She has asked me to represent the Department of State in her absence, and to extend to you all a warm welcome to Washington for this important and exciting conference. It is my great pleasure to do so. Introduction The well known writer Arthur Clarke once said that although it is true that Earth is the cradle of humanity, we cannot remain in our cradle forever. This first-ever global conference for the business of space demonstrates that we have moved beyond exploratory steps outside the cradle and are striding ahead with strength and confidence to exploit the enormous economic and scientific potential of space. Space activities touch the lives of ordinary citizens as never before, not just in the United States, but around the world.
Satellite dishes pull down hundreds of channels of television programming in Central America.
GPS receivers guide millions of motorists in Japan. Programs beamed by satellite to remote villages in India help farmers improve their productivity. And ever more sophisticated satellite networks are being developed to track weather patterns on a global basis. State Department's Role We at the State Department are not isolated from these exciting developments. But we have an intense interest in the latest developments in space exploration, space technology, and space commerce.