美战略空军的理查德F·艾贝尔准将1982年5月20日在约翰逊空间中心就国防部使用航天飞机时的载荷保密问题发表了一项政策声明,内容如下: 航天飞机时代的到来恰好迎合了美国依赖空间系统保证国家安全的不断需要。因为我们用空间系统进行通信、导航、监视、早期预警、核查条约遵守情况及气象预报,所以这些系统已经成为美国防事业不可分割的组成部分。过去24年里,空间系统的不断完善使我们对空间的利 Brigadier General Richard F. Abel of the U.S. Strategic Air Forces released a policy statement on the issue of payload security at the Johnson Space Center on the use of space shuttles by the Department of Defense on May 20, 1982, as follows: The arrival of the space shuttle era coincided The United States relies on space systems to ensure the constant needs of national security. Because we use space systems for communications, navigation, surveillance, early warning, verification of treaty compliance and weather forecasts, these systems have become an integral part of the defense industry in the United States. The continuous improvement of the space system over the past 24 years has enabled us to benefit from space