkirk Drive, Bethesda, Md.20034.

Food Assessment Program Manager. -- J. B.Cordaro, 1336 Buttermilk Lane. Reston.Va. 22090. (Address: House Annex 2;Second and D Streets SW. 20515; phone(202) 225-9021.)

Health Assessment Program Manager. -- CarlTaylor, 10401 Montrose Avenue, Bethesda,Md. 20014.

Materials Assessment Program Manager.-- Albert E. Paladino, 1260 21st Street 20036.(Address: House Annex 2, Second and DStreets SW. 20515; phone (202) 2259035.)

Oceans Assessment Program Manager. -- RobertNiblock, 1733 North Danville Street,Arlington, Va. 22201.

Research and Development Policies and Priori-ties Assessment Program Manager. -- EllisMottur, 6500 Tall Tree Terrace, Rockville,Md. 20852.

Technology and World Trade AssessmentProgram Manager. -- Karl J. Brunings, 3Harcourt Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583.

Transportation Assessment Program Manager-- [Vacant.]

Automobile Assessment Project Director.-- Robert Maxwell, 11211 Wedge Drive,Reston, Va. 22090.

Exploratory Assessment Program Manager.-- [Vacant.]

Assistant to the Director for Methodology.-- Joseph P. Coates, 3738 Kanawha Street22203.

A s s i s t a n t t o t h e D i r e c t o r f o r N e w a n dE m e r g i n g T e c h n o l o g i e s . - - GretchenKolsrud, 3317 Mantua Drive, Fairfax, Va.22030.

Assistant to the Director for Special Projects.-- William F. Mills, 10124 Spring LakeDrive, Fairfax, Va. 20530.

Technology Assessment Board Stuff. -- WilliamDavis, 13115 Larkhall Circle, Oxon Hill,Md. 20022; Mary J. Manning, 6517 32dStreet 20015; Benton Massell, 613 F StreetNE. 20015.

Dr.

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Advisory Council

Jerome B. Wiesner (chairman), president,Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr.Edward Wenk, Jr. (vice chairman), directorof the program in the social management oftechnology, University of Washington;Fred Bucy, president, Texas Instruments,Inc.; Dean Ronald R. Davenport, School ofL a w , D u q u e s n e U n i v e r s i t y ; H a z e lHenderson, codirector, Princeton Centerfor Alternative Futures, Inc.; J. M. Leathers,executive vice president, Dow ChemicalCo.; Dr. John T. McAlister, Jr., director,Center for Technology Assessment andResource Policy, Stanford University; Dr.Eugene P. Odum, director, Institute ofEcology, Univers i ty of Georg ia ; Dr .Frederick C. Robbins, dean, Case WesternReserve Univers i ty ; E lmer B. S taa ts ,Comptroller General of the United States;Gilbert Gude, director, CongressionalResearch Service, Library of Congress;Barry Barrington (executive secretary), 6207Wagner Lane, Bethesda, Md. 20016; phone(202) 224-0262.

House, Senate Plan Hearings

O’Neill, Hubbard to Testify

The House Science and TechnologyCommittee Space Science and Appli-cations Subcommittee will hold hearingst i t l ed “Fu tu re Space P rog rams” t h i swinter. They are tentatively scheduled forJan. 24, 25 and 26. Princeton physicsprofessor Gerard K. O’Neill and spacea c t i v i s t B a r b a r a M a r x H u b b a r d , a m o n gothers, will testify. For more information,call committee staff member Darrel R.Branscome, 202/225-6371 or write to:Subcommit tee on Space Science andApplications, U.S. House of Represent-atives, Washington, DC 20515.

The Senate Commerce, Science andT r a n s p o r t a t i o n C o m m i t t e e , S c i e n c e ,Technology and Space Subcommitteep l a n s a h e a r i n g , “Long Term SpacePolicy” Feb. 7. It will be held in the form ofa round table discussion by top researchers.

The morning session will cover appli-cations: space industries, solar power, etc.The afternoon will be devoted to spacesciences: planetary probes, astronomicalfacilities, etc.

The speakers at the symposium have notyet been determined (at the time of thewriting of this article). For more infor-mation, contact committee staffer AllanHoffman, 202/224-5115 or write to theSubcommittee on Science, Technologyand Space, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC20510.

The public is encouraged to attend boththe House and Senate space hearings. Theywill provide both information on what theresearchers think we should do for ourfuture space activities, and what Congressthinks should be done with the researchers’aspirations.

News from the OppositionIn a recent speech given before the

Council of Scientific Society Presidents Dr.Frank Press, who also holds the position ofDirector of the Office of Science andTechnology Policy in addition to Advisorto the President, announced that he and hisstaff are working to “enunciate a nationalspace policy.” While Dr. Press did notspecify when such a policy would beformally presented for consideration byappropriate legislative committees, he didm e n t i o n t h a t t h e E a r t h a p p l i c a t i o n sproject would be given top priority.

When asked if advanced projects, such asspace settlements, would be included in theplan, Press responded, “You’re talkingabout a $100 billion program . . . you won’tsee it in this century.”

Despite such statements on the near-term impracticality of space settlementsfrom the Administration and top NASAofficials, the concept is enjoying increasedg ra s s roo t s suppo r t and mass med i aa t t e n t i o n . I n O c t o b e r , a n o n - p r o f i torganization called the Committee for theFuture sponsored a two-day seminar onspace settlements for members of Congressand their staffs. The program’s messagewas that settlements of “ordinary” peoplecould be living in space within 20 yearsand beaming solar electricity to Earth -- ifCongress encouraged such a project tobegin now.

Reprinted from FASST Tracks,1785 Mass. Ave. NW,Washington, DC 20036

The following letter was sent in byJames Greer of Milwalkee, WI.

Dear Mr. Greer:

Thank you so much for your le t terresponding to my reaction to the 60 MinuteL-5 by 95 space fantastic.

You make an excellent point about theneed for further study with the possibilityof us ing so lar power s ta t ions to provideelectrical power from space at a moreeconomica l ra te than would occur f romearth based power systems.

That makes sense. Potential benefits arec lear and I ce r ta in ly favor tha t k ind of

study.What I do not favor is developing a

p r o g r a m t h a t , i n m y v i e w , w o u l d c o s thundreds of billions and perhaps trillionsof dollars to place a relatively few people --10, 15 or 20 thousand -- in a space capsule.N o t o n l y w o u l d t h e c a p i t a l c o s t b e

appalling, the annual operat ing costwould be outrageous.

This is something that might be done 10or 20 thousand years from now. But for thenext 30 or 40 years your proposal for solarpower stations makes far more sense.

Sincerely,

William Proxmire,U.S. Senate

L-5 News, January 1978

Deep Sea Mining: A Model forExtraterrestrial Resource Mining?

b y H . K . H e n s o n

Many of us closely concerned with spaceindustries and habitats are beginning tosee private enterprise as our best hope forrapid developments. (Rapid in this contextmeans before the end of the century!) Agreat many obstacles lie in the path of suchan enterprise. Beyond the obvious techni-cal ones are such factors as the sheer cost ofa n e x t r a - t e r r e s t r i a l r e s o u r c e s ( E T R )p ro j ec t . Whe the r l una r ma t e r i a l s o rasteroids are used, the guesses centeraround 75 ± 25 billion. Another factor isthe possibility of vigorous objections of theUSSR to capitalism escaping the planet.Still another, which will retard acceptanceof such entities as the staging companyproposed by C. Basler, is the lack of a legalframework for a private ETR developmentcompany. Legal opinion is divided as towhether or not such a company could minethe moon, and if so, what should be thedisposi t ion of the products or profi tscreated. A large part of the legal difficultylies in the vagueness of the “common heri-tage of mankind” (was womankind leftout?) wording of the 1967 Outer SpaceTreaty.

This kind of treaty language, as opposedto the old “devi l take the hindmost”custom, is peculiar to the later half of the20th Century. It is probably more a resultof the larger powers agreeing not tosquabble over something worthless than toaltruism toward the developing countries.Antarctica, the deep seabed beyond thecontinental shelves, and outer space aresubject to such agreements. However,advancing technology changes our opin-ion of “worthless.” Political and legalstrains then develop as people, be theysocialist or capitalist, start thinking of howto exploit “new” resources to make theirlives easier.

Deep seabed mining, after 15 years and$100 to $150 million of research, is at thispoint of commercial development. Severalcompanies, including Kennecott and DeepSea Ventures, are prepared to spend some$300 million each to get into the businesso f s c o o p i n g u p n o d u l e s c o n t a i n i n gmanganese, nickel, copper and cobalt fromunder 3 miles of ocean.

Relevant legal events are the boggeddown law of the sea conference and U.S.legislation, the Deep Seabed Hard MineralResources Act (HR3350), now wending itsway through Congress. U.S. based L-5members interested in a private investmentapproach may want to follow this legis-lation as its precedent would make passageof s imilar laws for ETR developmentmuch easier.

The following is quoted from HouseReport 95-588, part 1: (page 14)

PURPOSES

The purposes of the Deep Seabed HardMineral Resources Act are fourfold. First,it is intended to encourage and regulate thedevelopment of hard mineral resourcesfrom the deep ocean floor. However, it isclearly intended that the legislation onlyb e a n i n t e r i m m e a s u r e p e n d i n g t h eadoption of a superseding internationalagreement that will be applicable to suchactivity and to which the United Statesbecomes a party. Secondly, the legislationis designed to insure that the developmentis carried out in a manner that will protectthe quality of the environment.

A third purpose is to encourage thesuccessful negotiation of a comprehensiveLaw of the Sea Treaty that will legallye s t a b l i s h t h e m e a n i n g o f t h e p h r a s e“common heritage of mankind.” In aneffort to show the good faith of the UnitedStates and its desire to work toward thelegal establishment of the concept of thecommon heritage of mankind, assuming,of course, that a definition is establishedthat is acceptable to the United States, theact proposes to establish a special fund, theproceeds of which are intended to be sharedwith the international community underthe terms of an acceptable Law of the SeaTreaty binding on the United States .Finally, the act is designed to permit thecontinued development of the necessarytechnology for the expeditious develop-ment of hard mineral resources from theseabed.

(page 20 & 21)III. THE NEED FOR SECURITY OF TENURE

Such a provision, according to Mr. C.Thomas Houseman of the Chase Man-hattan Bank, is an important prerequisiteto obtain project financing. He stated intestimony before the Subcommittee onOceanography that --

in order for financial institutionsto consider participating in sucha venture, it will have to stand upunder a critical evaluation of riskfactors . . . A firm concession withsecurity of tenure to a specificmine site would appear to me tobe an absolute requirement fort h e p r o j e c t f i n a n c i n g o f a n

u n d e r s e a s m i n i n g v e n t u r e - -without it, a lender could assumeneither the reserve nor produc-tion risks.

It is extremely important to understandhere that H.R. 3350 does not in any wayprovide property rights to the seabed toocean miners. The provisions are entirelyconsistent with international law.

For licensees and permittees, H.R. 3350merely provides assurance that other U.S.citizens or citizens of reciprocating nationswill only operate within the mine site inwhich they are authorized to operate. Asn o t e d b y ’ M r . H o u s e m a n , t h i s i s a nimportant provision to prospective min-ing companies and their investors . Inaddition, the security of tenure provisionincluded in H.R. 3350 wil l faci l i ta teenvironmental assessment and monitoringof mining operations.

An a spec t pecu l i a r t o deep seabedmining is the design and construction ofspecial equipment for mining and pro-cessing. These design and process speci-fications will be predicated upon specificmine site attributes including topographyof the ocean floor, depth, ocean currents.weather condi t ions , and the s ize andcomposition of the nodules. There can besignificant variance in this set of attributesdepending on the location of the mine site.It is during the exploration phase of a deepseabed min ing p ro j ec t t ha t da t a a r ecollected to determine mine site character-

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istics. According to a study conducted byt h e D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e I n t e r i o r , t h eexplorat ion phase is expected to costbetween $75 and $150 million.

Considering the degree of dependenceof a deep seabed mining investment on aparticular mine site, and the need from anenvironmental monitoring and assessmentstandpoint to have a defined area in whichmining can occur, the committee recog-nizes the need for the establishment of alegal framework providing security oftenure to particular areas of the seabed formining operations.

