For additional submission was made by the Soviet Union. This report was confined to an assessment of terrestrial uses of solar energy. To the present the Scientific and Technical Sub-committee of COPUOS has served as a limited forum for the consideration of solar energy matters. In 1977 several States proposed that the subcommittee take a larger interest in both solar energy and materials processing in space. This was resisted by other States. They urged that for the time being most applications of technology for the utilization of solar energy took place on earth and not in space. During its meeting in 1978, the Scientific and Technical Sub-Committee again reviewed its future role and work and made mention of solar energy platforms in space and the processing of materials in space. It decided that for the moment it should only be kept informed of developments. The Legal Sub-Committee has not given direct attention to the issue. Thus, despite the importance to the space-resource States of gathering and transmitting high altitude solar energy to the Earth, there has not been much direct attention given to the subject at the UN at the present. That the legality of the gathering and transmitting of this space resource is of vital importance to all of the members of the community cannot be denied. Thus, what now exists may be likened to a calm before a possible storm. Political maneuvering is now taking place within COPUOS pointing in the direction of a new international conference to deal with the international law of the space environment. The nature of such discussions and the possible outcomes will be treated below. *U.N. Doc. A/AC.105/181/Add. 2, February 16, 1977. uU.N. Doc. A/AC.105/195, p. 26, March 1, 1977. d,U.N. Doc. 105/216, p. 32, March 6, 1978.
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