Senator Ford. Thank you Mr. Stine. Let me ask a question or two. Do you envision a program in space manufacturing as having an accelerating effect on our present level of technology? Mr. Stine. Yes, sir, I do. The first Industrial Revolution completely changed our world—this was the substitution of fossil fuels for human and animal power and the introduction of the assembly line with replaceable parts. The second Industrial Revolution, which was basically computerization of the first, completely changed our way of life. The third Industrial Revolution—because of things that can be made in space and that cannot be made on the ground, or things that can be made better in space than they can here, or things that are made here and can also be made in space—is going to change the entire social picture of the United States, and also the world. Senator Ford. Aren't you a little bit disturbed by the quote in your statement—and I believe it says, “We have just about used this planet up, time to go find another one?” I think that is the attitude we have unknowingly followed. We have treated the earth as if we can trade it in on a new model once this one fails. Doesn't that statement bother you just a little bit? Mr. Stine. No, sir, it doesn't, because this is, I think, really basically the philosophy that was behind the Apollo program. This was basically the reason for going to the moon in the first place, to find out what was there and what cowd be used. It is true, we have used this planet up. We have depleted its natural resources. We have got to find more natural resources if we want to maintain the energy level that will maintain our culture. If we don't maintain this energy level, whether this energv is used in space or here on the Earth, to support these social institutions, we are in for trouble—-and those nuclear triggers will be stroked. Senator Ford. In the area of space industrialization, where do we, as Americans, stand? Are we in front of the action or are we behind— where are we? Mr. Stine. I think we are in front of the action now, sir. I hope we can stay there. The Russians are quite interested in this area. A number of their experiments in Soyuz and Selyut have been devoted towards space processing, space manufacturing. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the Japanese get deeply involved in it. Senator Ford. Are there any limits to the type and manner of industrial processes that we need to relocate in space? Mr. Stine. There are going to be some that we can't relocate in space, because we simply need to have the Earth's atmosphere or the Earth's gravity, in order to make them work. But I would say that most of our industrial operations can be relocated into space—it is going to take time, this is going to occupy our best technical and engineering minds fo” the next century or so. But don't look at a steel plant in Pittsburgh and wonder how in the world we are ever going to put it in orbit and make it work, because we are not going to take that steel p^nt and move it into orbit. That steel plant in Pittsburgh will literally die. And a new type of steel plant, designed to work in zero G, or subgravity, and in the environment of space, will be built in orbit, utilizing the raw materials from the planetoid belt, for example.
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