(pg 24 & 25)

STATUS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

I. EXISTING INTERNATIONAL LAW

Q u e s t i o n s h a v e b e e n r a i s e d a b o u twhether the bi l l , which establ ishes alicensing and regulatory scheme for thedevelopment of the hard mineral resourcesof the deep seabed beyond the jurisdictionof any nation by U.S. citizens, wouldviolate the generally recognized principlesof international law. The committee isconvinced that the bill does not violatecustomary international law and, in fact, islegal and proper under it. This conclusionis based on several premises.

The first and most important of these isthe doctrine of res nullius, which meansthat resources are the property of no one,are subject to appropriation by anyone,and that ownership exists only after theresources a r e r e d u c e d t o p o s s e s s i o n .Nodules, like fish, and oil and gas beyondthe jurisdiction or control of any nation,clearly fall under this doctrine. Thus oceanmining is a freedom of the high seas whichpresently exists with or without domesticlegislation. . .

In its deliberations, the committee hasnot ignored the concept of the “commonheritage of mankind.” The United Statessupported the concept in the UnitedNations when it voted affirmatively in1970 for United Nations General AssemblyResolution 2749 (xxv) which espoused thedoctrine that the ocean resources beyondthe jurisdiction of any nation belong to allmankind. However, it has consistentlybeen the policy of the United States that theconcept would be legal ly defined andclar i f ied under the terms of a futurecomprehensive Law of the Sea Treaty. Nosuch clarification has taken place thus far.

It is recognized that the developingcountries contend that the concept pro-hibits the United States, or any othernation with the technological ability to doso, to develop these resources or reducethem to possession. However, the com-mittee is convinced that the Resolution2749 is neither binding on any nation at

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Because That’s Wherethe Money Is

by Marc BooneWhy are so many L-5 people interested

in lobbying the U.S. government? Onereason is that is where the money is - ourtax money. Also, even if the money neededfor the large scale space projects so dear toour hearts can be raised privately, thegovernment could still stymie the effortjust by passing a law. Moreover , theopposition to the use and habitation ofspace, as exemplified by John Holt, has al-ready been using all available politicalavenues to suppress the issues before theycan be properly studied. We have a right ascitizens to have a portion of the govern-ment budget spent on our interests; to doso we must make our views known.

Essential skills for lobbyists are commonsense and the ability to empathize withpeople who might not immediately agreewith your point of view (such as SenatorProxmire). These skills are needed in allaspects of lobbying, from writing a simpleletter to mounting a complex campaign.

K n o w l e d g e i s s t r e n g t h . Y o u n e e dknowledge on both the cause you arepromoting and the audience you are tryingto reach. The more you know about each,the better reception you will get. Havingplenty of facts at the tip of your tongue isthe best way to earn other people’s respectand avo id be ing p igeonho led a s j u s tanother space nut.

But be careful to be interesting as well ascompletely accurate. Use pictures andcharts. Slide in jokes where relevant. If youare dull, the audience will be bored at bestand at worst suspect you of dishonesty. Ifyou can’t help being dull, encourage some-one who has a talent for keeping audiencesawake to do the talking. You’ll still havem o r e t h a n e n o u g h t o k e e p y o u b u s yresearching the issues for your friend who’sdoing the talking.

The audience can be divided into threegroups: the representative you wish toinfluence, the media, and the public. If youwork as a group, different members canspec i a l i z e on d i f f e r en t pa r t s o f t heaudience. The challenge is to make surethat the information you present and thepeople you’re trying to reach are keyed toeach other. Stress business statistics whentalking to chambers of commerce; laborstat is t ics to union groups; economicimpact of SPS on third world nations tochurch groups; and ecological benefits toconservation groups.

When dealing with the press, remembertheir impact on public opinion. At allcosts , do not al ienate them. Remaincourteous, friendly and uncritical evenwhen your local newspaper edi tor ispouring salt into the knife wounds all overyour back. Even when reporters and editorsappear to be unfair, remember, they canalways get much worse!

With the public and press it is usuallypretty easy to know what their attitudesare. With Congresspeople, it is often muchharder . I f you don’t know how yourrepresentative leans, just write a short,clear, courteous letter stating what youwould like supported or voted on. Often,w h e n t h e r e i s n o o t h e r i n p u t t o arepresentative on an issue, one letter maychange a vote. Writing a letter takes asmuch time as a cup of coffee and costs farless. Of course, the better the letter, themore impact it has. At the least, all mailgets counted; but a well written letter getsread.

Where can you get the information youneed in order to be an effective lobbyist?

For an understanding of the concerns ofenvironmentalists, Space Colonies, editedby the CoEvolution Quarterly’s Stewart

the present time, nor sufficiently defined to as against another nation or its citizens.justify the conclusion that the taking of Un t i l an i n t e rna t i ona l ag r eemen t i snodules under international law is notpermissible at the present time. Therefore,

ratified or custom changes the existinginternational doctrine or res nullius as it

t h i s b i l l mere ly enac t s a sys t em fo rallocation of access among U.S. citizens

applies to deep seabed mining, such

and provides the procedures that must beac t iv i ty i s pe rmis s ib l e and a p rope r

fol lowed by such U.S. c i t izens in theexercise of a freedom of the high seas under

development of the nodules. It in no waycustomary international law.

asserts any territorial or sovereignty claimCopies of HR 95-588 are available from

to the existing resources nor does it assertCongressman Murphy (D-NY), Suite 2187

an exclusive right to remove the resourcesRayburn, Washington, D.C. 20515.


Brand, is required reading. Some sourcesof information on Congress-folk are theCongressional Quarterly Almanac (CQ)which is compiled from CongressionalQ u a r t e r l y W e e k l y R e p o r t s . T h e C QAlmanac is a thorough review of the pastyear’s activities in the U.S. Congress. Itincludes the yearly NASA budget fight,which usually runs two to six pages inlength, and includes voting records andimportant speeches. For a few dollars youcan copy the entire Congressional historyof the NASA budget. The CQ Almanac isavailable in most libraries. Another sourceof information often available in librariesis the Ralph Nader Congress Project .These are fairly unbiased studies that runabout 20 pages apiece on each member ofCongress. They include information onthe i r backg round , l i f e s ty l e , suppo r t ,beliefs and voting record (including theSenate space shuttle votes).

The important thing in any lobbyingeffort is to generate the widest and mostintelligent support possible, and to makesure your government is politely notifiedof it. If someone writes a good letter to eachof their Congresspeople, and one to thePresident for good measure, fine. If a dozenor more people in the same district writeintelligently to them, great. If it’s a letterand/or a press release from some promi-nent community organization and they getthe local newspaper to publish an arti-culate letter to the editor, that’s fantastic. Ifyou can get this orchestrated to all happenat the same time a crucial vote is comingup, you’ve probably won. If not this year,then maybe next.

With a little work, tact and patiencewe’ll get to L-5 yet!

Royal Observer of Space Shuttle -- His RoyalHighness, Prince Charles of Great Britain withDavid Scott (former director of the Dryden SpaceFlight Center) to his left and Lee Sherer, directorof the Kennedy Space Center at far left. Theoccasion was the fifth free flight of the SpaceShuttle orbiter at the Dryden center, Oct.26, 1977.

News from

NASA, ESA

Space Factory Studyby Carolyn Henson

Moon mines, space factories, Pittsburgin the sky -- are these in our future? StanSadin at NASA Headquarters, saying hewants a “cold, calculating analysis,” issponsoring a four part study which mayanswer that question.

T h e L u n a r a n d P l a n e t a r y S c i e n c e sDivis ion of Johnson Space Center , inconjunction w i t h H o u s t o n ’ s L u n a rScience Institute and Universities SpaceResea rch Assoc i a t i on w i l l s t udy t hemining of lunar ores and their conversionto primary metals. Dr. Richard J. Williamsat Johnson Space Center will manage thestudy.

Once you’ve got ingots of metal in space,what are they good for? George F. vonTiesenhausen at Marshall Space FlightCenter is managing the portion of thestudy which considers how to turn rawmetals into wave guides, electrical con-ductors, silicon cells, beams, etc. Para-meters such as throughput and investmentneeded will be considered.

How do you move people, supplies andproducts around in space and on and offthe lunar surface? Fred Teren at LewisResearch Center will identify advancedpropulsion systems which may be avail-able. Gerard O’Neill’s mass driver usingpelletized shuttle tanks for reaction mass,and a metallic oxygen rocket using lunarrefined fuel will be considered, as well asmore convent ional rockets using fuelshipped from Earth.

The fourth part of the study will tiet o g e t h e r t h e w h o l e “ s p a c e f a c t o r y ”package. Study manager Earle Crumof Johnson Space Center will establishthree alternate futures. One assumes alarge scale solar power satellite (SPS)construct ion program. The second as-sumes less activity in space: a public serviceplatform, large communications satellites,etc. but no SPS. The third alternate futureassumes an exceedingly small presence inspace.

Then a ‘best case” analysis will be madeof how these futures can be accomplishedusing only system elements of Earthorigin. Next the assumption is made thatonly lunar derived oxygen is available as aresult of the moon mine operation, and itsimpact on all three alternate futures isstudied. Then Crum’s team will assumethat mass drivers using spent shuttle tanksfor reaction mass and/or metallic oxygenrockets using fuel of entirely lunar originare available. Earle Crum hopes to therebydefine what level of space activities andwhat transportation systems are necessaryin order to justify “space factories.”

The four parts of the study have been putup for bid; proposals were received by Dec.23. Sometime in late January or earlyFebruary the winning proposals will beannounced.

Those of us who hope to get jobs in thosespace factories someday will be watchingthis four part study, a study which couldmake or break our plans for the future.

ESA/NASA SummitIn early October, Administrator Dr.

Robert A. Frosch, concluded a week-long,highly successful first visit to Europe asAdministrator . At a meet ing with theDirector General of the European SpaceAgency in Paris , the annual Spacelabprogram review was concluded. The $600million European Spacelab developmentprogram was found to be proceeding welland on schedule for a 1979 delivery toNASA of the first Spacelab units, to beflown in 1980.

After visiting ESA headquarters in Paris,Frosch went to Holland, where he signed acooperative agreement for the InfraredAstronomy Satellite project with Dutchspace officials. IRAS will conduct the firstastronomical survey of the entire sky atthose infrared wavelengths undetectableby Earth-based telescopes because of theobscuring effects of the atmosphere.

5

Scheduled for launch in 1981, the Earth-orbiting observatory will employ a largeinfrared telescope furnished by the UnitedStates, a spacecraft built by the Nether-lands, and a ground operations facilitysupplied by the United Kingdom. All threenations are participating in providing thescientific instrumentation of the satelliteand in the observation program.

Frosch then visited Germany, where hesigned a cooperative agreement on theJupiter Orbiter Probe with German spaceof f i c i a l s . Th i s p l ane ta ry exp lo ra t ionmission, scheduled for flight in early 1982,will be the first planetary spacecraft to becarried aboard the Space Shuttle.

The probe is designed to conduct themost detailed scientific investigation ofJupiter and its environment and moons,including the first direct measurements ofthe atmosphere of the planet. The missionis composed of an orbiter that will circlethe planet for at least 20 months and aprobe that will plunge deep into Jupiter’satmosphere. Under the agreement, Ger-many wil l provide a retro propulsionmodule designed for inject ion of theorbiter probe spacecraft into orbit aroundJupiter . I t also wil l provide not onlyselected scientific instruments for inte-gration into the scientific payload, but theservices of selected scientific investigators.

The several new cooperative agreementswill result in total European expendituresof some $180 million in the three spacescience programs over the next few years.

Senior NASA officials accompanyingFrosch on all or some of his visits were: Dr.Walter Williams, NASA’s chief engineer;Arnold W. Frutkin, assistant administratorfor international affairs; Walter P. Mur-phy, NASA’s European representativeDouglas R. Lord, NASA director of theSpacelab program; and Richard J . H.Barnes, director for international plan-ning and programs, office of internationalaffairs.

ESA to Provide

Space Telescope Components

The European Space Agency has signedan agreement with NASA for participationin the space agency’s 1983 space telescopem i s s i o n . A m e m o r a n d u m o f u n d e r -standing was signed on Oct. 7 in Paris byDr. Robert A. Frosch. NASA Admini-strator, and Roy Gibson, Director of ESA.

