Super View-1-China's First Commercial Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation with a High Resolution of 0.5 m

Super View-1 satellite constellation(Super View-1 for short) is the first commercial remote sensing constellation with a resolution down to 0.5 m. It's an important part of the national spatial information infrastructure construction. It will play an important role for the global users providing remote sensing data, application solutions and remote sensing value-added services with its high-resolution and 24-hour observation capability. At present, 4 satellites of the constellation have been successfully launched and networked on orbit. The services cover surveying and mapping, land resource surveying, urban planning, agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, geological mining, environmental monitoring, defense, disaster reduction along with other traditional industries. There are also great potential applications in Mobile Internet, LBS, Smart city, insurance and other emerging professions. The successful operation of Super View-1 breaks the overseas monopoly for commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite imagery in the China market. It's one of the major achievements in China space science and technology by actively exploring the development of commercial remote sensing markets, which is of strategic significance to the development of China remote sensing satellite business.     

NEEMO 7 undersea mission

The NEEMO 7 mission was the seventh in a series of NASA-coordinated missions utilizing the Aquarius undersea habitat in Florida as a human space mission analog. The primary research focus of this mission was to evaluate telementoring and telerobotic surgery technologies as potential means to deliver medical care to astronauts during spaceflight. The NEEMO 7 crewmembers received minimal pre-mission training to perform selected medical and surgical procedures. These procedures included: (1) use of a portable ultrasound to locate and measure abdominal organs and structures in a crewmember subject; (2) use of a portable ultrasound to insert a small needle and drain into a fluid-filled cystic cavity in a simulated patient; (3) surgical repair of two arteries in a simulated patient; (4) cystoscopy and use of a ureteral basket to remove a renal stone in a simulated patient; and (5) laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a simulated patient. During the actual mission, the crewmembers performed the procedures without or with telementoring and telerobotic assistance from experts located in Hamilton, Ontario. The results of the NEEMO 7 medical experiments demonstrated that telehealth interventions rely heavily on a robust broadband, high data rate telecommunication link; that certain interventional procedures can be performed adequately by minimally trained individuals with telementoring assistance; and that prior clinical experience does not always correlate with better procedural performance. As space missions become longer in duration and take place further from Earth, enhancement of medical care capability and expertise will be required. The kinds of medical technologies demonstrated during the NEEMO 7 mission may play a significant role in enabling the human exploration of space beyond low earth orbit, particularly to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.     

The mitigation, management, and survivability of asteroid/comet impact with Earth

The chances that Earth will collide with a significant near earth object (NEO) within the next century are very small, but such a collision is possible, would be catastrophic, and could happen at any time. Much discussion has been devoted to methods of diverting these objects away from Earth through the use of space technology. However, if these efforts are unsuccessful, we would need to implement effective strategies to survive the event, no matter how cataclysmic. To date, disaster management for various impact scenarios has not been addressed (except in novels and Hollywood films). An impact disaster may be many orders of magnitude greater than any disaster the human species has ever experienced. Initially, technology and experience gained in other large-scale disasters will most likely form the foundation of how these impact events will be managed and classified. Given the size and energy of the projectile, the estimated area of damage, and whether impact effects might be localized or global in nature, we can begin to build basic disaster response scenarios, anticipate public health concerns, and formulate questions in need of answers. Questions we must deal with include: what will be required technologically, sociologically, and medically to survive? What types of evacuation plans and warning systems might be required? Capabilities in need of further investigation include: technological protection strategies related to ‘impact winter’, expanded chemical hazard control methodologies, food storage and production, roles of national governments, and international cooperation. Whatever the magnitude and severity of the event, we must reflect on what we know, what capabilities we can apply, develop or adapt, and seriously investigate what might be done to manage it and survive.     

