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Mr. Andrews. Let me--
Dr. Paine. Can I--
Mr. Andrews. Go ahead, Dr. Paine.
Dr. Paine [continuing]. Kind of amplify. You've asked a very thought-provoking question and I'd like to make a point that in these technologies we also took the view that one of the reasons why the American public and this committee supports NASA is because we have confidence that in the long run the spin-off from the technologies of our space program will have tremendous application here on earth.
The closed ecology biosphere is certainly an example of an area that could completely revolutionize the way we approach agriculture. In our Southwest today we still use the system the pharaohs used of the large-scale canals bringing in the irrigation water.
The closed ecology biosphere is completely different way which you truck in a load of water and then you just use it over and over again, and only have to make up what you ship out in agricultural product. A completely different understanding of all of the microflora, all of the environmental conditions that are involved in growing food would come out of this program.
So like many of the other things that we are proposing, we think would have a tremendous impact on our Nation's economy; indeed, on the world economy.
Mr. Andrews. Well, that's a good point. You know, we've all said at times that we get such a big boost out of the space program-on the economic side one dollar equals seven, one dollar equals five. But surely whether we know the exact dollar amount that we gain back from out investment in space-it's a large one, and worth the investment.
Per your recommendations, do you see that kind of relationship continuing, or-and is it possible that it will even be greater?
DR. PAINE. I think we thought it would be greater. We tried to understand the economic growth of this country from 1885 to 1935, and then from 1935 to 1985, and then with that behind us, to try and understand what are the factors in the economy today that will lead to the growth that will give us the far mightier America, in our opinion, in 2035. Certainly, the application of new science and technology, new information, new knowledge, has been absolutely basic to the economic growth as well as the security of this country. 
Today, when we look at the laboratories and ask ourselves, how do we compare today with the raw material which is the basic ideas and new technology that is available for the next 50 years of growth compared to where we were in 1935 or 1885? We see far more opportunities today. The whole new series of industries that are coming out of our understanding of the double helix, the basics of life, living systems, whole new engineering disciplines that will come out of that, the whole robotics, computer revolution, which is still in its infancy; the tremendous increase of communications and transportation technology that are going to greatly reduce the cost in each product of transportation and communication with, of course, great implications for worldwide competition - we see more opportunities today for growth than probably we've ever had before.