Scheduled to be carried into Earth orbitby NASA’s Space Shutt le , the spaceobservatory wil l be used to s tudy theuniverse with the h ighes t pos s ib l eresolution.

Under the agreement, ESA will providea major scientific instrument and a space-craft subsystem, participate in the in-orbit operation and maintenance of thetelescope, and arrange for participation ofESA-sponsored European astronomers inthe observation programs.

The scientific instrument to be providedby ESA is called the “faint object camera”to be used for high resolution imagery inthe ultraviolet, visual and near infraredportions of the spectrum; the spacecraftsystem to be contributed is the solar array,to provide all power for the observatory.

The 2.4-meter diameter space telescopewill be capable of accommodating up tofive different instruments at its focal plane.It will weigh about 9,070 kilograms andwill orbit the Earth at an altitude of about500 kilometers above the obscuring effects

of the atmosphere. Once placed in orbit, itwill be operated remotely from the groundbut will be designed to allow for main-tenance and the change of instruments by aspace-suited astronaut. It will be retriev-able by the Space Shuttle for return toEarth for extensive overhaul and sub-sequent re-launch. These features shouldallow the space telescope to serve as an in-space astronomical observatory for morethan a decade.

The space telescope is expected to helpscientists to solve some of the mysteriesrelating to the structure, origin, evolutionand energy processes of the universe --processes that defy solutions through useof observatories below the obscuring veil ofEarth’s atmosphere. The space telescopeshould allow astronomers to observe some350 times the volume of space than can beseen now with the largest ground-basedtelescope.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centerwill have overall management responsi-bility for the space telescope. NASA’sGoddard Space Flight Center wil l beresponsible for managing the developmentof the scientific instruments and for theoperational aspects of the observatory. TheEuropean effort will be managed by theEuropean Space Technology Center atNoordwijk in the Netherlands.

Historic International Agreement Reached -- At between the two agencies in the NASA Spacethe Paris headquarters of the European Space Telescope Program. Seated at Dr. Frosch’s right

Eye of the Gods: the space telescope. planned togo into operation in 1983. will be able to observe

Agency, NASA Administrator Dr. Robert A. is H. Kantenecker, of ESA, at his left Gibson. 350 times the volume of space visible to even theFrosch and ESA Administrator General Roy Observers standing behind the three men are not bes t of ground-based ins t ruments . SomeGibson s igned a memorandum of under - identified. scientists believe it will be able to observe thestanding stating the terms for cooperation birth of the Universe.

6 L-5 News, January 1978

ShuttleOrbiter TestsCompleted

The world watched the beginning of adream come true as the U.S. Space Shuttlemoved from theory to reality in a series oftrials during the past several months.Hundreds of NASA and contractor peopleformed a team that made the daring andcomplex venture seem almost common-place as test after successful test was carriedout.

A s t r o n a u t s F r e d W . H a i s e a n d C .Cordon Ful ler ton made a bouncy butsuccessful landing of the Space Shuttleorbiter on its fifth and final free-fall flighttest in late October on a hard surfacerunway at Edwards Air Force Base.

In their straight-in approach, whichtook only two minutes, Haise and Fuller-ton aimed for a touchdown about a third ofthe way down the runway and planned tobring the craft to a stop at the 3,000-mmark. That would be similar to landings ofa Shut t le re turning from orbi t to therunway of the Kennedy Space Center. Thepilots overshot their landing point bymore than 300 m, but managed to steadythe craft and stop it well before the end ofthe runway.

The Enterprise bounced back into theair af ter f i rs t hi t t ing the runway anddipped a wing noticeably. It bounced atleast two more times before settling downon the runway and rolling to a stop.

During a postflight press conferenceheld at the Dryden Space Flight Center,Haise at t r ibuted the rough landing tohigher-than-expected speeds during thefinal seconds, saying he had to “force” theEnterprise down onto the runway.

Chief of the Shut t le approach andlanding tests Donald K. Slayton said at thesame conference: “We have accomplishedall the objectives we set out to accomplish.

Historic Moment in Space Shuttle Testing --The fifth and final free-fall test of the SpaceShuttle orbiter took place Oct. 27 at the DrydenSpace Flight Center. This photograph shows

I’m very happy with the way it’sprogressed.”

This was the first landing on a hard-surface runway and the second time theorbi ter f lew without i ts ta i lcone. Thetai lcone provided smooth airf low andreduced drag of the 747-orbiter combin-a t i on du r ing i t s c l imb to s epa ra t i onaltitude. But orbiter astronauts reportedthe level as acceptable without its aida l t h o u g h t h e 7 4 7 t a i l s u r f a c e s w e r esubjected to buffeting.

Inside the 747, pilot Fulton said thebuffeting was not as much as anticipated.The damper located in the nose section ofthe jumbo jet was turned on to alleviate thelateral vibrat ion caused by buffet ingaround the 747 tail. The damper can bestbe described as a 450-m, spring-loadedweight, and it did improve the ride upfront.

the 747 and orbiter just before separation tookplace, with one of six chase planes in view.Below is the Mohave Desert.

In four additional tests that took place inNovember at the Dryden center, the matedaircraft underwent ferry-configurationflights. Then it was back to the barn, atDryden until March, when the paired craftwill fly to Huntsville, Ala. Marshall SpaceF l i g h t C e n t e r p e r s o n n e l , u n d e r t h ed i r ec t i on o f p ro j ec t manage r Robe r tLindstrom, will then subject the orbiter toa six-month-long series of ground vibra-tion tests with rocket boosters and externaltank attached.

In all interim between the final tests anddelivery to Alabama, members of theDryden team will continue to work on theorbiter, rewiring its electronics and com-pleting other chores to ready the space-craft for the next set of grueling trials,doing their utmost to prepare the Enter-prise for additional successes as testing atMarshall continues.

7

Astronaut Corps - Or SpaceSoldiers?

by Robin Sne lsonBill Good is a big supporter of the space

program, so he doesn’t like to have to maketrouble for NASA. It’s just that he wants tosave the space agency from rekindlingpublic disaffect ion and internat ionalsuspicion. He is considering filing aninjunction under the Civil Rights Act tostop NASA from hiring a new cadre ofastronauts. All in the best interest ofNASA’s image, you understand. (NASAhas rescheduled the new astronaut selec-t i o n a n n o u n c e m e n t f o r s o m e t i m e i nJanuary because Dr. Frosch is too busywith budgetary matters to finalize thedecisions of the JSC selection board.)

Braniff pilot and New York Universitybusiness student Bill Good is glad NASA ishiring astronauts again because he’d liketo be one himself. He says he first decidedhe wanted to be an astronaut in the early1960’s when he was a sophomore in Viennabecause, “I noticed the Europeans weremost impressed by two things aboutAmerica--the Kennedy presidency and thespace program.”

Good believes the space program stillhas the potential to transcend nationalismand spa rk i n t e rna t i ona l coope ra t i veefforts.

But if NASA ends up with an astronautcorps dominated by active duty militarymen again, and that’s the way it’s shapingup right now, Good thinks the prospectsfor international cooperation are on shakyground.

He also wonders how the Americanpublic wil l react to another group ofastronauts who work for the Departmentof Defense.

In the early days of manned space flightNASA insisted on astronauts who had testpilot experience in high performance jetaircraft. The only people who get that kindof experience are those who come upthrough the military system ‘and get intotest pilot school. That’s why the firstastronauts were all white males on activemilitary duty.

Later the National Academy of Sciencesl o b b i e d f o r s c i e n t i s t a s t r o n a u t s a n dscreened candidates for NASA. The agencysubsequently hired several scientists to flyinto space. Coincidentally, they too wereall white males.

This time NASA is hiring two kinds ofastronauts to work through 1985 -- pilotsand mission special is ts . Women andminority candidates were encouraged to

apply.Since August, 128 finalists for mission

specialist positions were interviewed atJ o h n s o n S p a c e C e n t e r i n H o u s t o n .Candidates for the scientist astronaut jobsare a diverse group--research scientists,professors, students, doctors, astronomers,government employees, some militarypeople. That group of 128 includes 21women, six blacks, three Hispanics, twoorientals and one American Indian.

There were 1,261 applicants for the pilotpositions. According to Duane Ross in theastronaut recruiting office at Johnson,almost half the pilot applicants didn’tmeet basic qualifications like 1,000 hoursof first pilot jet time and advanced scienceor math degrees.

But 127 of those pilot applicants came toNASA recommended by branches of thearmed forces. Among 80 finalists inter-viewed for the pilot jobs, only four are notac t i ve du ty mi l i t a ry men f rom tha tprescreened group. Two of the fourcivilian finalists work for the FederalAviation Administration, the other twowork for NASA. All have completed or arecurrently enrolled in test pilot school. Thepilot finalists consist of 77 white males andthree black males. None are airline pilots.

Bill Good wants to know why no pilotsfrom the private sector made the first cut.Obviously he has a vested interest inNASA’s answer, but his question is aninteresting one.

The official NASA reply is that jet testpilot experience is a preferred qualificationfor astronauts who will fly the spaceshuttle.

But Good and others quest ion thewisdom of that particular requirement. Istest pilot experience a reasonable criteriafor operation of the space shuttle, thevehicle NASA has been calling the “spacetruck” the space craft that is supposed tousher in the commercial era of the spaceage?

For one thing, the shut t le ‘wil l beo u t f i t t e d w i t h a u t o m a t i c s y s t e m s s osophisticated that it can actually be landed

without a pilot, if necessary, by groundcontrol.

And if trips to earth orbit become asroutine as NASA says they will -- on theorder of 50 to 60 cargo-ferrying round tripsper year by the mid-80’s -- do all the spaceshuttle pilots really need experimentalaircraft proficiency? Does a civilian trans-port system which is seeking commercialcustomers in both domestic and foreignindustry really need specialized jet jockeyson military payroll to drive its “spacetrucks”?

Wouldn’t some commercial pilots beable to do the job?

Bill Good thinks it’s a clear case ofdiscrimination against pilots from theprivate sector. More importantly, becausen o w o m e n a n d f e w m i n o r i t i e s h a v egraduated from military test pilot schools,the very nature of that criteria excludescertain groups from consideration.

Bill Good is white, male and an ex-Marine pilot who flew close support forground troops on his Vietnam tour. At age31, he has logged over 9,000 hours of flyingtime and his computer expertise would bea valuable skill for a pilot astronaut, sincethe space shuttle flies with the aid ofcomplex computers.

But there is no law which guaranteesequal employment opportunity for privatesector people in a federal program.

Houston lawyer and aerospace specialistArthur Dula says, “If there is anythingabout which NASA has almost unlimiteddiscret ion, i t is the select ion of pi lotastronauts for the shuttle.” He doesn’truleout a challenge to NASA’s decision, but hepoints out that suing a big federal agency isa t e r r i b l y e x p e n s i v e a n d d r a w n o u toperation.

“The courts are very reluctant to reviewthis kind of case. In an area where theagency is assumed to have special exper-tise, the court will usually leave this kindof highly technical judgement to theagency.”

However, if any of NASA’s selectioncriteria are arbitrary and not really relatedto what the job requires, and if thosecriteria have the effect of discriminating onthe basis of race, sex, creed, etc., the courtmight decide to generate a lot of paper-


Airline Pilots demand shuttle jobs: Braniff pilot Bill Good and American Airlines pilot Angela Masson hope someday to be flying a route into space.Continental is also getting into the act, at least at the fantasy level, as this airbrush retouch of a shuttle picture demonstrates.

work for NASA by ordering the agency tojustify those criteria.

If anybody succeeds in halting NASA’sselection process at this late hour, it willlikely be under the Civil Rights Act orspecif ic equal opportunity regulat ionswithin the space agency. And since BillGood hasn’t been the victim of discrim-ination on the basis of sex, race, creed orcolor, his latest tactic is to find other pilotastronaut applicants who can argue thatpoint.

N A S A w o n ’ t r e l e a s e t h e n a m e s o fapplicants who were turneddown, but BillG o o d h a s f o u n d a t l e a s t o n e w h o i s

interested in taking NASA to task for thetest pilot requirement.

Angela Masson is an American Airlinespilot with 3,500 hours flying time, twomasters degrees and a Ph.D. Her doctoraldissertation was a study on the exclusion ofwomen from pilot duty in the military, andthe resultant barriers for women in thea i r l i ne i ndus t ry and , u l t ima te ly , a sastronauts.

