| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
This Viewpoint addresses American space strategy and the choices that lie before US space practitioners. Space activities today play critical roles in U.S. national security, economic growth, and scientific achievements. Satellite communications link the world. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is an integral part of several critical infrastructures, and enables functions ranging from survey and construction, to farming, finance, and air traffic management e not to mention US military forces worldwide. Less well understood is how the GPS time signal provides a global time base for encrypted communications e including point-of-sale transactions with credit or debit cards. Without GPS, much of today's economy would come to a halt. Beyond the Earth, we have rovers on the surface of Mars, and a probe that has left the solar system. The International Space Station represents a unique collaborative
partnership between the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia. Spacefaring states are concerned with the long-term sustainability and security of space activities as a result of increasing orbital debris and the proliferation of space capabilities of new national entrants, some of them potential adversaries.
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