Resource Survey One important factor in economic planning is the identification and allocation of a nation’s natural resources. Most of the developing countries have fragmentary, limited and inaccurate data concerning their resources : forests, minerals, animal wealth, water and even energy. Through remote sensing, exploration is underway to identify minerals in Egypt, ground water in Iran and forests in the Philippines. At the International Seminar on the Benefits of Remote Sensing for National Development in the Philippines, April 1978, it was pointed out that for national development it was essential to discover and plan an assured supply of critical minerals. For such an exploration, it was emphasized, remote sensing through the Landsat program was an important tool. In short, for the first time, developing nations can have a continuous inventory of their critical resources for their development planning and accelerated growth. TTiis UN Conference on Environment and Development is an important event in bringing out a new plan for the environment and sustainable development. Medicine Bio-astronautics as a new science of life in space may have a great deal to contribute to our understanding and control of human illness. Already, a great number of medical applications of space industrialization are finding their way into our lives, such as the laser cane or automated body-monitoring devices. For developing countries, however, the problems of health and medicine are quite different and, at this stage, they fall into two categories : a) Applying available medical knowledge to the control of diseases, particularly in remote areas through locally trained doctors as it has been done in the People’s Republic of China, and b) Inventing new ways of controlling tropical diseases, particularly those which defy terrestrial research methods, by conducting research in space. If this research is planned during the 90’s it should have some results available by the end of this century. Major developments in this area are yet a decade away but their potential cannot be underestimated. New Materials Besides mineral resources from the Moon and even from asteroids as emphasized by Dr. Brian O’Leary, the immediate promise of space manufacturing is the creation of new materials, some of which are already on the market. The less industrialized countries face two major problems, among others: a critical shortage of housing and a sustained supply of clean, potable water. Among the materials developed in space, the one which has great value for these countries is plastic, mortar - light, non-corrosive, highly resistant, virtually unbreakable, thin-walled and, above all, of low cost. This material can be a substitute for steel and for pipes for water, sewage irrigation and drainage systems. It will be of great use, particularly in remote areas. Another material which is a product of space research and development in Switzerland is a new construction material made of aluminum and plastic foam. It can be used for prefabricated housing. Although this and other
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