At the time of this writing it remains tobe seen if Good and Masson can marshal1the financial resources necessary to seek arestraining order against NASA’s astro-naut selection. But the question raised by

both is an important one: Is it in the bestinterest of the civilian space program tohave an as t ronau t corps dominated bypilots on active duty for the military? Is thetest pi lot school requirement a val idselection criteria?

A f o r m e r s c i e n t i s t a s t r o n a u t , n o wresigned from NASA, is blunt about thea s t ronau t s e l ec t i on boa rd ’ s m i l i t a rypreferences. “The problem is how deeplyentrenched the old-boy network is withinNASA. It’s like a private fraternity ofmilitary pilot astronauts--and they want tokeep it that way.”

9

Penthouse Slams

OTRAG

by Carolyn Henson

Another voice has joined the chorusdenouncing the pr ivate West Germanr o c k e t c o m p a n y O T R A G . I n a p r e s sconference held Dec. 15th, Penthousemagazine announced that their Marchissue will feature Tad Szulc’s expose ofU.S./German collusion to use OTRAGand its Zaire facilities as a blind for cruisemissile development.

Szulc asserts that the German govern-ment, apparently in order to circumventthe 1954 Treaty of Brussels, which forbidsthe development of missiles on Germansoil, has secretly funded OTRAG’s ac-tivities in Zaire at $50 million per year. Headds that the U.S. has agreed to supplyguidance systems for the German cruisemissiles,

Szulc is hardly the first to come to theattack. For several months the Soviet presshas been raising hell over OTRAG, andcruise missiles are high on their agenda offears. Even though 32 years have passedsince the end of World War II, the Sovietpress remains hypersensitive to Germanac t iv i t i e s . A ve t e r an U .S .S .R . spaceprogram observer Jim Oberg notes, “TheRussians have been beating on the samedrum for 30 years. Sometimes it’s a newtune -- OTRAG’s one -- but it’s still thesame drum.”

It is easy to dismiss the Soviet flap as justanother episode of anti-Nazi hysteria. Butwhy would Penthouse, which has neverbeen part icular ly concerned over the“ T e u t o n i c m e n a c e ” , j o i n O T R A G ’ schorus of critics? Is there more to the storythan recycled Pravda clippings?

A top U.S. NATO Alliance official statesthat “there is just no rational reason” forthe U.S. to develop cruise missiles througha West German blind. Although ongoingSALT negotiations include a protocolr e s t r i c t i ng t he dep loymen t o f c ru i s emissi les , development and test ing isanother matter. He points out that “We areq u i t e c a p a b l e o f t e s t i n g i n o u r o w nterritory. Why we would have to go to Zaireis beyond me.” The official U.S. diplo-ma t i c s t ance i s a f l a t den i a l o f t hePenthouse and Pravda stories: “There isabsolutely no substance to these al-legations.”

Being forbidden by treaty to developmissiles, the West German governmentdoes have a motive to use OTRAG as afront. But is OTRAG even capable ofdeveloping cruise missi les? “It wouldmake more sense for the Germans to use ajet aircraft company” asserts one DODobserver. Cruise missiles fly long distancesat low elevations, so it is necessary for themto use airbreathing engines. U.S. cruisemissile research is baselining turbofan jetengines attached to an airframe. OTRAG,on the other hand, is developing directascent rocket engines.

The blaze of publicity which OTRAGhas sought and succeeded only too well inreceiving is another contraindication ofsecret weapons research. Why do they passout pictures and press releases and adver-tise the existence of their African base ifthey rely on secret weapons funding fortheir livelihood?

One NASA observer admits that theeno rmous s i z e o f t he i r t e s t r ange i ssuspicious. “Why on Earth do they need100,000 square kilometers?” A block ofland 100 km square could hide a great deal.OTRAG asserts they need the area. Torephrase an old truism, whatever goes upbut does not achieve orbit must comedown, and they are not anxious for one oftheir stray boosters to flatten a village.

One way OTRAG’s protestations ofinnocence could be checked out is byinspecting Landsat photos of the area. Acheck between the U.S. Federal AviationAdministration’s records of known air-strips in the Manomo, North of Shaba areaand the Landsat observations would detectany secret airstrips. It is believed thatg r o u n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n i n t h e a r e a i ssufficiently poor that an airstrip would bean essential adjunct of a secret weaponsfacility. (Landsat photos can be bought byboth U.S. and foreign citizens from EROSData Center, Dept. of the Interior, SiouxFalls, South Dakota.)

In the meant ime, rumor has i t thatOTRAG’s innovative booster research hasground to a halt due to lack of funds. Itwould be ironic if OTRAG’s publicityefforts, apparently designed to attract newinvestors and public sympathy, havesucceeded only in making them the villainof both the Soviet and U.S. media.

Earthport Updateby Mark Frazier

Fears of secret military use of spacelaunch facilities are on the rise. MarkFrazier’s planned international space portopen to all who wish to use its facilities orto monitor other user’s activities may bea step toward easing these tensions.

After several quiet months, the Earth-port project has encouraging news tor e p o r t . O u r f i n a n c i a l s i t u a t i o n h a simproved greatly. Thanks to the generosityof a New York philanthropist, we are nowmoving ahead in a variety of areas.1. Interest by equatorial countries. Todate, officials of five equatorial govern-ments have expressed a desire to have anEarthport or Earthport tracking facilitiesconsidered for their countries. Formalletters of interest have been received fromthe Pacific island of Nauru, a wealthyequatorial nation, and the government ofRwanda in Africa. Similar let ters areexpected soon from Kenya, Surinam, andperhaps Colombia, as a result of meetingswith their United Nations representatives.2 . N e w p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h e E a r t h p o r tp r o j e c t w e l c o m e s a n u m b e r o f n e wmembers. In the past few weeks, RobertHeinlein and Buckminster Fuller haveagreed to join the advisory board. Othern e w a d v i s o r s i n c l u d e B a r b a r a M a r xHubbard, of the Committee for the Future;Marcel Barrere, president of the Inter-national Astronautical Federation; and EdFinch, chairman of the aerospace lawcommittee of the American Bar Associ-ation. While we are delighted with the newadvisors, we regret the loss of Arthur C.Clarke, whose retirement has promptedhim to disengage from a wide range ofspace activities. In an otherwise mostenjoyable meeting last October in Wash-i n g t o n , C l a r k e t o l d E a r t h p o r t s t u d ydirector Mark Frazier that he would giveEarthport materials to his longtime friendthe prime minister of Sri Lanka, who is ana d v o c a t e o f f r e e t r a d e z o n e s i n t h eequatorial nation.3. Leasing projections. Professor AlvinRabushka, a senior fellow of the HooverInstitution at Stanford and a specialist infreeports, has prepared an estimate ofrental income at a 200-square-mile freetrade zone/space launch center. Assumingt h a t o n l y h a l f o f t h e a r e a w o u l d b eultimately leased, annual revenues wouldamount to $373 million, at rates no higherfor land than in existing free trade zones.


Preliminary Earthport Design(To accomodate a wide range of future as well as present launch providers, an

Earthport would have protected sites for heavy lift launch vehicles, and dry and wet

recovery areas).

1 1

Earthport would therefore generate sub-stantial sums for payment to the hostcountry, and for administration of the site.An estimated $100 to $125 million per yearwould also be set aside for a World SpaceCenter, to subsidize use by developingcountries of Earthport - based commerciallaunch providers. Copies of Rabushka’sLeasing Income at an International SpaceFreeport are available from the SabreFoundation.4. International base. After a meeting ofseven key Earthport study participants inSanta Barbara on December I, a decisionwas made to incorporate a non-profi t“Earthport Authority” in Austria. Themove reflects a desire to give the project awider international base, and is a preludeto a world-wide conference on Earthport tobe held in Vienna within the next 16months.

free trade zones in the United States, hasalso found support for the concept byforeign business executives. Other organ-izations whose officials have expressed astrong interest in the Earthport project inrecent weeks include the World TradeCenters Association, and World PeaceThrough Law.8 . N e w M a t e r i a l s . A c o l o r , 1 5 p a g ebrochure has replaced the initial pamphletdescribing the advantages of an inter-national space freeport. In coming weeks,by arrangement with the Minneapolis-based Foundation Institute, the Earthportproject will produce a new document onthe benefits of an Earthport to industry. Afund raising prospectus will also be madeavailable before February 1, the date of thenext meeting of Earthport study groupleaders in Santa Barbara.

BrownFoundationFunds SPS Work

Rice University in Houston, Texas, hasreceived a $100,000 grant from the BrownFoundation to study solar power satellites(SPS). Rice physics professor John W.Freeman, Jr., who is the study director,says “What we want is to make certainthere are no shortstoppers. We want tomake sure there are no problems soimpassable the whole concept has to bethrown out.”

5. Freeport Design Committee. Begin-ning in January, the Freeport DesignCommittee will begin preparation of ar e p o r t o n a p p r o a c h e s f o r c r e a t i n g aprosperous international launch center.Historical research on free trade zones willbe conducted by Earthport director MarkFrazier, in conjunction with his graduatestudies in international relations at theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara.Professor Alvin Rabushka, chairman ofthe Freeport Design Committee, will writethe sections of the report dealing withcontractual resolution of disputes andprovision of services. Technical aspectswill be dealt with by Dr. Michel Bader ofthe Ames Research Center in Palo Alto,who is one of several high-ranking NASAof f i c i a l s exp lo r ing t he i n t e rna t i ona llaunch center concept.6. Publici ty. Astronautics and Aero-nautics, a leading aerospace magazine, hasaccepted an ar t ic le on Earthport andprivate launch providers for a forthcomingissue. F o r m e r a s t r o n a u t D r . P h i l i pChapman, of Arthur D. Li t t le , is co-authoring a longer and more technicaltreatment of the Earthport concept withMark Frazier. The article will be adaptedfrom a paper delivered by Frazier inOctober to the American AstronauticalSociety’s conference in San Francisco onspace industrialization. The winner ofPlayboy’s 1976 nonfiction writing award,J im Davidson, has been asked by themagazine to submit a proposal for anarticle on Earthport.7. Corporate interest. Earthport advisorJames Hagler, of the International Busi-ness Council, has agreed to arrange amailing about the project to the organi-zat ion, which consis ts of long-rangeplanners for 50 mult inat ional corpor-at ions. The mail ing wil l explain thepotential benefits to business of an inter-national free trade zone. Hagler, who hasbeen instrumental in the creation of two

Please call Mark Frazier at 805/965-7947,or write the Sabre Foundation, 221 WestCarrillo Street, Santa Barbara, California,93101, if you desire further information.

Freeman reports that the work wil lcover:

Energy conversion techniques on thesatellite.

EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OFA SPACE SETTLEMENT

A t t h e I n s t i t u t e o f B iomed ica lProblems, USSR Public Health Ministry,Doctor of Medical Sciences Ye. Ya.Shepe l ev ha s comple t ed a l½-mon the x p e r i m e n t o f h u m a n e x i s t e n c e i n aclosed ecological system -- a miniaturemodel of a future space settlement.

Effects of cosmic rays on the satellitesand the crews working on them.Effects of the satellite on the Earth’smagnetosphere and ionosphere.M i c r o w a v e a n t e n n a a n d r e c e i v i n gstation rectenna designs.Effects of lightning on the rectenna.Alterations in Earth’s heat balance dueto the added energy input from SPS.Economic impact of SPS, includingwhat the effect will be if the program isnot undertaken.

The hermetically closed space containsa greenhouse with allotments to growwheat, cabbage, peas, beets, and carrots.Before the experiment, the plants weregrown on a schedule to the stage whenthey could be harvested each week of theexperimental period. They provided foodand oxygen and consumed the carbondioxide and minerals regenerated bymicroorganisms in f e r m e n t e r s f r o mhuman waste.

Na t iona l and in t e rna t iona l soc i a l ,poli t ical , legal and implementationaspects of SPS.Environmental impact.Freeman adds that if Rice can locate an

addi t ional $100,000 by February, theBrown Foundation will provide another$100,000. The Brown Foundat ion i sfunded by Brown and Root, an industrialconstruction firm.

