International Coordination

To facilitate the initial planning of the strategy detailed in this report, we recommend that the functions of the existing international lunar and Mars exploration working groups be merged into a new ad hoc International Human Exploration Consultative Group (IHECG). This group would differ from its predecessors in that it would coordinate not only missions but also areas such as public outreach, education, and commercialization. It would also have an expanded membership that would include representation from industry, private institutions, and developing nations.

Once the world's space agencies proceed to the mission hardware phase, a more formal organizing structure may be required. We propose for this stage the formation of a series of treaty-based consortia, modeled after INTELSAT, to manage the steps of the strategy:

• The Spaceflight Corporation: A company that would develop and operate a cost-effective system for human access to low Earth orbit (LEO).
   
• Earth Orbit Development and Research Company (EDRC): A joint venture amongst the various space agencies to market ISS that would eventually branch out to promote the general industrial development of LEO.
   
• MoonCorp: A company that organizes international efforts to return humans to the Moon.
   
• Mars Access and Research Company (MARCO): Analogous to MoonCorp, but chartered with the exploration and settlement of Mars.

Global Participation

Although the participation of developed spacefaring nations is implicit in the strategy, what may be less obvious are the potential contributions of developing countries. We chose to focus on Asia for two reasons. First, within this region there are many nations that have developed economically and technologically to the point where they can contribute and benefit from participation in the strategy. In addition, the 1999 ISU Summer Session was held in Thailand, which gave us a unique perspective on the potential of this region.

Asian countries can be divided into three groups. The first group are nations that have space agencies or are heavily involved in space activities. This includes countries such as Japan, China, and India. Japan is of course already a full-fledged spacefaring nation. China and India both have indigenous launch vehicles that generally cost less than comparable western boosters, and China is expected to develop a human spaceflight capability in the near future. These nations may have much to contribute and therefore should be made members of the IHECG and be included in the planning of any future human exploration initiatives.

The second group of nations are those that have no space agencies but have the potential to develop space programs and can contribute to the strategy. These include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. "Off-shore design", contracted manufacturing of hardware, and intellectual capital may allow the expertise of these nations to advance the exploration strategy.

The third group includes the other Asian countries that use satellite data for remote sensing. These nations may be of assistance in the processing of data from planetary missions.

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