Space-based societal applications—Relevance in developing countries

Space technology has the vast potential for addressing a variety of societal problems of the developing countries, particularly in the areas of communication, education and health sectors, land and water resources management, disaster management and weather forecasting. Both remote sensing and communication technologies can be used to achieve this goal.With its primary emphasis on application of space technology, on an end-to-end basis, towards national development, the Indian Space Programme has distinguished itself as one of the most cost-effective and development-oriented space programmes in the world.Developing nations are faced with the enormous task of carrying development-oriented education to the masses at the lower strata of their societies. One important feature of these populations is their large number and the spread over vast and remote areas of these nations, making the reaching out to them a difficult task. Satellite communication (Satcom) technology offers the unique capability of simultaneously reaching out to very large numbers, spread over vast areas, including the remote corners of the country. It is a strong tool to support development education. India has been amongst the first few nations to explore and put to use the Satcom technology for education and development-oriented services to the rural masses.Most of the developing countries have inadequate infrastructure to provide proper medical care to the rural population. Availability of specialist doctors in rural areas is a major bottleneck. Use of Satcom and information technology to connect rural clinics to urban hospitals through telemedicine systems is one of the solutions; and India has embarked upon an effective satellite-based telemedicine programme.Space technology is also useful in disaster warning and management related applications. Use of satellite systems and beacons for locating the distressed units on land, sea or air is well known to us. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is already a part of the International initiative called Satellite Aided Search and Rescue System.The programme to set up satellite-based Village Resource Centres (VRCs) across India, for providing a variety of services relevant to the rural communities, is also a unique societal application of space technology. The VRCs are envisaged as single window delivery mechanism for a variety of space-based products and services, such as tele-education; telemedicine; information on natural resources for planning and development at local level; interactive advisories on agriculture, fisheries, land and water resources management, livestock management, etc.; interactive vocational training towards alternative livelihood; e-governance; weather information; etc.This paper describes the various possibilities and potentials of Satcom and Remote Sensing technologies for societal applications. The initiatives taken by Indian Space Research Organisation in this direction are highlighted.     

International coordination of space solar power related activities

Because the need for energy is global, and many energy networks are already interdependent, because no one country has sufficient technological capability or sufficient funds to provide a space solar powered solution on its own, and because any such solution will require international regulation, international coordination will be vital to any attempt to produce energy for Earth from space. This will be made easier by the fact that work on the subject has already been widely publicized and distributed and cooperative efforts have already been made. Various coordinating approaches are described and the need to forge partnerships between government, industry and academia — with greater involvement of all non-space groups concerned with energy — is emphasized. A “terracing approach” to the actual implementation of SPS is suggested and outlined.     

Remote sensing of natural resources : Legal and political considerations for the Third World

A state's posture on remote sensing of the Earth by orbiting satellites varies depending upon whether it is a ‘sensing’ or a ‘sensed’ state, upon its present economic status, and upon its economic and political history. This article considers the international legal questions related to remote sensing and discusses the political aspects with special emphasis upon the views of the Third World. The author concludes that, unless Third World states and others who support them alter their views somewhat, it is probable that remote sensing of natural resources will continue without specific legal guidelines.     

Astromedicine and astrolaw: Emerging issues for advanced missions beyond Earth orbit

It is generally agreed within the scientific community that provision of appropriate medical facilities and administration of quality health care to astronauts are of great importance. However, for the more complex and remote missions envisaged for the future, issues of liability, responsibility and damage relating to medical practice may take on a greater significance and will need to be addressed. The author briefly reviews potential issues which may arise in the context of medical emergencies, crew autonomy and environmentally altered physiological status which characterize some projected advanced space missions and argues that the law of outer space will need to be expanded to take account of them.     

Issues in the implementation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters

The 2000 Disaster Charter initiated by the European Space Agency and the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales is the first international mechanism to universally share remote sensing-derived information and knowledge for disaster management. It is an extensive international cooperative effort among space agencies to provide space-based assets to communities world-wide that are afflicted by disasters. After four years of operations, the Charter has successfully provided disaster relief to a number of afflicted states. Simultaneously, some deficiencies in its operational and legal provisions have been highlighted. The Charter can serve as a good case study to gain understanding of the current state and further challenges of Earth observations (EO). The purpose of this paper is to show what has been achieved through Charter operation, and to examine user requirements of EO, and what needs to be changed to serve them better.     

On the contribution of space medicine in the public health care

With the beginning of space era, a new branch of medicine has arisen and has been developing along with human exploration of outer space. And even though space medicine mainly faces the same problems as traditional medicine--cosmonauts health care and their high efficiency--this branch, has its own features, associated with the unusual factors of space flight, of which weightlessness is the major one. During the development of manned cosmonautics (duration of a human stay in space has reached already 438 days), methods of cosmonauts medical support and monitoring of their condition have been developed, knowledge of human possibilities and methods of process of organism adaptation to various and frequently severe conditions of external environment have increased. All this led to the fact that nowadays space medicine can become useful for improvement of human health care not only in space but also on the Earth. Moreover, the problem of implementation of cosmonautics achievements, and in particular of space medicine, in practice of public health care presents one of the most important issues concerning human health care. It is also connected with public opinion which is more and more concerned about the efficiency of significant expenses on space activities, especially lately. People often are set by the questions: what has space given, what fruits has space research provided to mankind, which results of this research can be used on the Earth already today for improvement of their life, for discussion of many difficult earthly problems? In terms of using cosmonautics possibilities, its achievements for health care and treatment, it is possible to define a few branches, in which purposeful studies are carried out.     

