Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

B. Background
1. Official central policy in the Executive Branch has been somewhat ambivalent on civil
remote sensing from space. There has been support for technological R&D and some
experimental applications. But operational uses have been under a cloud—decisions on
“operational systems” and even on policies for a transition to an operational mode have
been regarded, up to now, as premature. On the Congressional side, however, and in
other sectors there has been support for an early transition to an operational mode and
strong demands that at a minimum the Executive Branch propose clear policies to guide
the future civil uses of remote sensing from space.
2. There now appears to be a consensus that the time has come to formulate and adopt
policies to govern future U.S. involvement in civil remote sensing from space. Actions to
reformulate overall national policy in space are underway. The Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy has agreed to present an administration policy on civil
remote sensing to the Congress later this year. The consultants’ report is intended as one
of the steps leading to decisions on what these policies should be.
3. Some of the concerns which underline the urgency of the need for policy decisions
on civil remote sensing are the following:
[2] a. The absence of a U.S. policy on future directions and institutional arrangements
has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and frustration. The U.S. agencies concerned
and other prospective users, domestic and foreign, are finding it difficult
to make sensible decisions on their future plans and commitments. No single
agency has had authority and responsibility for leadership in developing national
policy on an overall plan.
b. Lead-times are running out. Decision-making on the systems and services to follow
Landsat D should start this year; significant opportunities and options may
otherwise be lost.
c. Foreign competition is becoming a real threat. U.S. indecision in the face of
strong, technologically advanced efforts by Japan, France, or the European Space
Agency could result in loss of U.S. leadership in civil remote sensing and the
opportunities that would go with it.
d. Existing U.S. policies are now having some counterproductive effects. The limitation
of civil remote sensing from space to R&D and experimentation, combined
with the practice of incremental program decisions without a long-term plan for
operational services, is calling into question the future of U.S. involvement in civil
remote sensing. This is adding to the uncertainties, discouraging prospective
users, and encouraging foreign competition. Decisions on uses beyond R&D are
no longer premature; they are timely, even overdue.
e. Finally, there is a widespread feeling that the time has come to make a stronger
effort to realize benefits of value from civil remote sensing.
C. Definitions and Distinctions
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1. In this report, we will be dealing primarily with “Civil Remote Sensing from Space”
activities and systems, by which we mean the totality of activities and systems required for
the collection, production and initial dissemination of data on the earth obtained from
space by civil remote sensing systems. These activities and systems are generally regarded
as having a space segment and a ground segment. The space segment consists of the
production activities and systems required for the collection, initial processing, and delivery
of earth data from space. The ground segment consists of dissemination activities and
systems required for making the processed data available in appropriate formats to users