The CPR approach to space sustainability: Commentaries on Weeden and Chow

Space sustainability is emerging as a core element of national policy and international initiatives. At this time, however, a coherent strategy and supporting policies have not been developed. To initiate a conversation to develop such a strategy, the authors have applied the principles developed by Elinor Ostrom for terrestrial common-pool resource (CPR) governance to near-Earth orbit in space. A concern arises as to whether Ostrom's eight principles are a good “fit” for application to space CPR because of the unique physical characteristics of space and the legal underpinnings of our presence there. This commentary will address selected issues raised by Weeden and Chow, and suggest alternative ways to approach near-Earth orbit sustainability.     

Weeden and Chow: Commentary from a legal perspective

The paper, ‘Space sustainability through the sustainable management of common-pool resources: a framework and potential policies’ by Brian Weeden and Tiffany Chow, researches Long-Term Sustainability issues (LTS) from the perspectives of both economics and governance, focusing on analyzing Elinor Ostrom's principles, and puts forward the main elements for a management regime. Their paper will be helpful for the international community to understand the importance of LTS, to further discussions in this field and even to shape a framework for tackling LTS. On the other hand, some of the principles raised by Ostrom still need to be clarified and deliberated throughout the international community. This commentary will analyze some of Ostrom's principles from the perspective of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) and put forward the values LTS should encompass based on an analysis of its relations with provisions in the OST.     

National visions of European space governance: Elements for a new institutional architecture

The governance of space activities in Europe remains an open question, even more so since the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, and the latest EC document and ESA declaration have revived the debate. This paper considers the strengths and weaknesses of the current governance model, and compares recent French, German, Italian and UK national documents in order to highlight their vision of space governance in Europe. Some elements of agreement emerge but, more interestingly, this comparison highlights their differences, especially with regard to the role of the EU as a supranational actor in the space domain.     

Global space exploration 2025: Europe's perspectives for partnerships

Space exploration is an emblematic domain of space activities where traditionally only established space powers have been active. However, new actors are demonstrating great interest in it, principally for international prestige reasons, with an increasing number making ambitious plans. Complementing national endeavours, international cooperation has become a central element of most countries' exploration strategy, since the costs of doing it alone are so great. Europe's development into a fully fledged actor in space exploration requires a shared assessment of the future challenges, threats and opportunities with which it will be confronted in order to derive the best options for cooperation to lead and anticipate rather than follow and endure change.     

ENGage: The use of space and pixel art for increasing primary school children's interest in science,technology, engineering and mathematics

The Faculty of Engineering at The University of Nottingham, UK, has developed interdisciplinary, hands-on workshops for primary schools that introduce space technology, its relevance to everyday life and the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths. The workshop activities for 7–11 year olds highlight the roles that space and satellite technology play in observing and monitoring the Earth's biosphere as well as being vital to communications in the modern digital world. The programme also provides links to ‘how science works’, the environment and citizenship and uses pixel art through the medium of digital photography to demonstrate the importance of maths in a novel and unconventional manner.The interactive programme of activities provides learners with an opportunity to meet ‘real’ scientists and engineers, with one of the key messages from the day being that anyone can become involved in science and engineering whatever their ability or subject of interest. The methodology introduces the role of scientists and engineers using space technology themes, but it could easily be adapted for use with any inspirational topic.Analysis of learners’ perceptions of science, technology, engineering and maths before and after participating in ENGage showed very positive and significant changes in their attitudes to these subjects and an increase in the number of children thinking they would be interested and capable in pursuing a career in science and engineering. This paper provides an overview of the activities, the methodology, the evaluation process and results.     

