It was thus a goal of ours to obtain the use of this Apollo gamma-ray spectrometer for Lunar Prospector. A formal request for the device was put forward to NASA Administrator Richard Truly on behalf of SSI by U.S. Congressmen Robert G. Torricelli (D-NJ), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Thomas McMillen (D-MD). Thanks to the diligent efforts of these Congressmen and their staffs, Admiral Truly took a personal interest in the project and wrote back, in a letter to Congress on October 16 that "NASA is prepared to enter into a cooperative arrangement with SSI to provide the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer" for use on Lunar Prospector, "in return for an agreement that SSI would make the data available to the scientific community at large." WHAT THIS DEVELOPMENT MEANS TO US As you can well appreciate, NASA’s agreement to contribute this device to the mission is an important milestone in the Lunar Prospector project. It will provide us with one of the craft’s main components and has put us on good footing to continue our work on this project. For a start, the donation of this device will result in a substantial savings to the Lunar Prospector mission. (I’m sure I needn’t elaborate on the benefits of that!) And, perhaps more importantly, NASA’s willingness to assist SSI in this endeavor proves to the space science community what you and I already know - that Lunar Prospector is a credible, necessary first step to understanding the Moon and the resource treasures it harbors. Since the announcement of NASA’s cooperation, two additional Congressmen have formally endorsed the Lunar Prospector project. I just received a copy of a letter sent by the three Representatives mentioned above (Torricelli, Rohrabacher, and McMillen), along with Congressmen Tom Campbell, R-CA (whom I had the pleasure of personally speaking with a few weeks ago) and George E. Brown, Jr., D-CA (and author of the Space Settlement Act). I’ve reprinted their letter here to share with you. I think they have summed up our feelings quite well. SPOTLIGHT ON SSI AND ITS MISSION Lunar Prospector has captured the interest of the American press and people. Articles about the mission have appeared in Popular Mechanics, the AP & UPI wire services, Final Frontier, The Scientist, Washington Technology, Flight International, Princeton Alumni Weekly, Astronomy, Washington Flyer, Omni, and a host of local publications. You can help us out here. If you see any articles about the Institute, please clip them and send them to us, including the name of the papers in which they appeared, along with dates and page numbers. A BBC television crew visited SSI headquarters a few days ago to interview me about SSI, and a Japanese TV network just finished taping a segment about the work you’ve helped make possible here. I’ve enclosed a recent magazine article about your Institute which I thought you would find interesting. I know you will share our sense of excitement at what we have accomplished - and at the historic mission we have before us. LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE It was exactly twenty years ago this autumn that Dr. Gerard K. O'Neill first asked his Princeton University physics students the prophetic question that has changed the way we think about outer space. The question, which a recent cover story of the Princeton Alumni
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==