RA - FUTURE POLICY DIRECTIONS AND A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR SOLAR RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

The authors and 50 other students from around the world participated i n the International Space University's (ISU) 1996 Summer Session Solar Probe Design Project. The main product of this was a 349-page text on the future of solar exploration and applications entitled Ra: The Sun for Science and Humanity. This article condenses and highlights the p olicy directions, organizational initiatives and strategic framework p resented in that work. In particular, these include the proposed creat ion of a working group on international solar exploration and applicat ions to act as a forum for mission planning, and a model for facilitat ing interagency/international exchanges regarding solar missions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.