The assor tment of plants was suchthat, with one man in the system, a fullb a l a n c e w a s a c h i e v e d w i t h o u t a n yadditional physico-chemical equipmentfor air purification. However, when afterone month of operation a second manwas brought into the system it becameneces sa ry t o connect the “Siren”(“Li l ac” ) - - an add i t iona l b io log ica lsystem -- a chlorella-growing installation.

D r . Shepe l ev describes theexperimental model as simplified, since itdoes not include fauna representatives; heplans to el iminate this restr ict ion infuture experiments.

The water cycle was self-sufficient,although it required a severe restriction --the complete exclusion of detergents andsoap, demonstrating the sensitivity of theb i o s p h e r e t o certain man-madepollutants.

Repr in ted f rom Pravda, March 18 ,1977, p. 6. Study director John W. Freeman, Jr.


I’m writing in regards to the review ofmy book Time Out For Tomorrow thatappeared in your September issue of L-5News as reviewed by Conrad Schneiker. Ifound his review to be honest and forth-right and very interesting. I particularlyagree that we covered many of the topicstoo lightly. Of course, this was intentional.The book has been used to a great extent inschools as a primer for future living andthe study of value systems. However, for atechnical group as the L-5 certainly tendsto be, the book is a little bit light in thetechnical area. We are trying to correct thatproblem in the next book, Time Out ForTomorrow - Volume 2, which will focusextensively on man’s future in space. It isalso an optimistic sketch of what tomor-row will bring, but dealing much morewith what we will be able to do once we getoutside the atmosphere of Earth.

Norm AveryPenrose, CO

A mind-boggling, yet realistic view ofthe future is presented in Time Out ForTomorrow by Norman Avery. The qualitypaperback has just been released byT . H . A . R . I n s t i t u t e o f R a y n e s f o r d ,Montana.

The concepts of future living outlined inTime Out For Tomorrow are not the resultof crystal ball gazing, nor are they pluckedfrom the air by an over-active imagination.R a t h e r t h e y a r e b a s e d o n w h a t h a shappened in the past, what is happeningtoday and the logical extension of thistechnology into the future. The text issupported by 70 photos, many in color.

The author is an articulate, humorouslecturer on future living. He serves as aspace consultant to both government andindustry, besides addressing over 400audiences each year.

Avery’s background also includes workas a university audio-visual instructor, aradio news director, and a public relationsdirector and consultant in the space field.He is an active member of the AmericanInstitute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,World Future Society, L-5 Society (spacecolony development project) , and theSociety of Motion Pictures and TelevisionEngineers. He is listed in Who’s Who inthe West, and Who’s Who in AmericanAviation.

Col. James B. Irwin, the eighth astro-naut to walk on the moon, says of Avery’sbook, “The future belongs to those whoprepare for i t . I bel ieve that NormanAvery’s Time Out For Tomorrow will giveyou a look at the future -- the promises andthe challenges.”

Time Out For Tomorrow is available inbook stores for $6.95, or from THAR, Box505, Belt, Montana 59412.

Bibliography Update

by Conrad Schneiker

“The Potential of Satellite Solar Power”P.E. GlaserProceedings of the IEEE, August, 1977

Yet another article by the father of SatelliteSolar Power. This invited paper deals withthe major facets of SSPS implementation,including the microwave system, powergenerat ion, economics , environmentalimpacts, legal status, space transportationrequirements, orbi tal assembly, main-tenance & manufacturing.

“System Impact Of The Dual-ExpanderEngine”Robert SalkeldAstronautics & Aeronautics, November,1977

This letter points out that dual-expanderengines, applied to horizontal- takeoffSST0 (Single Stage To Orbit) vehicles“increases payload-to-dry-weight ratio by131%.” It continues “such a potent ia lsurely merits serious attention.” Indeed.This achievement is due to a modestweight savings (due to use of the dual-expander engine), giving increased liftoffvelocity, allowing lower platform area(since l i f t increases as the square ofvelocity), allowing the entire vehicle toshrink.

“Space Age Review”378 Cambridge Ave.Palo Alto, Calif. 94306

This new magazine plans publication 12times a year (possibly bimonthly for a shortwhile). The 2nd issue is 12 pages long. Thecost is $1/issue or $10/12 issues. It containsmany short but interesting news itemsrelated to space, illustrated with black andwhite photographs. The articles in thesecond issue concern California’s spaceday, the shuttles first free flight &excerptsfrom a speech by Nichelle Nichols (betterknown to Star Trek fans as Communi-cations Officer Uhura).

“Space Colonies: One Step Closer”Science News, August 13, 1977

Major point made: if shipping of the firsthabitat material started in 1985, then by“1991 the f i rs t colony-manufactured,solar-power satellite could be finished andproducing enough electricity for a city thesize of Los Angeles.”

“Living in Space”Gerard K. O’NeillAIAA Student Journal, Summer 1977

Gives O’Neill’s vision of how people willlive and work in space in the near future. Itcould serve as a brief summary of his book“The High Frontier.”

1 3

“PROJECT DAEDALUS REPORT”(Provisional title)

Ready in April will be the “Project Daedalus Report” which will contain 24 papers which contributed to this four-year Study for a Starship Probe to Barnard’s Star.

This unique report, which runs to 160 pages, is the most ambitious and detailed Study yet undertaken for anInterstellar Starship.

As funds allow only a limited quantity to be printed, applicants requiring copies are urged to place Advance Ordersto avoid the risk of later disappointment.

Provision for reserving copies appears below. The cost of the Report is $8.00 post free. Please complete the slip andreturn with your remittance. A copy of the Report will then be sent to you immediately on publication.

Order for “PROJECT DAEDALUS REPORT”.

NAME

ADDRESS

I am a member/subscriber of the British Interplanetary Society • British Interplanetary Society12 Bessborough Garden;

I am not a member. • LONDON SW1V 2JJ U.K.

“Space Law”George S. RobinsonTechnology Review, October/November,1977

This article is a “broad brush review ofspace l aw .” I t p r e sen t s a myr i ad o funresolved problems in this field. “Theprogress so far has been sketchy -- with a lotof wishful thinking.” It is interesting tonote many of the legal issues revolvea r o u n d p h i l o s o p h i c q u e s t i o n s , e . g .“should space societ ies be consideredindependent communities or colonies ofe a r t h k i n d ? ” T h e a u t h o r a n s w e r s b yproposing a “Magna Carta” for spacecommunities. This is one field that criesout for involvement by L-5ers.

“GSSPS - Taking A New Approach ToThe Space Solar Power State”L e o p o l d J . C a n t a f i o , V l a d i m i r A .Chobotov, Malcolm G. WolfeAstronautics & Aeronautics, November,1977

In trying to improve on “brute force”S S P S d e s i g n , t h e a u t h o r s p r e s e n t agravitationally stabilized SSPS (GSSPS)design. It consists of 24 pairs of 385m x2km solar panels attached to a 72km-long,2m-diameter circular waveguide. Whilehaving a few problems of i ts own, i tove rcomes a hos t o f p rob l ems w i th“conventional” SSPS designs. Advantages:r educ t ion o f s t ab i l i z a t i on p rope l l an tneeded, lower radio frequency interference,increased reliability and reduced systemweight. The authors claim “the GSSPSwill greatly advance the field toward aneconomically viable system by the turn ofthe century.”

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“The Dual-Expander Rocket Engine --Key To Economical Space Transpor-tation”Rudi BeichelAstronautics & Aeronautics, November,1977

The dual-expander engine allows parallelburn of two propel lent combinat ions(using 2 combustion chambers) during theinitial flight phase, followed by a sequen-tial burn at high altitude. Due to tradeoffsin tankage weight, etc., this engine yieldsmajor performance increases. “The costper unit weight into orbit for the spaceshuttle is $470/kg ($213/lb) and . . . the cor-responding cost for a new vehicle designutilizing [these] new propulsion systemconcepts is $12/kg ($5/lb). “This engine,its operation, construction, and advan-tages are discussed. The author concludes“this ar t ic le has concerned that wordECONOMICAL. Although only a modests tep beyond the s ta te of the ar t , thetechnical advances described in this andmy previous A/A articles present the onlyknown means of obtaining an economicalspace transportation system.” Doubters,n o t e w e l l - - t h e a u t h o r d i r e c t e d t h edevelopment of the V-2 power plant atPeenemunde.

“Space App l i ca t ions Fo r Te r r e s t r i a lResources”Brian O’LearyAAIA Student Journal, Summer 1977

“Testimony . . . before the Science andSpace Subcommittee . . . [of the] UnitedStates Senate.” Builds a case for the spacemanufacturing approach to SPS, usingasteroids towed into Earth orbit. “The

total cost . . . would be many times less thanthe several hundred bi l l ion dollars ofprojected capital expansion of coal andnuclear power plants.”

Skylab: Our First Space StationE d i t e d b y L e l a n d F . B e l e w . U . S .

Government Printing Office. 1977. NASASP-400; Stock # 033-000-00670-5. $7.00. 164pp. Hardbound.

As is becoming tradition with the NASASP series, this book is lavishly illustratedwith many color photographs. It is also anexcellent popular history of the successfulmission. It describes the design history ofSkylab; its problems, and successes; andthe scientif ic results from nearly sixmonths in orbit.

Space Se t t lements : a Des ign S tudy(NASA SP-413), recently was published byN A S A ’ s s c i e n t i f i c a n d t e c h n i c a linformation office. It describes in vividterms and illustrations the constructionand operation of permanent settlements inspace where as many as 10,000 people atsome future time may work, raise familiesand live out their lives. The 185-pagevolume is based on a study sponsored bythe American Society of EngineeringEducation and NASA, held at the Amescenter and Stanford University, in which31 engineers, scient is ts and s tudentsparticipated. The book is priced at $5.00,on s a l e b y t h e S u p e r i n t e n d e n t o fDocuments, U.S. Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D.C. 20301 (stocknumber 033-000-00669-l).


William Sims Bainbridge, The SpaceflightRevolution, Wiley, 1976by Vidvuds Beldavs

B a i n b r i d g e h a s w r i t t e n a h i g h l yi n f o r m a t i v e b o o k t h a t t r a c e s t h edevelopment of spaceflight as the result ofa social movement. It is his thesis thatspaceflight followed a pattern explainedby Thomas Kuhn in the Struc ture o fScientific Revolutions. In effect, VonBraun, Oberth, Tsiolkovski, Goddard ando t h e r p i o n e e r s i n t h e s p a c e f l i g h tmovement acted on irrational, perhapsm y s t i c a l i m p u l s e s d u r i n g t h erevolutionary stage of development ofspaceflight. The post Apollo effort is nol o n g e r r e v o l u t i o n a r y s c i e n c e a n dtechnology but rather follows the patterno f n o r m a l s c i e n c e w i t h i n c r e m e n t a ladvances. With NASA spacefl ight hasbecome institutionalized and the bulk ofresearch, development and publicationsdeal with narrowly defined technicalproblems.

In i t i a l l y t he Space Movemen t washeavily influenced by science fiction. Asreal developments occurred in space theinfluence of science fiction declined andthe typical SF fan became alienated anddisenchanted from real events in thedevelopment of space technology. Duringthe early stages many amateur societiessprang up in Germany, England, USSRand the U.S. advocating spaceflight androcket technology. Within the U.S. theAmerican Interplanetary Society soonbecame transformed into the AmericanRocket Society and later the AmericanInstitute of Aeronautics and Astronauticsreflecting the voice of government andbusiness involved in aircraft, rocketry andspace.

In Germany the Spaceflight Movementeffectively exploited the Nazi war machineto advance the development of spaceflightt h r o u g h w e a p o n s d e v e l o p m e n t .Apparently at no time was Von Brauns e r i o u s l y i n t e r e s t e d i n w e a p o n sd e v e l o p m e n t b u t r a t h e r m a d e e v e r ypossible effort to gather resources andscientists t o a d v a n c e t h e c a u s e o fspace f l i gh t . T h e u s u a l t o p i c o fconversation at Peenemunde was how toget into space and not how to strike targetsin England more effectively. Bainbridgep r e s e n t s e v i d e n c e t h a t t e c h n i c a lincompetence, irrationality and politicalgamesmanship among the Nazi leadershipled to the tremendous investment in the V-2 at a time of great crisis to the Germannation. More than 200,000 people wereinvolved in the V-2 program in the 1944-45period. The program cost an estimated 2.5billion dollars and at one time or anothera b s o r b e d t h e e f f o r t s o f o n e t h i r d o fG e r m a n y ’ s p h y s i c a l s c i e n t i s t s a n d

advanced engineers. The liquid fueled V-2was a far less effective weapon than solidfueled rockets, jet planes, or other weaponsthat Germany could have developed.

