operation, and monitoring of the SPS system would be undertaken within the framework of international agreements. Such agreements would also assure the peaceful use of the SPS. The U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the International Telecommunication Union, and the Committee on Space Research of the International Council of Scientific Unions are examples of the organizations that could evolve policies for organizations to develop and operate an SPS system. The principles embodied in international agreements will require a sense of participation for all nations that could benefit from the operations of the SPS systems and a consensus regarding the future course of SPS development. SUMMARY The environmental implications of the SPS illustrate the close coupling between technological and broadly based societal requirements that include environmental effects on human health and safety and ecosystems. These implications are broadly applicable to future large-scale projects that will be an integral component of the evolving space industrial infrastructure and capabilities. The global implications of large space projects imply that the international institutions, numerous government agencies, industrial organizations, and public interest groups involved in these projects will change during their duration. The involved project participants will need to develop management techniques and arrive at a consensus for actions that will be of the widest possible benefits to all participants. In fact, the development of effective management techniques pioneered during the Apollo Program and evolving for the space station program may prove to be crucial to the successful utilization of the inexhaustible space material and energy resources to meet human needs and to provide the opportunity for continued evolution and progress of civilization. REFERENCES U.S. Department of Energy (1980a). Program Assessment Report, Statement of Findings. D0E/ER/0085. NTIS, Springfield, VA 22161. U.S. Department of Energy (1980b). Satellite Power System Concept Development and Evaluation Program -- System Definition Technical Assessment Report. D0E/ER/10035-03. NTIS, SpringfieId, VA 22161. ’
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