Benefits to America and the Earth

- Everyone may benefit

Historically, technology development programs carried out by NASA have been an excellent investment in America. Whenever we explore new technologies, there are spinoffs and benefits in areas where we didn't anticipate them. We now have a unique opportunity to have a much greater impact on direct terrestrial applications. In developing the capabilities for manufacturing in the severe environment of the Moon and Mars, we can expect that technology improvements and inventions will occur in several areas important to our life on Earth, including chemical engineering, mining, pollution control, computer programming, manufacturing, and other fields. We can also expect that improvements to the environment will result. The impact of our efforts in these areas should also be felt throughout our educational system as research programs mature.

In their 1986 report, the National Commission on Space predicted that 21st century America would receive the following types of benefits from the space program:

Scientific and technological advances of critical importance to the nation's future economic strength and national security.
Direct economic returns from space-based enterprises capitalizing on broad, low-cost access to space.
New worlds to explore on the space frontier, with vast resources that can free humanity's aspirations from the limitations of Earth.

Embodied within the SEI program, ISMU affects all of the aforementioned goals. We expect to be able to expand the capabilities of people and equipment at our outposts on the Moon and Mars, while the American taxpayer will benefit through the overall decreased cost of the SEI program.

As we continue to push outward, we will reap the benefits of our efforts here on Earth. Areas in which w. can expect break-throughs due to R&D In ISMU include pollution control, manufacturing, engineering, robotics and other areas with direct terrestrial benefits. America has a unique opportunity to use this challenge to improve life on Earth.