SECTION IV SPACE ASSEMBLY, FABRICATION. CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE In SPS Scenario A, the workers in LEO mainly consist of space assembly, fabrication, and construction workers (a total of 740 for every SPS station constructed) with very few operations and maintenance personnel (one worker for every two SPS stations constructed). After 25 years, when the assembly, fabrication and construction have been finished, there will be no more people working in LEO. In GEO, as in LEO, the production personnel (200 workers for each SPS station) dominate the number of operations and maintenance workers in GEO (12 per SPS station). However, after 25 years, when all the SPS stations have been set up, then there will be only the operations and maintenance personnel working in GEO for another 30 years. The employment of relatively small manpower involved in space assembly, fabrication, construction, operation and maintenance is made possible by the expected dominant role played by automation. For health and safety as well as economic reasons, automated machinery will be used as much as possible. Fewer people working in space translates into providing less supporting facilities in space and less time and expenditures for the intensive training required of the space workers. The occupational environment, assuming all proper measures have been taken, is still not as certain as on Earth. Furthermore, in case of the occurrence of a hazardous situation, it is much more difficult and expensive to rescue the workers than if they work on the ground. There are a number of occupational health hazards associated with working in LEO and GEO: (a) Absence of life supportive environment. The space environment is extremely lacking in the basic essential life supporting requirement, like air and water. (b) Space radiation hazards. Trapped electrons, trapped protons, protons from solar flares, and electron- Bremsstrahlung all constitute significant occupational health hazards. The space radiation environment, shielding
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