I should emphatically note here that SSI continues to strongly support NASA’s Lunar Observer, an advanced craft being considered that would use a spare Mars Observer and would be capable of providing a wealth of data on the Moon which would be immensely valuable to space exploration and development. But Lunar Observer has many "if s" about it - if Congress approves funding: if a spare Mars Observer craft is available, if the Shuttle launch schedule can accommodate it: and so on. And, chances are that craft would not launch for another eight years. With the direction of the entire space program hinging to a substantial degree on our determining and publicizing the resources the Moon has to offer, you and I both know that SSI simply cannot afford to wait eight or more years, enduring the endless "ifs" which have stalled our space program in its tracks on more than one previous occasion. An early answer to the lunar volatiles question would also dramatically reshape lunar materials processing research. I have just returned from a meeting of non-terrestrial materials researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson. More than ever, there is the realization that" water changes everything." All of our present research and that of our colleagues in the field is designed to wrest useful materials from lunar soil without available water. Beyond its obvious application for propellant and life support, the availability of accessible hydrogen and oxygen would dramatically simplify the processing of lunar materials. Consequently, an early answer, if positive, could save many millions of dollars in research over the next decade. ROLE FOR LUNAR PROSPECTOR SSI is taking a leading role in ensuring our future in space by working on the Lunar Prospector probe. We have committed to design the probe, determine the feasibility of privately funding the mission, and attempt to get a piggyback launch agreement. Lunar Prospector will not answer all the questions about the Moon that Lunar Observer could. But it is necessary insurance. Insurance that we have preliminary results early in the 1990’s. And insurance that someone is going to fly a mission to obtain the valuable data on the Moon. We do not know when NASA’s Lunar Observer mission will fly; but we do know that the results it will yield are so crucial to our vision of using the Moon as a resource base which will fuel humanity’s leap into the High Frontier that we cannot afford to wait indefinitely should the political climate for Lunar Observer not be favorable. SSI is closely tracking NASA’s Lunar Observer. Clearly, we would reevaluate our goals if the development of Lunar Observer were significantly accelerated with a high probability of launch in a close timeframe. We feel, however, that the time has come for us to take the future in our own hands. We must move forward to open the High Frontier for a better future. And we must do it now. We’re quite realistic about our chances of success. Lunar Prospector is a tough undertaking. I am sure you can appreciate the challenges and complexities associated with flying a mission to the Moon for less than the cost of buying a large corporate jet. We have given the mission serious thought and know that pitfalls and uncertainties lie ahead. That’s why we have committed only to the design phase of this probe for now. Until we have a clearer picture of all the factors involved, we will not commit to the actual construction of Lunar Prospector. Yet we must take the next steps now.
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