Word: researchers
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...space shuttle reflects these tendencies; of the next seven missions, three are secret military shots and two are for the investigation of Jupiter and Venus. One cannot deny the prudence of orbital reconnaissance or the nobility of interplanetary research, but our recent record in putting up communication satellites is not a good one, nor has our progress toward performing significant technological research in orbit been very swift. The shuttle itself may not be the optimal vehicle when war is no longer a significant threat. As James Bamford, author of "The Puzzle Palace" noted in Monday's Christian Science Monitor, "Nobody...
...program in space exploration is scientifically valuable, but the propaganda value of Americans boldly going forth in the service of all mankind is no longer really necessary, since the ideological failings of communism now seem obvious to even the Chinese and Soviets themselves. Pure research, "for all people" is best conducted together with as many nations as have the resources to participate. Our allies are ideal partners in this effort, and larger missions like a Mars landing--if they are attempted at all--naturally suggest cooperation with the Soviet Union...
Similarly, the most notable research project now being planned is the billiondollar Superconducting Super Collider to be built in Texas. This will no doubt be an impressive piece of equipment, of considerable value to American and world particle physicists. But extremely large projects like this eat up tremendous amounts of the budget for basic and applied research. By spreading our money around to a variety of potentially fruitful areas, we will be hedging our bets for technical breakthroughs, and likely get a larger amount of information for our expense...
ARGUMENTS often heard from the government, such as that military and pure research often produce "spin-off" applications possessing great value, are not very convincing claims. A science policy based on the expectation of serendipity is not terribly rational. We would be better served by aiming at practical technologies from the start...
...than military struggle. We need to maintain our scientific edge, and to restore our ability to swiftly to turn discoveries into products. Considering this new kind of threat, our "national defense" will be enhanced by directly encouraging innovation and efficiency in the private domestic sector, and by refocusing our research policy on the prosperity and technological advance of the nation...