Abstract

The article examines the major studies of space impacts that have been conducted during the last decade in the U.S. The 1958 legislation that created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explicitly recognized that the agency's programs would influence the economic and social structure of the nation. The NASA directed the agency to conduct long-range studies of the potential benefits from the utilization of aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes. Since its inception, NASA has carried out this mandate by supporting various impact studies of the space program. The results of a recent study dealing with the dynamics of space program impacts are presented. Impacts are distinct from the specific accomplishments of an agency in carrying out its overall mission. Whereas specific accomplishments relate directly to agency objectives, impacts do not. In achieving a specific goal, a public agency may stimulate the development of a new technology or a new industry, dramatically alter the infrastructure of a city or a region of the country, or create new occupational categories.