Purdue News

The Savaging Of The Space Program: One Year Later By Michael E. Lipschutz One year ago, I wrote in the Post about my fears for the survival of the U.S. space-science program. I predicted that unless public pressure forced a change in the Reagan administration's attitude, planetary exploration would be dead in this country for at least the next few decades. Subsequent events have kept the program barely alive. The fact is we've managed to avert a catastrophe but are sustaining a crisis in space-science funding. The area I refer to in particular is the Solar System Exploration Program, most familiar to the public in missions like Voyagers I and II that passed the planets Jupiter and Saturn and are now en route to Uranus. The United States will launch only one planetary spacecraft this decade, compared to 36 in the 1960s. Yet the planetary exploration program survived. Why? Largely because public pressure, reflected by Congress, prompted a re-evaluation of the space-science situation so that its worth could clearly be assessed. From my perspective, two extremely significant results emerged from this congressional evaluation. The first was an appropriation of an additional $27 million for the current fiscal year, bringing total funding to a level just under 1982 appropriations--$180 million. But in terms of current dollars, planetary exploration funding is at its lowest since 1964, the first year for which figures are available. $180 million is roughly 78 cents per person in the U.S. Americans spent more on Pac-Man alone last year. In 1964, planetary exploration was given more than half the space-science budget--today, the figure is under 40 percent. This partly explains why so many university and other research laboratories have had to close or curtail activities, and why the U.S. has had to renege on international space commitments--in short, why a crisis exists. The second--and probably even more significant--result of the congressional review--is the renewed awareness and appreciation of the possibilities spawned by space-science research to improve our lives on this planet. First, we were reminded (and numerous studies backed this up) that the economic side-effects of NASA spending on research and development are positive. The pursuit of planetary science has accelerated technological advances in communications, and has aided in weather predictions, ozone monitoring, and research of earthquakes and volcanic disruptions. These were among many benefits outlined in "Space Science Research in the United States," a Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) technical memorandum issued last September, available from the Superintendent of Documents. During the past year, many of my colleagues and I have devoted much time to informing the public and, in particular, members of Congress and their aides, of the crisis in space funding. Several citizens joined us by contacting congressmen to support the program. Those who showed exceptional leadership included Rep. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI); Rep. Edward P. Boland (D-MA); my own former congressman, Rep. Floyd Fithian (D-IN); Rep. Ronnie G. Flippo (D-AL); Rep. Don Fuqua (D-FL); Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA); Sen. Edwin "Jake" Garn (R-UT); and former Sen. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt (R-NM). The same sort of initiative also was shown by Administrator James M. Beggs who, last July, committed NASA to increased support for space science, in general, and planetary exploration, in particular, despite pressing funding needs for programs such as the space shuttle. Everyone committed to the peaceful exploration of space is indebted to those individuals who, at the eleventh hour, jumped in to save the space program. As a result of their efforts, the research areas survived--barely. Whether this was only a stay of execution or the beginning of a revitalized space-science program remains to be seen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Michael E. Lipschutz is a professor of cosmochemistry at Purdue University, and is a consultant to the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. He is treasurer of the Meteoritical Society, the international society for meteorite research. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu