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In addition, the International Council of Scientific Unions in 1986 initiated the definition of an International Geosphere-Biosphere program, also know as "The Global Change" program. The program is designed to describe and understand the processes that regulate the total Earth system; the changes occurring in that system; and the manner by which those changes are influenced by human actions.

This is an immensely interactive and international program which will study the changes in the land, ocean and atmosphere simultaneously. It will cross the traditional boundaries of geophysics, geochemistry, and biology. Above all, it will promote the exchange of scientists and of data across national frontiers. And I believe its legacy will be an observational system that will continue to monitor global change for years to come.

These and other initiatives demonstrate the commitment of nations around the world to the study of Earth as a system and to the investigation of global change. The ISY offers the space agencies of the world the opportunity to highlight the key role of space in understanding the Earth.

As part of these international efforts, the United States is planning for a comprehensive approach to observing the full spectrum of processes which make up the Earth system throughobservations from space. This approach requires enlarged concentrations of orbiting remote sensing instrumentation and mission lifetimes of a decade or more.

The main thrust of this approach is the Earth Observing System, or EOS. Current plans call for its initiation in the early 1990's. EOS will use highly capable space platforms in polar orbit. Each of the platforms is designed to accommodate numbers of instruments for simultaneous observation of global variables. The mission eventually should involve at least four polar platforms in both morning and afternoon crossing time orbits.

The first two polar platforms will be part of the Space Station infrastructure, and can be supplemented by instruments on the Space Station to observe specific phenomena. The fact that we will be able to put specific scientific instruments on the Space Station will be one of the key scientific benefits of the Station, and one we expect will have a broad impact on scientific research through the end of the 1990's and well beyond.

The polar platform infrastructure in itself will be a magnificent example of international cooperation. Initially, NASA will provide one polar platform to be equipped with instruments provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Plans call for a second U.S. polar platform later. Our Space Station partner, ESA, will provide a third platform, hopefully in the same time period as the first U.S. platform. Japan, another partner, is seriously considering developing its own platform, as well, in the late 1990's.

I'm pleased that ESA, Japan and the U.S. have been coordinating their respective efforts. Just this past January, NASA issued an Announcement of Opportunity for EOS instruments and investigations. The announcement was coordinated with similar announcements issued by ESA and Japan. Scientists from the United Sates, Europe, and Japan will work together to analyze the EOS data to establish an initial profile of Earth as a System.

In time, up to five geostationary platforms could complement the detailed data flow from the polar platforms to enrich our understanding the Earth system with a continuous broad overview.

This augmented capability would add up to a Mission to Planet Earth on a scale never before attempted to study any planet. In fact, the ISY could, in effect, initiate activities to support a global study which could lead to a full-scale Mission to Planet Earth in the late 1990's.

To face this new and vital responsibility for our global future, the nations of the world must grasp the opportunity the ISY offers to ensure that the gifts of Planet Earth are passed on to future generations. I hope that the ISY will bring all nations into this effort in a coordinated way. There are many steps all of us can and must take in connection with ISY planning.

First, we must implement promptly a series of planned United States and international research programs that will provide those Earth science observations required over the next decade. Simultaneous measurements of the Planet Earth's interactive natural and human processes are required. Spaceborne sensors offer a unique global perspective. But they must be complemented by Earth-based measurements.

Second, we must resolve now to lay the foundations for the long-term program necessary to provide continuous global observations of the Earth from the mid-1990's and beyond. In developing our polar platforms for EOS, the United States is prepared to plan for a 15-year program of long-term Earth observations. Through Professor Luest, I have invited ESA tojoin with us all in the long-term commitment. And today, I extend this invitation to all of you and urge your respective space agencies to consider it seriously. By joining together in such a commitment, we can establish a truly global Earth Observation System.

Third, we must develop an advanced information system to process global data and to facilitate data analysis, data interpretation and quantitative modelling of Earth System processes by the scientific community. A new generation of data information systems will be essential to receive, process and store data, to distribute it to the research community for analysis.

Fourth, we must continue to strengthen the international agreements and coordination necessary for a truly worldwide study of Earth as a global system. A Mission to Planet Earth would rank among the most complex human enterprises ever undertaken.