the development of any new technology, exists by the combination of space resources with present-day knowledge in the fields of turbogenerator and microwave engineering. Under those circumstances, it would seem wise to channel a modest amount of energy-research funds, perhaps from ERDA through NASA, to explore whether this promising new lead is as good as it looks so far. If it does prove out, the expenditure this year of perhaps 0.1% of federal energy research money in the new direction could possibly advance by a year the time at which this nation could become energy-independent, and in so doing could save billions of dollars at a date when the energy shortage becomes even more severe than it is now. The potential of high-orbital manufacturing has come into consideration so suddenly that it is natural to place realization of the concept far off in time. It is important therefore to emphasize that the establishment of a first beachhead in space would require a technology no more advanced than our own. The freightrocket on which such a program would depend would be a simple derivative of the space shuttle that is already in an advanced stage of development; the shuttle itself would be essential to the manned portion of the early activities. The mass-driver, novel though it would be, could be designed down to its last engineering details on the basis of science which is already thoroughly understood; no high temperatures or high stresses would be required for its operation. The availability of liquid oxygen at L5, as a waste product of the chemical processing of lunar materials there,
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