Page 788 - 1970S

August 1971

Why

Spend Billions on the

Space Race?

In view of the American public's atti–

tude toward the space program, why did

America spend

24

billion dollars to put

a man on the moon? A large part of the

decision was based on military consid–

erations. After the Russ ians put the first

satellite in earth orbit in 1957, Dwight

Eisenhower, who was thcn U. S. Presi–

dent, announced that new steps would

have to

be

taken to keep the United

States from falling behind Russia in the

scientific aspects of defense.

Later, in 1961 President Kennedy

reflected the same attitude when he

asked Congress for approval of his

program to put a man on tbe mooo by

1970.

Since the impressive series of success–

ful United States manned moon mis–

sions, funding for the space race has

diminished along with national interest.

America still hopes to place a test lab in

orbit sometime next year in preparation

for a future permanent manned major

space station. During the 70's are also

projected the last efforts in the Apollo

series of moonshots, to

be

terminated

sometime in 1974.

One of the most highly applauded

space proposals, the "Grand T our of

the Planets," will very likely have to

be

ignominiously caocelled due to lack of

financing.

lt

was to have taken place

during the late 70's - Jasting on into

the 80's - when the planets will aJI be

in advantageous positions for an un–

manned exploration. NASA's yearly

budget amounts to only $683 million,

however, as opposed to a Space Science

Board estímate requiring an annual

budget of at least $1 billion a year for

the preparation of such a large-scale

space adventure.

The U. S. plans to concentrate during

the 70's on "smaller'' missions desigoed

to bring back scientific data rather than

more world acdaim. Because of this,

sorne are predictiog that the space spec–

taculars of the next decade may well

be–

long to the Soviet Union by default.

"Astropolitics"

The space race, however, is not

merely a Columbus-type adventure on

the part of mankind to search the un-

Tbe

PLAIN TRUTII

known, but rather a desire on tbe part

of one oation to keep its military advan–

tage over another.

Space travel has given a oew dimen–

sion to the old theories of geopolitics.

Thirty years ago many geopoliticians be–

lieved that those who could control the

Eurasian land mass would control the

world. Other geopolitica1 concepts were

also based on control of certain land

masses. Today, those concepts have a

new dimension - whoever controls

outer space could conceivably control

the wodd. Consequently, with tbe space

race comes a new concept of world

power - what we might call the theory

of

Astropolitics.

Space Treaties: Will They

Work?

Today, as before World War JI,

treaties are beiog drafted to insure that

no ooe power can gain control of outer

space.

In

1967, partly out of fear that

tl1e Russians might be first to Jaod a

man on the moon, the Uruted States

proposed a treaty banniog all weapons

of war from outer space and the mooo.

The treaty also proposed that no nation

could lay territorial claim to any of the

planets. The treaty was signed by both

of the superpowers.

Immediately following the latest Rus–

sian space feat, the Kremlin proposed a

pact

reaffirming

the part of the 1967

treaty that dealt with natiooal clairos to

the moon and the establishment of mili–

tary bases on

oc

under its surface. The

new treaty was understandably silent

about near space around the earth.

The Soviet draft of the treaty repeats

most of the major provisions of the

1967 treaty, which declared the moon to

be intemational territory and banned all

military activity from it. New elements

induded a pledge for cooperatioo

among the space nations both on a mul–

tilateral and a bi lateral basis. Other

new provisions stipulated that signatory

countries can conduct their exploratory

activities at any place on the surface of

the moon, inside the moon or in a near–

lunar space, and that their personnel

and apparatus can move freely any–

where on or near the moon.

The new draft notes "the successes

adueved by states in the exploration of

the moon" and asserts that the moon, as

5

the only natural satellite of the earth,

"plays an important role in the explor–

ation of outer space." The treaty also

forbids orbital nuclear weapons around

the moon, weapons on or under its sur–

face, lunar pollution, moon mílitary

bases, and weapons testing.

It is obvious that the Russians wanted

to remind the United States of its prom–

ise concerning the moon. The reason for

this diplomatic reminder is dear. The

Russians have not as yet put a man on

the moon, while the United States is

able to send mcn to the moon as an

almost routine operatioo, and could