Public Service Satellite Communications Opportunities

Abstract

A Public Service Communications Satellite study has been undertaken at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to define the problems and opportunities of a renewed NASA role and the form such NASA involvement should take. Civilian communications satellite technology could be applied now to the betterment of life on earth. Citizens who reside in remote regions do not enjoy the quality of public services available to those in more densely populated areas. There are people in the United States without access to the normal communications services (telephone and television). There are people in thinly populated rural areas that lack the services of medical professionals enjoyed by urban residents. The use of satellite techniques holds tremendous promise for increasing the effectiveness of public safety personnel by enabling more rapid response and coordination to emergency situations. Small portable, mobile, and hand-held communication devices are an essential ingredient for efficient services for ambulances, police, fire and rescue vehicles.