Page 35 - Intro to Space Sciences Spacecraft Applications

22 Introduction to Space Sciences and Spacecraft Applications

pean Space Agency continues to upgrade the Ariane booster and provide
commercial launch services to customers worldwide.
The Russians continue their exploitation of space through continued
use and expansion of the Mir space station, which includes long-duration
missions of American astronauts and visits of the U.S. Space Shuttle. The
Russians will also contribute to the international space station effort along
with the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency.
Uses of the space station will include biomedical and material processing
experiments conducted within the laboratory modules, as well as exter-
nally-placed earth-observing and astronomical instruments.
The Ballistic Missile Defense Office (BMDO-formerly the Strategic
Defense Initiative, or SDI) envisions a missile defense system which
includes space-borne assets. Success in the Persian Gulf War ensures con-
tinuance and updating of military satellite systems including the Global
Positioning System (GPS) for navigation, the MILSTAR and other net-

Figure 1-16. International space station. This 1993 concept shows the basic
building blocks of the planned space station: habitation and laboratory modules
supported by solar power arrays and other systems on a long truss structure.