German rockets in africa: The explosive heritage of peenemunde

This historical paper reviews the technical development and the political impact of two “intelligence affairs” with German rocketry in African countries: 1. the Nasser missiles and space projects in Egypt during the 1960s; 2. the private OTRAG venture in Zaire and Libya during the 1970s.     

Observations on the evolution of satellite launch volume and cyclicality in the space industry

Satellites have been rightly described as the lifeblood of the entire space industry and the number of satellites ordered or launched per year is an important defining metric of the industry's level of activity, such that trends and variability in this volume have significant strategic impact on the space industry. Over the past 40+ years, hundreds of satellites have been launched every year. Thus an important dataset is available for time series analysis and identification of trends and cycles in the various markets of the space industry. This article reports findings of a study for which we collected data on over 6000 satellites launched since 1960 on a yearly basis. We grouped the satellites into three broad categories – defense and intelligence, science, and commercial satellites – and identified and discussed the main trends and cyclical patterns for each of these. Institutional customers (defense and intelligence, and science) accounted for over two-thirds of all satellites launched within our time period (1960–2008), and, in the 1960s and 1970s, they accounted for 90% and 73.5%, respectively. A fair conclusion from this data is that the space industry was enabled by, and grew because of the institutional customers, not commercial market forces. However, when the launch data is examined more closely, a growing influence of the commercial sector is noticeable. Over the past two decades communication satellites accounted for roughly half of all launches, thus reflecting an important shift in the space industry in which the commercial sector is playing an equal role (on a launch volume basis) to that of the institutional market. Cyclical patterns in the satellite launch volume over the past decade are separately discussed before we sum up with a conclusion.     

A life devoted to astronautics: Dr. Olgierd Wołczek (1922–1982)—Biographical remarks and scientific activity in astronautics and space physics

Dr. Olgierd Wo?czek died in August, 1982 in Warsaw. From 1971 he edited the scientific-popular Polish bimonthly Astronautyka and also, from 1973, the scientific journal of the Polish Astronautical Society (PAS) “Post?py Astronautyki” (Progresses in Astronautics). He was one of the founders of PAS (1954), then its General Secretary for 10 years, and later the deputy of the President of PAS for 15 years.He was very active also in the field of the scientific research in astronautics and space physics. The scope and width of his knowledge can be seen in his 22 books and 34 papers on astronautics and space physics, 10 books and 14 papers on nuclear physics and other subjects. He published also several hundred papers in popular journals, and took part several hundred times in radio and television programmes. His PhD-degree (1963) was based on his research in nuclear spectroscopy. But astronautics became the main interest and aim of his life.He was corresponding member of the IAA in Paris, and a member of several IAA and IAF committees, spoke at more than 20 IAF Congresses and was an honorary member of several foreign astronautical societies.Dealing with almost all astronautics and space physics on popular level, his scientific activity of qualitative character can be placed in four subjects: (1) nuclear energy in rocketry; (2) impact of astronautics on science, our civilization and mankind; various non-selected problems in astronautics; (3) evolution of matter in the Universe; planetology; (4) life in the Universe.During his several last years Dr. Wo?czek was dealing mainly with subjects (3) and (4). Scientific papers of Dr. Wo?czek according to the above classification are reviewed. A full list of Dr. Wo?czek's scientific papers are included.     

Public opinion polls and perceptions of US human spaceflight

A belief exists in the United States about public support for NASA's human spaceflight activities. Many hold that NASA and the cause of the human exploration of space enjoyed outstanding public support and confidence in the 1960s during the era of Apollo and that public support waned in the post-Apollo era, only to sink to quite low depths in the decade of the 1990s. These beliefs are predicated on anecdotal evidence that should not be discounted, but empirical evidence gleaned from public opinion polling data suggests that some of these conceptions are totally incorrect and others are either incomplete or more nuanced than previously believed. This article explores the evolution of public support for space exploration since the 1960s. Using polling data from a variety of sources it presents trends over time and offers comments on the meaning of public perceptions for the evolution of space policy and the development of space exploration in the United States.     

Time is of the essence: making space law more effective

Traditionally, international legal rules have been established through the adoption of treaties by states, and the five space treaties adopted in the 1960s and 1970s are no exception. Accordingly, the recent proposals for overcoming problems related to the management of space activities have often envisioned the conclusion of new treaties, even a general convention, on space law. However, the process of setting norms through international treaties has certain severe weaknesses, ones affecting space law as much as, if not more than, other fields. These include the lamentably common time lag between drafting, adoption, and entry into force of international standards. Even if states manage to agree on certain provisions, by the time accords are implemented, the problems in question may have reached entirely new and different proportions and strategies that made sense when first proposed already represent ‘too little, too late’. This paper ponders the chances of making norms of international space law operative faster as well as the possibility of creating instruments whose provisions can readily accommodate changing conditions.     