Global partnerships: Expanding the frontiers of space exploration education

Globalization is creating an interdependent space-faring world and new opportunities for international partnerships that strengthen space knowledge development and transfer. These opportunities have been codified in the Global Exploration Strategy, which endorses the “inspirational and educational value of space exploration” [1]. Also, during the 2010 Heads of Space Agencies Summit celebrating the International Academy of Astronautics’ (IAA) 50th Anniversary, space-faring nations from across the globe issued a collective call in support of robust international partnerships to expand the frontiers of space exploration and generate knowledge for improving life on Earth [2].Educators play a unique role in this mission, developing strategic partnerships and sharing best educational practices to (1) further global understanding of the benefits of space exploration for life on Earth and (2) prepare the next generation of scientists required for the 21st Century space workforce. Educational Outreach (EO) programs use evidence-based, measurable outcomes strategies and cutting edge information technologies to transfer space-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge to new audiences; create indigenous materials with cultural resonance for emerging space societies; support teacher professional development; and contribute to workforce development initiatives that inspire and prepare new cohorts of students for space exploration careers. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) have sustained a 13-year space science education partnership dedicated to these objectives.This paper briefly describes the design and achievements of NSBRI's educational programs, with special emphasis on those initiatives' involvement with IAA and the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). The IAA Commission 2 Draft Report, Space for Africa, is discussed as a model for developing sustainable partnerships and indigenous programs that support Africa's steady emergence as a global space-faring force. The IAC will provide timely: 2011 South Africa will provide timely feedback to refine that report's strategies for space life sciences education and public engagement in Africa and around the globe.     

Japan's future in space

Japan's Consultative Committee on Long Term Policy was established within the Space Activities Commission to consider how the country's space activities should proceed. The Committee was asked to take a long-term viewpoint, considering the rapid changes in both domestic and overseas space activities. This report is an edited version (and unofficial translation) of the Committee's report, published in May 1987. It outlines the significance of space activities for Japan, considers how they have developed during this century, forecasts development after the year 2000, and presents proposals for the execution of Japan's space development.     

Space Development with Chinese Characteristics and its Practical Significance

China's space industry has been developed quickly and consistently setting new records for mankind in space exploration in the past 60 years. Four principles are upheld during its development. Systems engineering and overall thinking have played an important role in the development of China's space industry. What's more, the concept of systems engineering which originated from the space industry, being rooted in society, is a successful example of "Chinese theory" answering "Chinese question" and "Chinese wisdom" guiding "Chinese development", which is a trump card for the country and provides a unique business governance mode with Chinese characteristics.     

Examining the effects of anti-space weaponization arguments in the media: Some experimental findings from Canada

This study examines how political activists are framing the space weaponization debate in Canada and whether their arguments can influence public attitudes and perceptions about the issue. Eighty university students from two undergraduate courses were recruited as participants in a quasi-experiment. One class (n = 38) was exposed to the documentary Masters of Space, an episode of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's program The Nature of Things, and another class (n = 42) served as the control group. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires were used to measure the effects of viewing anti-weaponization arguments in the media, while also controlling for the influence of prior beliefs and background characteristics of participants. Results suggest that visually depicting the use of satellite technology in society can convince viewers that satellites are important to their way of life, but not necessarily to the defense of North America. Framing missile defense as a ‘space weapon in disguise’ also seemed to raise opposition to Canada's participation in continental missile defense. The findings, meanwhile, indicate that viewers respond strongly to the issue of space debris and that mobilizing support for joint military space projects may best be achieved by emphasizing the usefulness of these projects for locating and tracking such debris. In the end, media exposure seemed to help legitimize anti-weaponization arguments based more on rational self-interests than on idealistic beliefs. These findings can have implications for the way space policies are communicated to the public.     

