This report summarizes the findings and implications of a study that examined the potential for expanded use of satellite-related telecommunications in vocational education, focusing on the short-term potential of satellites in the areas of instruction, training, administration, and governance. The investigation found that a variety of education-oriented experiments with satellite telecommunications have been conducted since the 1960s. These have shown that satellite systems require strong commitment among sponsors and participants and clear incentives for use, including a careful match of technology to educational needs. Today, state educational telecommunications networks are found to be at varying developmental stages, with Alaska's system using satellites pervasively. With vocational education's need to keep current and reach widely dispersed audiences and new clientele, satellite applications are envisioned as beneficial in a number of ways, with great potential for instruction, training, and professional development. Increasingly, video teleconferencing and other programs such as telecourses afford interactivity so that training and instructional purposes can be met more readily. A number of specialized satellite-based projects currently underway should be monitored by vocational educators for their adaptation in program improvement work. Before any satellite-based solutions to vocational educational needs can be implemented, however, issues related to software, "peopleware," and hardware must be confronted, and more intense study must be made of the needs of potential users. The appendix includes several substantive reports by technical experts, telecommunications providers, and educational "adopters." A glossary and extensive references complete the document. (KC)