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1990's: The Decade of Renewed Scientific and Technical Infrastructure

While research directly addressing the leading scientific issues surrounding Global Change is the focus of this document, there are important links to national scientific and technical vitality, education, economic competitiveness, and international leadership. Specifically, development of unmanned aircraft and associated instruments addressing Global Change research highlights:

1. Technological developments in the following areas:
[[Bullet Point]]Optical imaging with electronic pattern recognition [[Bullet Point]]Microelectronics
[[Bullet Point]]Computer controlled laser systems [[Bullet Point]]Communication and guidance systems
[[Bullet Point]]High efficiency airfoil technology [[Bullet Point]]Materials development
[[Bullet Point]]Propulsion systems [[Bullet Point]]Artificial Intelligence [[Bullet Point]]Analytical Instrumentation
With the strategy proposed herein, these development areas will be accessible to a new generation of scientists and engineers very early in their careers.

2. Education
[[Bullet Point]]Restructuring of universities to break down outmoded barriers between biology, chemistry, physics, computer sciences, materials research, and engineering
[[Bullet Point]]Opportunities for imaginative experimental developments placed in the hands of emerging leaders of science and technology: graduate students, postdoctoral students, and young faculty

3. Vitality in U.S. research and development programs:
[[Bullet Point]]"Hands on" development of new instrumentation important to science and to global markets 
[[Bullet Point]]Testing of new ideas for instrumentation with low cost, rapid turn-around
[[Bullet Point]]Close interaction between theory and experiment
[[Bullet Point]]Unprecedented opportunities to explore the earth's environs using novel techniques to address internationally important issues

4. Timely exchange between science and public policy. For example, the evolution of the Montreal Protocol controlling CFC production, a reasoned international response driven by clearly defined scientific results, represents a paradigm for the approach presented here. Similar opportunities exist in cloud/radiative feedback, carbon sources, etc.

5. International economic competitiveness - either we will sell innovative new instrumentation and aircraft described herein on world markets or we will purchase them from abroad in the next decade.

Chapter I represents a compendium of leading scientific questions. This represents the major thrust of this report because experience has demonstrated that identification of the first order scientific questions myst precede development of platforms, instruments, and program elements. This is an important departure from the past which has been characterized by the inheritance of platforms and programs for atmospheric science designed for other purposes. This chapter is evolving and growing. In this version we have selected the following topics and authors:

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