From: edgett@esther.la.asu.edu (Ken Edgett)
Subject: US Space Summit/Al Gore
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 1996 15:27:14 -0700 (MST)
Since I offered the idea of sending letters to Al Gore in advance
of the Space Summit (scheduled for either November or December),
I have gotten a lot of requests for more information about this.
Unfortunately I do not have a lot of information to offer-- i.e.,
I do not know the exact dates of the summit. It is my hunch,
though, that any letters submitted by the public will become
part of the record as far as what is considered by the Summit
attendees. I say this mainly because several years ago
Vice Pre. Quayle had a similar look at the future of the space
program, and they asked for public input. Gore hasn't asked for
public input, as far as I know, but I think it would make a big
impact on him and the summiteers if there was unsolicited input
from huge numbers of the public.
Its our space program, so we have the opportunity to say what we
think about it.
In response to one question, I do not think the summit is
international. However, it is very likely that NASA and the US
will continue the move toward more and more international
cooperation in space (some folks think this saves the US money;
I doubt it saves money but it promotes what is best about humanity,s
so I'm all for it). So letters from international folks are probably
fine.
Just to help out a little, I found on the WWW a White House statement
regarding Clinton's space policy statement of September 1996. Toward
the end of the statement, they again make mention of this impending
summit. The summit will be chaired by Al Gore, and it occurs after
the November 5 elections, and is supposed to involve both Republican
and Democrat representatives. This is about all I know at this point.
Ken Edgett
----------------------
White House statement from: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oss/whstmt.htm
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
Contact: (202) 456-6020
September 19, 1996
President Clinton Issues New National Space Policy
The President today will announce a new national space
policy that is the first post-Cold War assessment of American
space goals and activities. The new policy commits the nation
to a strong and stable program in space that addresses both
U.S. civil and national security requirements, and will ensure
America's role as the world's space leader.
The new policy, to be unveiled by Assistant to the President
for Science and Technology John H. Gibbons, results from a
year-long review undertaken by the National Science and
Technology Council and the National Security Council. Among its
key provisions:
o Within the civil space program, the policy reaffirms a
U.S. commitment to the International Space Station and to the
next-generation of launch vehicle programs; it calls for an
aggressive space science program including the sustained robotic
exploration of Mars, sample return missions from celestial bodies
within the solar system and a long-term program to identify and
characterize planets around other stars; and maintains our
current commitment to a long-term program of environmental
monitoring from space.
o In the commercial sector, the policy seeks to stimulate
private-sector investment by committing the U.S. government to
purchase commercially available goods and services, and by
offering stable and predictable access to federal space-related
hardware, facilities, and data. The policy also lays the
groundwork for moving away from international launch quotas
toward an international commercial environment characterized by
free and fair trade in commercial launch services.
o For national security, the policy directs closer
coordination between Department of Defense and intelligence
community activities related to space policy. It directs the
Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence to
improve the nation's ability to support military operations
worldwide, to monitor and respond to strategic military threats,
and to monitor arms control and nonproliferation agreements and
activities.
On August 7, 1996 the President called for a bipartisan
summit on the future of America's space program. The policy
announced today is an important milestone in the preparation for
the summit, and will serve as the blueprint for future efforts to
maintain a balanced and robust national space effort. An
unclassified summary of the Presidential Decision Directive
implementing the policy is available.
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