ABSTRACT
The concept of space utilization via space stations is used in a broad sense to encompass an extensive array of possible uses. A space-station communication system could provide a potential cost-effective opportunity for developing video links among the major hospitals and research centers of the world. The establishment of broadband, interactive medical teleconferencing systems will benefit physicians, researchers, and other health care personnel and lead to improvements in the quality of health services available to the public. By means of a space-station communications system, the medical resources of large hospitals and other facilities, usually located in or near metropolitan areas, could be made available to people who previously have not had access to them. One of the most significant space-station communications activities could be the provision of educational services via television. Not surprisingly, meteorology and mapping marked the beginning of remote sensing from space. Remote sensing systems are proving themselves valuable tools for better utilization and control of the environment.
