cost by providing facilities for building the SPS and supporting the activities in the near-earth space as well as on the geosynchronous orbit. The feasibility of further cost reduction in this direction and streamlining the process of transportation of a large amount of materials from the earth to the space station. It is expected that the mode of utilization of the space station will be determined through this study. Potential application experiment The space system constructed for the SPS experiment can be used for other experiments which require high electrical power, large space structure, large antenna and high power electrical propulsion system. The main objective of the original 10 MW SPS plan was to verify the capability of transmitting microwave power to the earth and make experimental investigation of environmental effect of the microwave beam on the atmosphere. In addition to this primary objective, it is possible to apply the system or the system elements for other experiments such as intersatellite power transmission capability and space manufacturing experiments demanding high electrical power in cooperation with a space station or other satellite while it remains on a transfer orbit. The original plan which has already included environmental study in the magnetosphere in connection with elecrical propulsion test can be reconstructed with addition of these experiments. Permanent Use on GEO If a series of experiments have been accomplished by the GEO electrical power transmission test, it can be operationally used as a test bed on the GEO. The GEO environment is suitable to various MBGE manufacturing experiments. Since the GEO orbit is much easily accessible from the moon than the from earth, the test bed with high electrical power supply can be used as a laboratory for processing lunar materials to produce metals. The high electrical power and large platform will be reorganized as a high energy physics laboratory which requires a large area if it is constructed on the earth. CONCLUSION Possibility to implement a 10 MW SPS project as a space station mission beyond 2000 has been studied. The basic model of the SPS is the 10 MW SPS once studied as a pilot plant of operational SPS. For the purpose to reduce the cost and to enhance the merit of the project, the original project plan should be modified in the following directions. As for technical aspect of the project, the senario of the construction and operation should be reexamined to take advantage of low cost of the facilities provided by the space station and preceding technology development on the space station. Multiple objectives which invite more people to participate in this project have to be considered. It is important to incorporate follow-on missions of related experiments and technology development missions which will have been implemented in the preceding space station mission. In addition to the primary mission of the SPS, intersatellite power transmission and utilization of the generated power may be included in the major missions. After the completion of the SPS experiments, the facility should be used as a permanent facility for the lunar mineral processing and a laboratory for high energy physics. REFERENCES Glaser, P. E. (1968). Power from the Sun: Its Future. Science, 162, 867-861. Glaser, P. E. (1983). An Approach for the Application of Generic Technologies to Solar Power Satellite. Space Solar Power Review, 4_, 237-245.
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