Détente in Space

Abstract

The space programs of the United States and Soviet Union have been bound together for nearly two decades through rivalry, competition, and, most recently, cooperation. The scientific consequences of these space activities have been to revolutionize the study of the solar system, to open the high-energy (x-ray, gamma ray, and cosmic ray) window to astrophysical observation, and to significantly influence the study of Earth itself, especially its atmosphere. Nevertheless, scientific research in itself never has been the principal justification for space expenditures.

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