2.1 SCOPE This section deals with nonmicrowave effects of the SPS on health, safety, and the environment. This includes the following: • Terrestrial Operations Mining of raw materials Construction of terrestrial facilities Processing and fabrication of finished materials Transport of materials and equipment Ground station operations Flight operations • Space Operations Orbital transfer of material and personnel Construction of SPS arrays Operation of arrays Effects on the following are considered: General public Terrestrial workers Space workers Environment The effects include direct and indirect effects on health, the creation of safety-related problems, and effects on the environment. 2.2 METHODOLOGY The nature of effects of terrestrial operations dictates that they be treated in two ways. First, a number of the effects result from conventional processes that are used more extensively in the development of an SPS system (e.g., manufacture of steel). In these cases the assessment involves the evaluation of the incremental effects of an increased exposure to conventional hazards (e.g., increased public exposure to air pollution from steelmaking). Second, a number of impacts are unique to the SPS system (e.g., effects of prolonged weightlessness). In these cases the assessment involves the identification of the potential effects, an evaluation of their possibility of creating health, safety, and welfare problems, and a review of the research needed to establish the magnitude of the effects more conclusively.
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