Accord ing to Ba inb r idge a s imi l a rpattern occurred in the U.S. and Russiaafter the war with spaceflight advocatesselling their respective governments onmassive space programs. With the successof the moonflight and the development ofSpace Shuttle “the Spaceflight Movementin America has ceased to be a movementand has become institutionalized as a partof the standard government-industrialstructure. The Spaceflight Movement hasmatured, and in succeeding, has lost itsp o w e r f o r r e v o l u t i o n a r y g r o w t h . ”

Bainbridge examines the Committee forthe Future as an example of how theSpaceflight Movement has continued butfinds that the Committee for the Futurebecame less and less interested in space perse and more and more interested in “popf u t u r o l o g y ” a n d w o r l d p l a n n i n g .Bainbridge feels that groups l ike theCommittee for the Future and SF fans donot relate to the technical realities ofspaceflight as is currently being carried outby the U.S. and other governments. Ineffect we are in for a long period of normalscience which may be followed by a SecondSpacecraft Revolution. Bainbridge says,

“My overall contention is that the next20 to 50 years will be marked by a gradualupward coast ing of space-technologyc a p a b i l i t i e s - a p e r i o d o f n o r m a ltechnological change. Somewhere soonafter the turn of the century there is a realposs ib i l i t y o f a Second Space f l igh tRevolution.”

A very interesting idea presented byBainbridge is that there are cul turalredoubts which allow for the preservationof ideas which the broader society may finduse fu l a t a l a t e r t ime . Acco rd ing t oBainbridge:

“Culture preserved in a redoubt maylater emerge into the larger society.Spaceflight itself may be the best exampleof an idea protected and developed to someextent within science fiction and laterbrought to practical realization and fullacceptance in the larger society. SF maycontain other ideas that might not surviveoutside the redoubt at the present time, butmay emerge strong and compelling atsome future time when the conventionalconsciousness has changed.”

Bainbridge has done an excellent job ofcovering the historical development of themovement. The book is weakest in itstreatment of the future prospects of spaceflight, exploration and industrialization.He sees no sign of significant economic,military or scientific activity that wouldaccelerate the movement into space. Theconsiderable literature, conferences and

courses on space industrialization indicatethat the Space Movement has alreadyentered the Second Space Revolution. Thistime the movement appears far broaderand more deeply rooted than the one thattook man to the Moon. Bainbridge says“there is a minor movement afoot to buildfloating cities in Earth orbit, an interestingif somewha t f r i vo lous i dea . ” Th i scomment does not reflect a grasp of therealities and potential involved in spaceindustrialization. Finally, we are withinsight of the point where space can bringsignificant returns to private investors. Weare on the threshold not only of a scientificand technological revolution but rathersomething far broader including Stine’s“ T h i r d I n d u s t r i a l R e v o l u t i o n , ” a n dLeary’s “Migration,” Hubbard’s “NewWorld,” and a restructured world order.

ABSTRACT“ S p a c e f l i g h t , C o l o n i z a t i o n , a n dIndependence: A Synthesis”.Michael A. G. MichaudJournal o f the Br i t i sh In terplanetarySociety, March, 1977 (Part One), June, 1977(Part Two), September, 1977 (Part Three).

An overview of the human colonizationof our solar system and other star/planetsystems. P a r t O n e , “Expanding theHuman Biosphere,” describes the limitswhich the Ear th may impose on thehuman future; the escape from these limitsoffered by spaceflight and extraterrestrialcolonizat ion; some approaches to thecolonization of our solar system (includingspace colonies) ; the eventual need tomigrate beyond the solar system; the searchfor colonization sites near other stars; theproblems of interstellar flight; and somegeneralizations about interstellar probes.Part Two, “Manned Interstellar Flight andthe Colonizat ion of Other Systems,”d i s c u s s e s t h e p r o b l e m s o f p i l o t e dinterstellar flight; design considerationsfor interstellar colonizing missions; theestablishment, growth, and problems ofinterstellar colonies ; further waves ofexpansion; and a new status for Homosapiens in the universe. Part Three, “TheConsequences of Colonization,” discussesthe characteristics of the early colonialg e n e r a t i o n s ; t h e i n f l u e n c e o fe x t r a t e r r e s t r i a l e n v i r o n m e n t s ; t h epsychology of the new frontier; social andbiological changes within the colonies; theneed for adaptive variety; a probable trendin the colonies toward separatism;p o l i t i c a l - m i l i t a r y i n t e r a c t i o n s ; t h ecolonies’ relations with and impact on theEarth; some long-term implications of

h u m a n e x p a n s i o n i n t o t h e u n i v e r s e ;contact with other intelligences; and apossible role for Galactic Humanity if weare the galaxy’s only intelligent species.

15

The following papers are included in Space Manufacturing Facilities, II, the collection of the pro-ceedings of the May 1977 Princeton Conference on Space Manufacturing Facilities. Reviews byConrad Schneiker.

“ T e c h n i c a l I n n o v a t i o n a n d S o c i a lExplorat ion in Economic Growth andE n e r g y D e v e l o p m e n t ” , L . P . G e r l a c h

Three approaches to technoeconomicoperations are discussed: BIG, SMALL (isbeautiful) and HIGH (frontier) as meansfor economical growth. “Our researchenables us to explore social factors whichinfluence resistance to, or innovation andacceptance of these approaches.”

“Space Industr ial izat ion Studies-AnO v e r v i e w ” , C . P r i e s t , R . B r a d f o r d

If one adds “from NASA’s point ofview”, the title sums it up. Compared toother proposals for space manufacturingoperations, t h e g i v e n t i m e s c a l e o factivities seems stretched out and slow.

“Controlled-Environment Agricultureand Food Production Systems for SpaceManufacturing Facilities”, J.M. Phillips,M.R. Fontes

“In this paper, the terrestrial experiencew i t h C E A ( c o n t r o l l e d - e n v i r o n m e n tagricul ture) systems is reviewed, andprobable adaptations of this technology tothe p rob l em o f d e s i g n i n g a f o o dproduction system for O’Neill’s model Is p a c e s e t t l e m e n t a r e d i s c u s s e d . ”

“Phys io log i ca l Pa rame te r s i n SpaceSet t lement Design”, John Bil l ingham

R e v i e w s p h y s i o l o g i c a l d e s i g nrequirements for the O’Neill/NASA-Amestype colony designs. Discusses the need fora sensitivity analysis of costs for departingfrom these (conservative) requirements.

“Ecopsychiatr ic Aspects of a FirstHuman Space Colony”, Jay T. Shurley,K i r m s c h N a t a n i , R a n d a l S e n g e l

“This paper considers the potent ia lpsychosocial problems facing the firsttechnology satellite crew. These includeanxiety, depression, hysteria, ineffectualperformance, substance abuse., etc.” ‘Thea u t h o r s c o n c l u d e t h a t a f u l l - s c a l es i m u l a t i o n p r i o r t o l a u n c h a n ddeployment is the best method to testhypotheses and to discover new ande m e r g e n t b e h a v i o r p a t t e r n s . ”

“Anthropological Considerat ions”, A.Harkins

“Among the diff icul t ies in joininganthropological traditions to the creationof space communities are: 1) the lack of aU N I V E R S A L E T H N O T H E O R Yamenable to CULTURAL DESIGN andP O L I C Y F O R M A T I O N ; a n d 2 ) a na p p a r e n t d i s i n t e r e s t a m o n g m a n y

16

anthropologists in advanced hardware the next 15 to 20 years will go to the energytechnologies. Suggestions are offered for industry. About half (or 10 percent of thethe selective employment of new trends in total) will be needed by electric utilities.”anthropology which could cope with 1 and2.” “Environmental Impact o f S p a c e

Manufacturing”, Richard R. Vondrak“ E c o n o m i c M a n a g e m e n t S y s t e m s : Concerns “The natural environment of

Growth Prospects For The United States the earth, the moon, and cislunar space. . ”O v e r T h e N e x t 5 0 Y e a r s , ” W . F . As one example, there is a discussion ofThompson, K.D. Wilson how lunar atmospheric interference and

Th i s pape r r ev i ews a l a rge soc io - incomplete discharging of lunar masseconomic s tudy of the prospects for driver payloads affects aiming accuracy ofeconomic growth in the United States over the lunar mass driver.the next 50 years. Significant use of spacesolar power systems have been left out of “Microwave Energy Transmission”,the picture until around 2025 and are William Browndiscussed very briefly. Apparently lack of In addition to discussing many facets offunding isn’t the reason as “Most forecasts microwave energy transmission systems,conclude that about 20 percent of total the author presents a plan for a series of

capital funds generated in the nation over progressively larger tests of such systems.

Just published --The second volume on Space Manufacturing

SPACE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES, II(Space Colonies)

The Proceedings of the May 1977 Princeton/AIAA Conferenceon Space Manufacturing Facilities

Order your copy now; only alimited edition has been printed.

This new hard cover book,an essential companion volumeto Space Manufacturing I,presents the most up-to-dateand comprehensive infor-mation available today on theexciting prospects for space-based Industry.

Space Manufacturing II, theProceedings of the May 1977Princeton/AlAA Conference onSpace Manufacturing andSpace Colonization, containsthe 34 presentations of thatConference in the followingcategories: Transport: Rocketry and

Trajectories Transport: Mass Drivers Material Resources Industrial Operations in

Space and Large SpaceStructures

Human Factors Products Systems

Send check or money order to:American Institute of Aeronauticsand Astronautics1290 Ave. of the Americas NY, NY 10019

Please send me __ copies ofSpace Manufacturing Facilities(Space Colonies) II . . . . . . . . $17.50

Also send me __ copies of the firsthardcover book:Space Manufacturing Facilities(Space Colonies) I . . . . . . . . . $19.50

Name

Address

City/State/Zip

Social System InteractionsAlso included are four

thoroughly and clearly writtenreviews by Gerard K. O’Neill,Jerry Grey, Stephen Cheston,and James R. Arnold, thatsummarize the voluminouscontents .

This volume has beenrushed to press by the AIAAto update you on the twoyears of effort since theprevious Conference.

California residents please add 6% sales tax.


Huntsville Conference to FeatureSpace Capitalist

Friday afternoon, Jan. 27, Christian O.Basler will present a paper at the Hunts-ville Explorer Anniversary Conferenceentitled “Introduct ion to the StagingCompany Approach to Space Industrial-ization.” A staging company is a closed-end management investment companythat converts to an operating companyafter its research and development havebrought space industr ia l izat ion to thepoint of full commitment. As an invest-m e n t c o m p a n y i t w o u l d a c c u m u l a t ecapital and invest in the securities ofcompanies likely to profit from spaceindustrialization and would spend theincome from its investment portfolio onresearch and development, to be contractedout , for the most par t , to these samecompanies. The object of the research anddevelopment would ultimately be firm

bids for the systems being developed. Untili t h a s a c c u m u l a t e d e n o u g h c a p i t a l ,through a series of public offerings andappreciation of its portfolio investments,to proceed with full-scale space industrial-ization, the investment company wouldspend only the income from its portfolioon research and development.

After reviewing the basic concept of astaging company as first presented at theIndustrialization of Space conference inSan Francisco, Basler will present severalaspects of staging company structure andoperation not discussed in the originalpaper, including integration of tax shelterjoint venture investment during the R &D / i n v e s t m e n t c o . p h a s e , c o n t r a c t u a lrelationships between the staging com-pany and contractors (aerospace com-

panies?) and legal problems and solutions.Basler will give a second paper Saturday

afternoon entitled “The Economics of aStaging Company.” It will include a yearby year analysis of the interact ion ofpossible R & D profi les, total costs ,potential earnings, and other economicfactors, focused on return on investmentfor ini t ia l purchasers of s tock in thes t a g i n g c o m p a n y a n d j o i n t v e n t u r einvestors. A step-by-step description ofhow stock in a staging company can besold in a series of public offerings and howother forms of financing can be utilizedwill also be given.

For more information on the conference,contact Prof. Donald E. Tarter, Dept. ofSociology, University of Alabama inHuntsville, Huntsville, AL 35807.