Canada's early space policy development 1958–1974

In the absence of a mature body of literature on the origins and evolution of the Canadian space program, recent official publications have arbitrarily chosen 1974, the year that Canada's civilian space policy was ratified in the House of Commons, as the popular date of origin. However, this start date ignores several significant policy documents that influenced Canada's space program development prior to that year. This article examines policy that shaped Canada's space program during the ‘golden age’ of space exploration (1958–1974), and will demonstrate that the true origins of the Canadian space program date back much earlier that the current perception.     

The importance of space policy teaching in communicating space activities to society

The governments’ priority and budgets for space activities are steadily decreasing and the importance of space activities is not any longer reaching the front pages of the newspaper, as in the 1960s. On the other hand in Europe the people, at large, have shown an important interest and support for space activities. A contribution to bridge the gap between decreasing funding and important support of citizen can come from teaching space policy in universities as well as in special workshops for government, industrial and military circles. The paper will outline a course that fulfils this goal.     

Evolving public perceptions of spaceflight in American culture

There is a belief that exists in the United States about public support for NASA's activities. The belief is almost universally held that NASA and the cause of space exploration enjoyed outstanding public support and confidence in the 1960s during the era of Apollo and that public support waned in the post-Apollo era, only to sink to quite low depths in the decade of the 1990s. These beliefs are predicated on anecdotal evidence that should not be discounted, but empirical evidence gleaned from public opinion polling data suggest that some of these conceptions are totally incorrect and others are either incomplete or more nuanced than previously believed. This paper explores evolution of public support for space exploration since the 1960s. Using polling data from a variety of sources it presents trends over time and offers comments on the meaning of public perceptions for the evolution of space policy and the development of space exploration in the United States.     

Nuclear propulsion—a historical perspective

Those who fear development of nuclear propulsion for space travel forget that considerable work on it has already been done, starting in the 1950s, and that the concept of a nuclear rocket was safely and successfully tested in the 1960s. This article describes the history of the US Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application programme, with technical details of its development. Although funding for the programme ceased in the 1970s, there is no reason to suppose that the concept would not work today.     

Explaining public support for space exploration funding in America: A multivariate analysis

Recent studies have identified the need to understand what shapes public attitudes toward space policy. I address this gap in the literature by developing a multivariate regression model explaining why many Americans support government spending on space exploration. Using pooled data from the 2006 and 2008 General Social Surveys, the study reveals that spending preferences on space exploration are largely apolitical and associated instead with knowledge and opinions about science. In particular, the odds of wanting to increase funding for space exploration are significantly higher for white, male Babyboomers with a higher socio-economic status, a fondness for organized science, and a post-secondary science education. As such, I argue that public support for NASA's spending epitomizes what Launius termed “Apollo Nostalgia” in American culture. That is, Americans benefitting most from the old social order of the 1960s developed a greater fondness for science that makes them more likely to lament the glory days of space exploration. The article concludes with suggestions for how to elaborate on these findings in future studies.     

Surreal estate: addressing the issue of ‘Immovable Property Rights on the Moon’

At a time when scientific and commercial interest in the Moon is being reinvigorated it is becoming fashionable for ordinary individuals to ‘buy’ plots on the lunar surface, with the ‘vendors’ arguing that an absence of specific prohibition of individual private activity in space makes such action legal. It is therefore time for the legal community to address this situation by investigating just how legal such activity is—and bringing their findings to the attention of governments. This can be done through an examination of the relationship between national law and international space law, of the provisions of international space law—especially Article 2 of the Outer Space Treaty—and by answering any claims to private ownership of immovable property. Aside from the fact that individuals appear to be being duped, the pursuit of property claims on the Moon could impede future activities aimed at benefiting society.     

Transforming space dreams into realities : Hopes for the 1990s

A member of the Cal Space group convened to study ways of capitalizing on the past 20 years of investment in space, Philip R. Harris here outlines how he believes the US space effort can be galvanized to meet the challenges of the next decade. A new space ethos must be fostered within the national culture by broadening popular involvement in space enterprise. NASA should also be reformed to give it more independence and initiative. This calls for transformational leadership, committed to creating and communicating the vision of change.     

Space law conference 2001 : Legal challenges and commercial opportunities for Asia

Many eminent space lawyers gathered in Singapore to attend the first space law conference to be held in South East Asia. Topics for discussion—which included commercialization of space activities and its effect on the needs of developing countries, and the legal issues of expanding communications and navigation satellite services—were of particular interest to the region. This report summarizes the presentations in each session and presents the conclusions and recommendations—such as the need for a legal instrument to regulate remote sensing—produced.     

