U.S.-Soviet Cooperation: Opportunities in Space

U.S.-SOVIET COOPERATION: OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE Burton I. Edelson and Alan Townsend few days before the May 1988 superpower summit General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev announced his intention to propose a joint U.S.-Soviet mission to Mars. This initiative pleased space enthusiasts in both countries , who had been promoting the idea for several years. Although the degree to which Gorbachev pressed President Reagan for a commitment is unknown, project supporters were disappointed by the failure of the two leaders to reach such an agreement. The United States' resistance to the proposed joint space initiative was not unexpected, and its reluctance to enter into a major technological endeavor with the Soviets was understandable. A program of cooperative development in planetary exploration would likely run for decades, and the attendant technical and operational problems would be formidable and expensive to overcome. Another stumbling block was linkage, as the Soviets have habitually coupled the promotion ofspace cooperation with opposition to space-based weaponry, including the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Finally, there was the embarrassment that the United States would face in starting from behind and trying to formulate a joint program, when its own program was at a standstill and the Soviets led in operational space capabilities. In the end, the summit produced only an agreement to coordinate approved national space efforts more closely and to look for areas of potential cooperation. Undaunted, space enthusiasts have continued to press for a joint U.S. -Soviet program in planetary exploration. As long as the Gorbachev Burton I. Edelson, a former associate administrator for space science and applications at NASA from 1982 to 1987, is now a fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute . Alan Townsend is a research assistant at the Foreign Policy Institute and M. A. candidate at SAIS. 183 184 SAIS REVIEW proposal remains on the table, the issue remains open, and the United States must consider its response. Moreover, the newly elected president must assess this opportunity not only on the basis of its scientific merits but also as an issue with political significance in the cautious evolution of U.S. -Soviet relations. The present discussions on space cooperation between the superpowers signal a significant course change of sorts in U.S.-Soviet relations. The change can also be seen in recent agreements on arms control and certain regional conflicts. It is reflective generally of a new appreciation on both sides of the costs of continued conflict and of the reality ofglobal interdependence. As the two nations orient their bilateral relations in a less confrontational direction, cooperation in space may provide a useful arena in which both nations can pursue national and international goals. Understanding the implications of the space cooperation debate for the 1990s requires analyzing how the space programs and related foreign policies of each country have converged and where this convergence might lead. A reasoned U.S. response to Gorbachev's offer will be an important indicator of future directions in U.S. -Soviet relations. This article presents a framework for closer cooperation between the superpowers in space activities. The following analysis will show that: • The space programs of each country have evolved to a point where cooperation is possible, desirable, and for certain undertakings, necessary; • The past record of cooperation in space activities and broader scientific pursuits encourages closer and more ambitious cooperation in the future; and, • Closer cooperation in space seems to fit into the broad foreign policy framework ofeach country, as well as that of their space policies. In the wake of the successful launch of the Discovery space shuttle and the signing of the international space station accord between the United States and its allies on September 29, 1988, U.S. -Soviet cooperation in space is a timely and viable policy to pursue. The United States in Space: The International Setting U.S. space policy has always included strong foreign policy and national security policy components. The space race of the 1950s and 1960s was in many ways symbolic of the arena ofconflict in the cold war, while the strategic possibilities offered by ballistic missiles and satellite reconnaissance were a major force in determining the direction of U.S. national security policy. Space policy...