FY-3卫星积雪监测产品概述及在遥感服务中的应用

介绍了风云三号(FY-3)气象卫星主要成像传感器及其积雪监测产品情况,FY-3卫星利用其1级数据能反演积雪覆盖、积雪深度、雪水当量等多种积雪监测参数和产品。卫星可见光-近红外传感器提供积雪覆盖监测信息,微波成像传感器提供积雪深度、雪水当量监测信息。针对防灾减灾以及应对气候变化分别给出积雪监测产品的遥感服务应用。结合国内外积雪遥感监测技术的发展趋势,提出利用FY-3卫星进行积雪监测的未来前景。FY-3卫星积雪监测产品在防灾减灾和应对气候变化方面能为遥感部门提供客观、可靠、全面、及时的参考信息。     

Satellite communications' role in national development : Policy and regulatory aspects

This paper examines the way in which satellite communication can assist development in the Third World — through improvement of access to education, integration, especially of remote areas, increased market opportunities and as a tool to attract investment — with particular reference to Indinesia. Future trends, eg the expansion of satellite capability, introduction of new services, liberalization and a shift in satellite utilization towards broadcasting, are discussed, as are the regulatory reforms that will be needed to accommodate them.     

Life science research in space brings health on Earth

Leading scientists and physicians review groundbreaking research that is leading the way to better health care for astronauts and new treatments for medical problems on Earth. This research includes the development and testing of a new Ventricular Assist Device for patients with heart failure awaiting heart transplantation; advancements in telemedicine that bring medical care to remote areas on Earth and aid in the diagnosis and treatment of illness during space flight; advanced technologies, such as a miniature mass spectrometer, cardiac ultrasound equipment, bone imaging, non-invasive High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound, non-invasive techniques for blood and tissue chemistry measurements; and advances in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.     

Exploring the solar system galactic frontier in extreme ultraviolet

The solar system galactic frontier—the region where the expanding solar wind meets the surrounding galactic medium—remains poorly explored. The sheer size of the essentially asymmetric heliosphere calls for remote techniques to probe the properties of its global time-varying three-dimensional boundary. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission (launch in 2008) will image the region between the termination shock and the heliopause, the heliospheric sheath, in fluxes of energetic neutral atoms. Global imaging in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) will likely be the next logical step in remote exploration of the galactic frontier from 1 AU. Imaging in EUV will establish directional and spectral properties of (1) the glow of singly charged helium (He⁺) ions in the interstellar and solar wind plasmas; (2) emissions of hot plasma in the Local Bubble; and (3) characteristic emissions of the solar wind. Global imaging with ultrahigh sensitivity and ultrahigh spectral resolution will map the heliopause and reveal the three-dimensional flow pattern of the solar wind, including the flow over the Sun's poles. This article presents the emerging concept of the experiment and space mission for heliosphere global imaging in EUV.     

Earth benefits from space life sciences

Contributions of space exploration which are widely recognized are those dealing with the impact of space technology on public health and medical services in both urban and remote rural areas. Telecommunications, image enhancement, 3-dimensional image reconstructions, miniaturization, automation, and data analysis, have transformed the delivery of medical care and have brought about a new impetus to the field of biomedicine. Many areas of medical care and biological research have been affected. These include technological breakthroughs in such areas as: (1) diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases, (2) new approaches to the understanding of osteoporosis, (3) early detection of genetic birth defects, (4) emergency medical care, and (5) treatment of chronic metabolic disorders. These are but a few examples where technology originally developed to support space medicine or space research has been applied to solving medical and health care delivery problems on Earth.     

The need for a United Nations space policy

The international community is entering an era of shared global utilities from space and is increasingly reliant on space systems and activities that support a myriad of applications and utilities on Earth. A growing number of states are seeking to develop or extend their space capabilities. At the same time, a variety of non-state actors are also extending their involvement in space activities. The United Nations is the principal inter-governmental forum to deal with various space issues of global importance. Moreover, the United Nations system itself has become increasingly reliant on space systems for its day-to-day operations. In order for the United Nations to play its necessary role in the space arena, it will need to be supported by a space policy. A United Nations space policy would provide over-arching guidance on space activities for UN stakeholders in the space arena; it would inform UN participation in space activities and would promote improved coordination and cooperative governance of outer space activities. A world without a common UN space policy will not be able to respond to the challenges of the rapidly evolving space arena in the 21st century.     

International cooperation in remote sensing for global change research: political and economic considerations

Activities concerning international cooperation in space-based remote sensing for global change research have for the most part focused on technical/functional aspects such as data harmonization, research project coordination, and sensor selection and deployment. Until fairly recently, little attention has been directed towards the various political and economic constraints which may act as ‘stumbling blocks’. A review of the contemporary international remote sensing milieu as it relates to the global change research agenda is presented. Several important political and economic conditions affecting this area are identified: (1) data access and pricing policies; (2) national security concerns; (3) developed/developing nation relations; and (4) inconsistent political/financial commitments. A set of recommendations is offered to enhance international cooperation in the use of space-based remote sensing data for global change research.     

