Word: spacing
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Before such a moon base can be built, NASA will have to get some kind of space station: the massive components needed for a lunar habitat are too heavy to lift from earth and will have to be assembled in space. The station will also be needed for assembling a bulky Mars vehicle and studying the effects of long-term space flight. But a single station may not be the best option. Several experts have suggested breaking it down into smaller units. One such station, the Industrial Space Facility, has already been designed by a Houston firm, Space Industries...
NASA and the Defense Department have already begun work on two new launchers to make space-station construction feasible. One is a heavy-lift unmanned rocket for massive payloads. The other is the National Aerospace Plane, or "Orient Express." Smaller than the shuttle, it would take off like an airplane from a runway, soar into space to deliver its human cargo, then return and land. And NASA has plans to convert the present shuttle into a cargo-only model, with a larger payload than the manned version. Together, these launchers would give NASA much needed flexibility...
...large -- at least $5 billion a year and maybe considerably more. But unlike the $35 billion spent on the shuttle program, the expenditure would produce a return not just in prestige and technological leadership but also in the establishment of bases and % stations that can be used for future space projects. In order to ease the costs, the U.S. should encourage as much participation as possible by foreign governments. The Soviets, Europeans and Japanese all have active space programs, and duplication of efforts will increasingly be seen as an unnecessary waste. Many countries are interested in participating in the Freedom...
...cannot remain a leading force in technology, industry and science unless it is in the forefront of space exploration. Throughout its history, America has been a nation of discoverers and achievers. If it fails to take the next major step in space, it will have given up an essential part of its national character...
...SPACE: America should embark on a mission to Mars...