The next step—Space stations

Abstract

The establishment of permanently manned orbital space stations has emerged as the next major goal in man's exploitation of space. This paper reviews the present status of space station programmes, and examines what forms the utilization of a research and manufacturing facility in earth orbit could take. Uncertainty over the expected returns from space stations now being developed for the 1990s, has raised the question of how the enormous investments involved can be justified. The commitment of large financial resources towards this single goal may have important policy implications for other areas of space development, as well as for issues of international cooperation and commercialization.