1978 Goddard Memorial SymposiumMarch 8, 9, 10 Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC

Sponsored by the American Astronautical Society, American Inst i tute of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Forum forthe Advancement of Students in Science and Technology, Nat ional Space Inst i tute , Inst i tute of Electr ical andElectronics Engineers, (Washington section) and the L-5 Society.

T h e t h e m e o f t h e 1 9 7 8 G o d d a r d to those whose heads begin to reel fromMemorial Symposium is “Space shuttle information overload. Wednesday, Marchand Spacelab utilization: what is the near- 8 at 7:30 p.m. a tour of the Naval Obser-term and long-term potential benefit?” vatory is offered. Thursday at 7:30 p.m.Top ic s cove red w i l l i nc lude s t uden t there will be a “Washington After Dark”experiments, solar power satellites, space tour ($11.00); and Friday noon conferencefactories, space medicine, the search for a t t e n d e e s h a v e t h e c h o i c e o f t h eextraterrestrial life, space law, science AAS/DGLR Luncheon ($12.00) or the 21stfiction, moon and L-5 bases, the Japanese, A n n u a l G o d d a r d M e m o r i a l B a n q u e tIndian, USSR, Chinese, and Canadian ($40.00). Conference survivors who canspace programs as well as the nitty gritty drag themselves out of bed and get ready bydetai ls on the U.S. space shut t le and 10:00 a.m. Saturday may take a tour of theEuropean Space Agency Spacelab. National Air and Space Museum.

Social activities are offered to give relief If you wish to attend, you must register

by Feb. 26. Please use the registration formbelow (another registration form withmore details on the conference will bemailed shortly via third class bulk mail toU.S. L-5 members, but if it fails to arrive intime you can use the form below). Hotelreservations should be made directly withthe Washington Hilton Hotel by Feb. 14.Look in your local phone book for the toll-free Hilton number if you live in the U.S.;otherwise write to them at 1917 Conn. Ave.& Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC20009.

Registration Form:1978 Goddard Memorial Symposium

Please mail to:American Astronautical Society

Enclosed is (check one):Goddard Memorial Symposiumc/oMartin Marietta AerospaceBaltimore Division

• $25.00 non-member 103 Chesapeake Park Plaza

• $20.00 member (if you are an L-5 regular member, please check this item) Baltimore, MD 21220

• $5.00 student Please make check payable to the American Astronautical Society.

Name

Street

City State Zip

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Inside the L-5 SocietyL - 5 i s a l i v e a n d w e l l a t V i r g i n i a

Polytechnic Institute and State University- better known as Virginia Tech - whereinterest in the prospect of space settlementis steadily expanding.

In i t i a t i ve t oward a chap te r o f L -5Society began in the spring, becoming areality this October. Membership standsnow at about 47, the goal being “as manyas possible” in the words of economicsmajor Kimber Smith who was elected tothe chapter’s presidency in November.

“We wan t t o he lp i nc r ea se pub l i cconsciousness of space settlements,” Smithexplains. “We want to make a contri-bution to the educational effort. L-5 needsto reach a lot of people, and a lot of peopleneed to reach L-5. Popular participation isthe only way to go, and it starts with ourlocal chapters.

“Virginia Tech is a 20,000 membercommunity,” Smith adds, “and every oneof them is a potent ia l member of ourchapter, as we see it.”

L-5 vice president at Tech is DavidJones, a 5th year architecture student.Sec re t a ry i s C indy Har tman (pub l i ca d m i n i s t r a t i o n ) , a n d L e m a r R o b e r t s(biology and psychology) is treasurer.

Faculty advisor to the chapter is politicalscientist Jack Salmon (also a member ofthe L-5 Society’s board of directors).

While serving as a forum for discussiona n d a c e n t e r f o r t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o fmaterials, Tech is taking a look at severalchapter project possibilities. One member(Dave Jones) is busily fashioning a model(inside and out) of a large habitat. At lastreport, Jones was making mountains.

November’s meeting focused on theevolution of habitat architectural design.

“We believe in cooperat ion,” Smithnotes, “so we hope to be working with theCollege of William and Mary L-5 on somejoint projects. The people in Williamsburghave some interesting ideas about publiceducation and political lobbying, both ofwhich are much needed nowadays.”

If you have any ideas or suggestionsabout projects we could consider thisacademic year, please send them to us.

Virginia Tech L-5 Societyc/o Kimber Smith4016 W. Pritchard, VPI & SUBlacksburg, Virginia 24061

The concept of space settlement hasf i r m l y t a k e n r o o t o n t h e c a m p u s o fAmerica’s second oldest institution ofhigher learning, and the historic com-munity surrounding it.

Beginning in September (at registrationitself) with an appeal to “make space settle-ment an assumption of the whole univer-sity,” a chapter of the L-5 Society hasalready become conspicuous at the Collegeof Wi l l i am and Mary , Wi l l i amsburg ,Virginia.

Over 100 students and faculty membersfrom 17 different schools and departmentsbecame involved in chapter activities in1977, and many more were reached by aseries of prel iminary educational andmedia efforts aimed at the general public --including a major news-feature in theRichmond Times-Dispatch, reporting on“a major worldwide movement.”

“Everything we’ve done so far,” says BillBryant, an organizer of the chapter, “is justa prelude to the work we plan to do in ‘78.A great citizens movement is forming,obviously, and we do intend to be veryactively supportive of it. We feel that thetime has come for doing -- for taking thisthing to the people.”

The chapter’s schedule through Mayincludes:

-- Four general meetings, plus a “float-ing” six-week discussion (focusing ontechnology, philosophy, education, socialscience, business and international re-lations).

-- Anticipated special programs fea-turing Gerry O’Neill of Princeton andBarbara Marx Hubbard of Washington, tobe broadly co-sponsored.

-- Involvement with Sun Day.-- Sponsorship of a Citizens Petition for

the Future (to be shared soon with all L-5chapters), starting on the campuses.

-- Preparation of a tabloid newspaper,videotape programs and a comprehensivestudy guide (designed for extensive class-room use).

-- Sponsorship of a special fine artscompetition and showing (“Visions ofHumanity’s Tomorrow”).

-- Presentations to other groups, bothon campus and in the community (rangingfrom Richmond to Norfolk).

The chapter is making a liberal use of

Space Colonies Topic of Columbia Colloquium

Jan. 23 Colombia University’s Teacher’s colloquium. Although at the time of theCollege in New York City is sponsoring a writing of this article the time and roomc o l l o q u i u m a t w h i c h L - 5 D i r e c t o r had not been determined, this informationRomualdas Sviedrys will speak on the can be obtained from Dorothy Thorne,topic of psychology of space colonies 212/678-3247.research. The publ ic is invi ted to the

flyers, broadsides and posters, combinedwith regular objective reports to all localnews media, to promote its own activitiesand the greater cause.

“It’s definitely a people’s cause,” statesC l i n t W o l f , t h e c h a p t e r ’ s e x e c u t i v edirector. “That’s why we’re trying to puttogether a program that will reach a lot ofpeople, with responsible information.”

In addition to Bryant and Wolf, thechapter’s directors are Kathy Hickey, TimHall, Leslie Siegmund, Karen Pitts, JeffStrang, Libby Patten, Jeff Parker and GlenGross.

Seven of the chapter’s members parti-c ipa t ed i n t he spec i a l Congre s s iona lseminar in October.

C o m m u n i c a t i o n s w i t h t h e c h a p t e rshould be addressed to:

Clint WolfExecutive DirectorWilliamsburg L-5P.O. Box 718Williamsburg, Virginia 23185

The above sticker represents one of mycurrent personal efforts to spread aware-ness of the space option. Shunning a timidor ambiguous message, I’ve combined anumber of specific concepts in the hope ofgrabbing the attention of the average dis-interested person. Judging by the reactionso far I think I am succeeding. The un-usual combination of ideas generate a lotof comment and discussion. Many peopleare clearly dislodged from their familiarmundane orientation to issues concerningenergy, resources and the environment.

Since my purpose was to reach as manypeople as possible I had ordered a largeprint run to keep the price of the stickerwithin a reasonable range (I hope! to breakeven on my expenses). It is printed in threecolors (blue, green and black over white)on glossy stock 3½" x 16½" and varnished. Iam making the stickers available to anyoneinterested, especially to organizations withestablished distribution arrangements.

Here are the prices:

1 - $1.00 (1st class envelope;sticker folded once)

l-9 - 1.00 ea. +75¢(lst class box)10 - 9.00 (1st class box)50 - 29.00/30.00 (3rd/lst class box)

100 - 52.00/54.00 (3rd/lst class box)

-La rge r quan t i t i e s a r e ava i l ab l e a treduced unit costs. L-5 chapters please noteresale possibilities! (Or: Send one orderand distribute the stickers to members at alower price.) Send orders to Jon Alexander,Box 216, Point Pleasant, PA 18950.


Please note that we have formed an L-5chapter at the University of Maryland. Theheadquarters for now will be located at myhouse, which is a short walk from campus.The forms required by the university havebeen registered and filed. The name of thechapter is “Maryland Alliance for SpaceColonization.” We have an execut ivecommittee of five now set up, includingtwo undergraduates, one graduate studentin biochemistry, one graduate student whoalso works for the state government andwas Student Government Associat ionpresident for the University of MarylandB a l t i m o r e C a m p u s w h e n h e w a s a nundergraduate, and myself. (Back in 1973,I set up the Harvard Committee for a SpaceEconomy, when I was a grad student there,and we had Mark Hopkins and Siegler asmembers; however, when I quit as GeneralSecretary, and turned it over to them,because of thesis and job demands, it didn’tlast much longer.)

Notes from the Editor

For further information, please contactPaul J. Werbos, 8411 48th Ave., Berwyn,MD 20740.

Any Society members near Midland, Texaswho would like to start a local chaptershould contact:

Brad Wright3515 GulfMidland, Texas 79703Phone: 915-694-0867

An Omaha, Nebraska L-5 Chapter hasbeen fo rmed . I n t e r e s t ed peop l e cancontact Jay S. Moynihan, 3328 CaliforniaSt. Apt. 5, Omaha, NB 68131.

Canadians interested in an L-5 Chapterwhich will translate the L-5 News intoFrench for further distribution are en-couraged to contact Andre Fontaine -Gagnon, Ph.D. , coordinator , QuebecChapter, 1185 Ave. Brown #3, Quebec, QCG1S 3A1.

L-5’s stable of anonymous authors putin a virtuoso performance last issue withGerman Space Capitalists Under Attackand NASA Virtues Under Carter. Those ofyou of the literary critic persuasion mayenjoy sleuthing through back issues insearch of articles with similar styles whichinclude bylines. That’s all the clues we cangive you - we promised not to tell!

We appreciate it when you send in items.Newspaper cl ippings, conference pro-ceedings, press releases, hot tips and evenrumors are the raw material from whichL-5 News stories evolve.

Are you an undiscovered Great Author?Would you like to be discovered? ConsiderT.A. Heppenheimer. He first appeared inprint in the L-5 News, and as a result of thisexposure was able to catch the eye of apublisher. His f irst book, Colonies InSpace, was snapped up by several book ofthe month clubs and is coming out inpaperback shortly. So, even though the L-5News pays rotten (writers usually donatetheir art icles) , i f you’re real ly good,publication in the L-5 News could be thatbig break you’ve been waiting for.

What do we look for in an article? Itshould be accurate; packed with details,facts and, if appropriate, quotes; accurate;relevant to the goals of the L-5 Society;accurate; entertaining; and accurate.

We’re serious about that “be accurate”business. We check facts, everything fromwhat state Senator Mosstop represents tothe surface gravity of the Moon. At the firstfactual error we hit, the manuscript hitsthe wastebasket. We have discovered thatan article rarely has just one error; it’seither completely accurate, or else the

Beat Those Proposal - Writing BluesA report has been released that may be of

interest to L-5 Society members whoprepare proposals for government contractsupport. The report is The Evalua torPreference Survey by Bob Dycus. Thereport presents the results of an attitudeand evaluative judgement study of 33e x p e r i e n c e d g o v e r n m e n t p r o p o s a le v a l u a t o r s .

