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Political Problems 
We have all become aware of the fragility of Earth as a planet, 
We have been subjected to any number of scenarios pointing to world- 
wide disaster in the very near future. We are aware that we are 
running out of conventional forms of energy, and that our supplies 
of mineral resources are being rapidly depleted. Pollution of the 
air and defilement of the water are widespread. These problems are 
truly global in scope and transcerd all national boundaries. And 
it is apparent that photogrammetry and remote sensing can provide 
useful information towards their solution. We can be distressed 
at the glacial rate at which we are moving towards a well-defined 
program for acquiring high-resolution mapping type photography from 
space. But because an Earth-orbiting satellite is by definition 
international in operation, there are obvious political questions that 
arise over the right of one country to perform remote sensing over 
a second country and make the data available to a third country. The 
United Nations has clearly recognized the value of space imagery for 
mapping and resource evaluations, and it continues to wrestle with 
the tough political problems of national sensitivities, Sometimes 
clouding and sometimes clarifying their deliberations is the realization 
that the major powers are undoubtedly already collecting much more 
data than are generally admitted. Still there are signs of hope on 
the horizon. Last summer saw astronauts from the USA and the USSR 
working together on the Apollo Soyuz Test Mission. Men of good will 
mav eventually recognize that secrecy and security are not synonymous 
and chat it is in the best’ interest of all nations to permit open 
dissemination of imagery, : When this happens we may truly be able to 
appiy the ultimate benefits of space technology for all mankind, 
Surely these are goals worth working for. 
. 
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