Learning via satellite

This report describes a global applied research project — Project Learn — being sponsored by the International Space University in Strasbourg, which aims to address key educational needs, particularly in remote and rural areas, via satellite. The project aims to bypass conventional approaches to education, health care and communications development by using global information technologies at a local level and drawing a range of international organizations into a cooperative effort. Examples of the kind of work to be undertaken by the project are presented.     

“实践九号”A卫星图像的直接解调成像方法

“实践九号”（SJ-9）卫星是中国新技术试验卫星系列规划中的首发星,其中A星搭载的光学成像有效载荷技术试验项目为高分辨率多光谱相机,其图像数据将应用于国土资源调查与监测、农林业、环境保护、防灾减灾等领域,满足用户对高分辨率数据的需求。目前,遥感数据地面处理主要使用美国学者提出的调制传递函数补偿方法,而该文使用了中国科学家自主提出的直接解调成像方法处理“实践九号”A卫星全色谱段的遥感图像。通过分析处理前后的敦煌靶标和法国靶标的调制传递函数（Modulation Transfer Function,MTF）和点扩散函数,认为经直接解调成像方法处理后的图像清晰度和MTF有明显提高,达到了国际上同类遥感图像处理方法的先进水平。     

India's EO infrastructure for disaster reduction: Lessons and perspectives

India has established a ‘critical mass’ in terms of EO infrastructure for disaster management. Starting from IRS 1A in 1980s to the most recent CARTOSAT-2, India's EO series of satellites are moving away from the generic to thematic constellations. The series of RESOURCESAT, CARTOSAT, OCEANSAT and forthcoming Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) satellites exemplifies the thematic characters of the EO missions. These thematic constellations, characterized with multi-platform, multi-resolution and multi-parameter EO missions, are important assets for disaster reduction. In the more specific term, these constellations in conjunction with contemporary EO missions address the critical observational gaps in terms of capturing the catastrophic events, phenomena or their attributes on real/near real time basis with appropriate spatial and temporal attributes.Using conjunctively the data primarily emanating these thematic constellations and all weather radar data from aerial platform and also from RADARSAT as gap-fillers has been a part of India's EO strategy for disaster management. The infrastructure has been addressing the observational needs in disaster management. The high resolution imaging better than one-meter spatial resolution and also Digital Elevation Models (DEM) emanating from Cartosat series are providing valuable inputs to characterize geo-physical terrain vulnerability. Radar Imaging Satellite, with all weather capability missions, is being configured for disaster management. At present, the current Indian EO satellites cover the whole world every 40 h (with different resolutions and swaths), and the efforts are towards making it better than 24 h. The efforts are on to configure RESOURCESAT 3 with wider swath of 740 km with 23 m spatial resolution and also to have AWiFS type of capability at geo-platform to improve the observational frequencies for disaster monitoring.India's EO infrastructure has responded comprehensively to all the natural disasters the country has faced in the recent times. As a member of International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, India has also been instrumental in promoting the related UN initiatives viz., RESAP of UN ESCAP, SPIDER of UN OOSA, Sentinel Asia of JAXA initiative and also of GEOSS initiative. The paper intends to illustrate India's EO strategy for disaster reduction.     

From initial ideas to a European plan: GMES as an exemplar of European space strategy

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) is an idea which originated during a meeting in Baveno, Italy, in May 1998, which generated a call for Europe to get its act together in the field of environmental monitoring from space, to define a well articulated strategy in this area and to build upon its excellent scientific research community, its proven technical prowess in Earth observation from space and its nascent political will to express its objectives in international fora related to climate change and other global environment topics. While Europe was already active in the most advanced areas of global monitoring, its rather uncoordinated efforts (even within the European Commission) lacked visibility and did not appear to fit into a clearly established strategy. The ‘Baveno initiative’ was an attempt to remedy this situation and find a place within a developing ‘European Strategy for Space’, which requires ESA and the European Union to work more closely together. GMES was extended to include the ‘security’ (in its wider sense) aspects of global monitoring, a move that produced a number of questions and misunderstandings, but which allowed many in Europe to realize that monitoring the activities of the Earth’ land masses, oceans and atmosphere do include a security dimension. GMES will eventually incorporate an implementation plan which will call upon various monitoring techniques, ambitious modelling projects and connections with society's more urgent requirements with respect to environmental protection and prevention or reduction of risks related to natural hazards. This will entail significant efforts to inform the user communities and to convince them of the relevance and usefulness of this initiative. It will also provide a sound basis for the European contribution to the new initiative for improved coordination of strategies and systems for Earth observations called for by the July 2003 Earth Observation Summit.