The unique feature of this report is thatit presents empirical data on the reaction ofp r o p o s a l e v a l u a t o r s t o s u b m i t t e dproposals. How to e f f ec t i ve ly wr i t eproposals is a highly subjective area withconsiderable differences of opinion amongwriters. Most writers rely on intuitionwhich is developed on the basis of past

successes and failures. This study is one ofthe first steps in measuring the effects ofproposal writing, and making it a lessobscure art.

The 114 page report is endorsed by theAmerican Association of Small ResearchCompanies. It contains the evaluator’sscorings on 139 questionnaire items, andpresents recommendations for improvingp r o p o s a l s . A l t h o u g h D e p a r t m e n t o fDefense evaluators are used in the studya b o u t s e v e n t y p e r c e n t o f t h equestionnaire items measure the humanresponse to proposal material, and mayalso be applicable to non-DOD proposalevaluators.

author is out of his or her depth andflounders in errors and misconceptions thewhole way through. Know your topic.

Details, facts, and, when appropriate,quotes are the lifeblood of an article. Tellus who, what, where, when, why and how.Without them i t’s s imply an opinionpiece. (We enjoy your opinions. But theybelong in the Letters to the Editor section,and shouldn’t run over 400 or 500 words.The probability of having your opinionprinted is inversely proportional to itslength. Come up with a pithy one liner andwe’ll love you forever!) If you can supplyphotographs or illustrations, excellent.We realize they can be expensive to make;let us know what they cost, and if we usethem, we’ll send you a check.

Be relevant! We don’t care if reading theBook of Oskwash will enlighten the soulsof L-5ers; the connection is too tenuous.Interviews are great only if they are withwell-known personalities or major spaceresearchers, and only if they are discussingthings relevant to the human habitation ofspace. Y o u m a y t h i n k J o e B l o w i nArkansas has fascinating thoughts abouts p a c e c o l o n i e s , b u t w e c a n ’ t j u s t i f yspending $400 on typesetting and printingso that Society members can hear aboutthem.

Be entertaining-or, if that’s not yourstyle, at least be undull. The lead sentenceis the most important. Examples of goodleads from the last L-5 News are “Nobodyseems to trust poor Lutz Kayser,” “There isapparently no substance to the rumor thatChristian O. Basler is the emissary of anadvanced and beneficient spacefar ingspecies. . ,” “Keep slugging and pushing.”If you can’t come up with a real “grabber”f o r t h e l e a d , t h e n e x t b e s t t h i n g i ss o m e t h i n g p l a i n , b u t t o t h e p o i n t .Examples (again from the last L-5 News)are, “One of the best, and certainly leastexpensive, generally available sources ofinformation for the lobbyist is . . . ” “Ourtopic, near Earth resources, is somethingnew.” Whatever you do, get to the heart ofthe subject quickly. To paraphrase theSouthern preacher’s dictum, “If you can’thit oil in the first paragraph, quit boring.”Res i s t t he t emp ta t i on t o i ndu lge i ncomplex figures of speech, flowery adjec-tives and involved jokes. For the L-5 News,less is more. Remember the professionalwri ter who complained, “Gee, i f I ’dknown I had more time, I would havewritten less.” Happy writing!

-Carolyn Henson

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“Recruit Lao Tzu”I believe that we can recruit Lao Tzu for

the cause. In your November issue, a quoteascribed to him was placed among someothers critical of space colonization. Thequote was: “As for those who would takethe whole world to tinker with as they seefit, I observe that they never succeed.” Hehas correctly observed that the world is toocomplicated to deal with. Any attempts totinker with it are more likely to cause harmthan good. Such an insight leads to theconclusion that a simpler place for man’sexperimentation is required. This place isspace. Any social or ecological error madeon one space habitat is correctable at finitecost. Such errors made on the one and onlyearth can be fatal. So, as I see it, spacecolonization should be warmly embracedby all extreme environmentalists.

I believe that you should move Lao Tzufrom the column of those who say no to thecolumn of those who say yes. Since he isdead, he can’t protest anyway.

George FredericksColorado Springs, CO

“Star Kings”I came across the following clipping in

my papers from the period I was living inHawaii. It was in the Honolulu Advertiser,p a r t o f a r e g u l a r c o l u m n d o n e b y ahereditary Prince from one of the mostprominent old Hawaiian families, thendoing time in Folsom on a bum check rap.The chant came from the old religion ofthe old Polynesian stock on the Islands,from the priestly chants of the Order of theGod Lono:

W e h a v e l o o k e d u p o n t h e s h i n i n gdepths of Ear th in the dark night .We have set our feet upon her breast,and she has embraced us as her own.Yet we are strangers to this Earth, andalien to this sun,For our home lies athwart the barriersof time,A n d i n t h e l o n g f l o o d o f n i g h t ,And f a r beyond the ca l l i ng s t a r sAnd ou r l o rd s a r e t he s t a r -k ings .

Our jugged Prince told his readers theycould make of it whatever they would, buthe himself was willing to take the next busto Alpha Centauri, if they were willing totake a check.

It may interest some readers; after all, itmight be nice if Lono’s pals had a bus stopnext time. Incidently, the Prince is outnow.

David MurphyCarbondale, Il.

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L-5’s Achilles Heel?

The Satellite Solar Power System canprovide “clean” energy to any point onearth, end the energy cr is is , ra ise thestandard of living for all people on thisplanet, and pave the way for colonies inspace. It will cost only a fraction of whatthe U.S. utilities would have to spendbetween now and the year 2000, and isbased on technology we now have orexpect to have in the ’80s.

ERDA is currently working on the deepdrilling technology that will allow us totap the enormous heat reserves a few milesbelow our feet. Deep well geothermalplants which extract heat f rom waterpumped into these deep wells can provide“clean” energy anywhere on earth, end theenergy crisis, raise the standard of living,cost a fraction of what would have beenspent on more conventional plants, andwill be based on technology we now haveor expect to have in the 1980s. This systemwi l l no t pave t he way fo r co lon i e s ,however, because it will not require manybillions of dollars “up front” for lunarmass drivers, “construction shacks”. andthe like. Sinceeach plant will beessentiallymodular and wil l not require massiveinvestment for transportation, mining, etc.it could offer a more attractive investmentopportunity for Washington or Wall Streetthan the SSPS.

If something like deep well geothermalor OTEC (which uses the temperaturedifferences in t h e o c e a n s ) b e c o m e savailable as a possible solution to theworld’s problems, and can be shown to costthe same as or less than the SSPS. how arewe going to sell theconcept of powersats toCongress or private industry? And if we

cannot sell the SSPS, how do we justify thebillions of dollars necessary to build spacecolonies? Congress and private industrya r e n o t o r i o u s f o r t h e i r s h o r t - s i g h t e doutlook and willingness to follow the pathof least resistance.

Is anyone out there looking into othereconomically-justifiable (i.e., profitable)space projects besides the SSPS which cangenerate the billions of dollars needed toget space colonization “off the ground”? Ido not want to see the whole concept ofspace settlements go down the tube becausewe hitched our wagon to the wrong horse.Any comments from the members of the L-5 Society?

Robert G. Lovell, Jr.S h a w n e e , K a n s a s

Stogies in Space

I do not think that the matter of smokingi n s p a c e c o l o n i e s i s v e r y s i m p l e .

For one thing, the increasing size of non-smoking areas in airplanes, restaurants,and the like indicates one trend. Secondly,so far as I know none of the astronauts weresmokers and we therefore have no notionas to what the physiological effects may beon a person undergoing daily changesfrom O-G to 1-G. Thirdly, it is obviousthat those in the construction areas of O-Gwill not be able to smoke. Fourthly, I cannot imagine that any tobacco firm will pay$160 per kilogram freight charge nor do Ithink that many colonies will have enoughagricultural space that they will devotes o m e t o t h e r a i s i n g o f t o b a c c o .

Kirk H. StoneR e s e a r c h P r o f e s s o rUniversity of Georgia

Bus to Alpha Centauri: Pictured here is the Orion nuclear pulse jet interstellar ark, a 400,000 tonvehicle which uses 300,000 small fusion bombs for propulsion. Attaining 1/30 the speed of light,

it can make the trip to Alpha Centauri in 130 years. (Photo courtesy Hughes Research Laboratories.)

Comment on Goldwater L-5 Graphics

Barry Goldwater clearly represents anextreme political viewpoint. I believe thathis election, at least without that of a“counterbalancing” democrat, could hurtthe L-5 Society’s cause.

Paul PattonGreen Bay, WI

Convey my best wishes to SenatorGoldwater. On the issue of space indus-tr ial ization I f ind myself , a “l iberaldemocrat,” in total agreement . I f thesubject can unify the two of us, it certainlycan unify the world! Darth Proxmire, takenote!

Gary D. MiloglavPiedmont, CA

For your information, I received theNovember 77 issue of L-5 News today.Your graphic organization is getting muchbetter. (On the subject of space colonies itis important to have a professional look tothe graphic layout in order to make af avo rab l e impres s ion on i n t e l l i gen tpeople.) Thanks for putting the mailinglabel on the back cover this time. (I pre-ferred envelope mailing.)

-Jon AlexandrPoint Pleasant, PA

Corrosion Questions

Maybe Barry Goldwater should think ofrunning for U.S. President on the L-5ticket with Dr. O’Neill as his VP.

Roy S. FurstBaldwin, NY

Hasn’t that been tried before? -- MB

Lobbying Notes

The article in the October issue of theL-5 News ent i t led “So You Want toLobby” was extremely informative. How-ever, the article did not list two veryimportant People which a person couldwrite. They are:1) President Carter, of course.

a n d2) Acting Director James T. McIntyre, Jr.

Execut ive Off ice of the PresidentOff ice of Management and BudgetWashington, D.C. 20503

Respectfully,

I wish to ra ise the quest ion of thecorrosion of space colony structuralmaterials. Corrosion on the external sidewhich is in contact with vacuum may benegligible, though radiat ion damage,erosion by micro-meteorites and evapor-ation of heated surfaces may take place.H o w e v e r , o n t h e i n t e r n a l s i d e , t h estructural walls will be in contact with airand/or soil at levels of humidity, acidityand oxidizing potentials similar to thoseunder terrestrial conditions. The rate ofcorrosion of metals under these conditionsis not necessari ly negligible. In turn,corrosion will lead to weakening of thewall materials, which may become seriousin view of the strain exerted on the habitatstructure. Corrosion damage may thusresult in lifetimes for these habitats whichmay be more limited than we intuitivelytend to assume. In this case amortization ofthe habitats will have to be taken intoaccount in the economic evaluation ofspace colonizat ion. In any event , thecorrosion problem will have to be takeninto account in the design of structuralmaterials.

G. M. WannamakerFPO NY

Michael Mautner. Ph.D.The Rockefeller UniversityNew York, N.Y.

Social Models Needed

The aspect of the human colonizationof Space that really intrigues me is theunprecedented psychosocial environmentin which we will be living. Historically,settlers of new realms have encounteredproblems and effected solutions unknownin their old environment. Clearly -- andespecially -- human Space colonies willnot be simple cultural transplants fromEarth.

As John Sotos observed in his letter(August, 77), “Space habitation cannotafford to be trial and error.” The internal(psychological, spir i tual) and external(Physical, social) tools for manifestingclear, sharp and exceedingly satisfyinghuman interactions -- suitable for theconditions of Space living -- exist today.Y e t , t o m y k n o w l e d g e , n o t e a m s o fpeople employing these techniques indaily living, with the goal of adaptingthem to the Space environment, currentlyexist. Let’s get busy now establishingt h e s e s o c i a l m o d e l s , s o w h e n t h etechnology materializes out there we’llhave living teams worthy of occupyingthem! These exemplary communit ies ,fundamental to human l i fe in Space,would be another benefit to the Earthfrom this great venture.

Ron LichtwardtHonolulu, HI

“Too Much Idealism”On the question of the military uses of

outer space I would like to say that toomuch idealism has been shown by thec o m m e n t s i n t h e N e w s l e t t e r . S p a c eactivities should be kept peaceful, but notat all costs. Not at the cost of liberty andindividual freedom. As George Orwellwro te in “Looking Back on the SpanishWar“, “For the truth is very simple. Tosurvive you often have to fight, and tofight you have to dirty yourself. War isevil, and is often the lesser evil.”

Lawrence BoyleChicago, IL

L-5 SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP FORM (please type or print)

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