Consideration of space activities by the UN general assembly

The thirty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly affirmed ‘that complete and general disarmament warrants that outer space should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and that it shall not become an arena for an arms race’.This text appears in the first of two important resolutions concerning outer space adopted by the General Assembly during its last session. Also in the first resolution, entitled ‘Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space’ (A/39/59 of 12 December 1984), the Assembly called upon all states, particularly those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful uses of outer space and to take immediate measures to prevent an arms race in outer space in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation and understanding.     

A note on China's space technology

Since the early 1960s China has been making its own contribution to space exploration. This note outlines China's plans for building a space station and developing an Earth-space transporation system in the 1990s.     

Better ways of getting into the space business: microeconomic reform in Australian space affairs

This personal view of trends in global space enterprise suggests that, unless they adapt and re-structure, large-scale national and regional space agencies built on traditional lines may struggle to survive, at least in the developed world. With the growing maturity of speculative private sector space initiatives, the role of traditional space agencies as project managers and mediators between providers and the market may become redundant, while in the absence of a cogent national security argument, public interest in space is no longer to be relied upon to deliver large national space budgets. Australia’s newest space mission, the FedSat scientific microsatellite, was announced at the same time as the former national space program was terminated. This process and its consequences are examined as an instance of microeconomic reform, which seeks to improve productivity and competitiveness by producing a regulatory and infrastructure environment that gives business more flexibility. Historical circumstances unique to Australia may have contributed to this change of direction, but many contributing elements also apply elsewhere. The features of the new approach are identification of public sector space needs; selecting the most suitable team from both public and private sectors to manage the project; and the acceptance of a large proportion of the risk by the proponents.     

Assessment of nanosystems for space applications

This paper first gives an overview of the applications of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) in space. Microsystems are advertised for their extremely low size and mass, along with their low power consumption and in some case their improved performances. Examples of actual flown MEMS and future missions relying on MEMS are given. Microsystems are now enjoying a dynamic and expanding interest in the space community. This paper intends to give an idea about the next step in miniaturization, since the microelectronic industry is already looking at nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) driven by the more-than-Moore philosophy. We show that the impact of nanosystems should not be reduced at a homothecy in size, weight and power consumption. New forces appear at this scale (Casimir force…) which have to be considered in the system design. The example of a nano-mechanical memory is developed. We also show that performances of nanosystems are not systematically better than their microscopic counterparts through the study of the impact of dimension reduction on an accelerometer resolution and sensitivity. We conclude with the idea that nanosystems will find their greatest applications in distributed intelligent networks that will allow new mission concepts for space exploration.     

A pilot survey of attitudes to space sciences and exploration among British school children

Over 200 school children in eight schools in the east of England were surveyed to determine their interest in space exploration and awareness of current space activities. Of those surveyed, 33% were interested in space to ‘discover a new planet’, and 24% to find life on another planet. When asked to list space exploration organisations 77% listed NASA. Six of those surveyed listed ESA (<0.5%). The data bring starkly to light, despite the Huygens landing on Titan and Mars Express, the lack of awareness of the existence of ESA among a new generation of European school children. These data suggest that further surveys are merited to determine the factors that influence interest in space sciences and related disciplines among school children, and the source of their information.     

The impact of culture on human and space development--new millennial challenge

The Space Age is causing new applications to the concept of culture, a human coping tool. The exploration and exploitation of outer space resources are altering human culture both on Earth and in orbit. For the first time in history, our species need not merely react and adapt to environment, but plan for a space culture appropriate for extraterrestrial migration. The impact of culture can be analyzed in terms of how space developments alter human perceptions and behavior on this planet; the emergence of a new culture to suit the orbital environment; the organizations that build spacecraft and deploy people aloft; and the technological systems created for spacefaring. This article presents a paradigm for analyzing some of the non-technical human factors involved in space undertakings. It also offers a method for classifying a culture according to ten categories which may be applied both to a macroculture, such as a lunar base; or a microculture, such as a space agency or crew. Human enterprise in space is viewed as both altering the species, and providing a challenge for expanded behavioral and biological scientific research on living and working in space.     

中国运载火箭技术发展

中国航天运输系统建设起步于20世纪60年代,经过近50年的发展,取得了举世瞩目的成就,建设了布局合理、覆盖全面的空间运输系统体系,能够将不同有效载荷发射到低、中、高不同轨道。国际合作方面,在搭载发射、商业卫星发射服务和在轨交付3个方面也取得了一定成绩。对中国航天运输系统发展成就进行了总结,对航天运输系统未来发展特别是人工智能技术应用进行了展望。