As a result, universities are banned from sharing such technical information with foreign students, faculty, and collaborating researchers. A tremendous amount of our intellectual capital comes from abroad. If this situation continues, we will fall very far behind. At risk are projects such as Stanford's Gravity Probe B, which aims to test Einstein's theory of relativity by launching a satellite containing a giant thermos into space. An Irish scientist, who developed the project's particle detector device, is not allowed to participate in its testing because of ITAR regulations.
Projects based on international collaboration are also in jeopardy.
Senior scientist John Mester says ITAR has hampered his satellite equivalency project, which is funded jointly by NASA and the European Space Agency. Mester has not been allowed to give his European colleagues design drawings or have them look at the instrumentation. Universities owe their current problems to a 1999 defense bill which shifted jurisdiction for satellite technology from the Department of Commerce to the State Department . University research, previously subject to export regulations, now comes under ITAR, a law aimed at protecting military information. The process can take up to six months.