For example, if the capital needed to finance materials, equipment, labor, etc., could not be obtained, the SPS program would not get to the operational phase. A Level 2 issue was defined as an issue which, if a negative result were determined or if there were a failure to resolve the issue, could result in serious impact to the SPS program. For example, if the solar cell cost was significantly higher than current projections, there might be serious impacts to the SPS program since a significant portion of the satellite cost is attributed to the cost of solar cells. A Level 3 issue was defined as an issue which, if unresolved, would result in undesirable impact to the SPS program. For example, crew safety is considered a necessity but if the current plans for crew safety could not be achieved, then surely work-arounds could be developed to provide the safety requirements without significantly impacting the program. The table presents the issues subdivided, based on the above Level considerations and into areas of economic viability, technical feasibility, and environmental acceptability. Specific information required for resolution of the issues was developed and a planned overall approach for resolution was identified. Summary results of these analyses are presented in Figure 1. Figure 1. Resolution of Technical Issues As shown, 60% of the technical issues can be resolved with analysis only; 10% require only ground testing for resolution; and the remaining 30% require space experiments or demonstrations for resolution. The figure also shows that 85% resolution of the issues may be accomplished prior to development of a prototype. Since this table was prepared, some of the issues have been resolved and plans have been developed leading to the resolution of others.
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