The National Space Biomedical Research Institute's education and public outreach program: Working toward a global 21st century space exploration society

Space Exploration educators worldwide are confronting challenges and embracing opportunities to prepare students for the global 21st century workforce. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), established in 1997 through a NASA competition, is a 12-university consortium dedicated to space life science research and education. NSBRI's Education and Public Outreach Program (EPOP) is advancing the Institute's mission by responding to global educational challenges through activities that: provide teacher professional development; develop curricula that teach students to communicate with their peers across the globe; provide women and minority US populations with greater access to, and awareness of science careers; and promote international science education partnerships.A recent National Research Council (NRC) Space Studies Board Report, America's Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Program with National Needs, acknowledges that “a capable workforce for the 21st century is a key strategic objective for the US space program… (and that) US problems requiring best efforts to understand and resolve…are global in nature and must be addressed through mutual worldwide action”. [1] This sentiment has gained new momentum through a recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) report, which recommends that the life of the International Space Station be extended beyond the planned 2016 termination. [2] The two principles of globalization and ISS utility have elevated NSBRI EPOP efforts to design and disseminate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational materials that prepare students for full participation in a globalized, high technology society; promote and provide teacher professional development; create research opportunities for women and underserved populations; and build international educational partnerships.This paper describes select EPOP projects and makes the case for using innovative, emerging information technologies to transfer space exploration knowledge to students, engage educators from across the globe in discourse about science curricula, and foster multimedia collaborations that inform citizens about the benefits of space exploration for life on Earth. Special references are made to educational activities conducted at professional meetings in Austria, Canada, France, China, Greece, Italy, Russia, Scotland and Spain.     

Japan,Ballistic Missile Defence and remilitarisation

Japan's future trajectory in security policy and the extent of deviation from the post-war course of a constrained military stance have been the source of constant academic and policy debate. Japanese policy-makers have maintained that national security policy has shown no fundamental deviation, and that this can be benchmarked against a range of constant anti-militaristic principles. The advent of BMD, however, poses significant questions over whether Japan is continuing to follow a similar security trajectory. This article examines how BMD has challenged four key anti-militaristic principles—the non-exercise of collective self-defence, the non-military use of space, the ban on the export of weapons technology, and strict civilian control of the military—and uses this assessment to judge how BMD is driving remilitarisation. It concludes that BMD's impact is highly significant in transgressing these anti-militaristic principles and is thus indicating a more remilitarised security path for Japan developing now and in the future.     

Governance of national space activities

Senior political and space agency personnel joined representatives of industry and other space-related institutions for a conference, held in Budapest in January 2009, on how best to structure national and European space governance. Four sessions examined the subject of the conference from a top-down European, a bottom-up national, a theoretical and actor-based and a discursive–participative perspective. The themes and outcomes of the conference are reported below.     

Earth observation from space – The issue of environmental sustainability

Remote sensing scientists work under assumptions that should not be taken for granted and should, therefore, be challenged. These assumptions include the following:1. Space, especially Low Earth Orbit (LEO), will always be available to governmental and commercial space entities that launch Earth remote sensing missions.2. Space launches are benign with respect to environmental impacts.3. Minimization of Type 1 error, which provides increased confidence in the experimental outcome, is the best way to assess the significance of environmental change.4. Large-area remote sensing investigations, i.e. national, continental, global studies, are best done from space.5. National space missions should trump international, cooperative space missions to ensure national control and distribution of the data products.At best, all of these points are arguable, and in some cases, they're wrong. Development of observational space systems that are compatible with sustainability principles should be a primary concern when Earth remote sensing space systems are envisioned, designed, and launched. The discussion is based on the hypothesis that reducing the environmental impacts of the data acquisition step, which is at the very beginning of the information stream leading to decision and action, will enhance coherence in the information stream and strengthen the capacity of measurement processes to meet their stated functional goal, i.e. sustainable management of Earth resources. We suggest that unconventional points of view should be adopted and when appropriate, remedial measures considered that could help to reduce the environmental footprint of space remote sensing and of Earth observation and monitoring systems in general. This article discusses these five assumptions in the context of sustainable management of Earth's resources. Taking each assumption in turn, we find the following:(1) Space debris may limit access to Low Earth Orbit over the next decades.(2) Relatively speaking, given that they're rare event, space launches may be benign, but study is merited on upper stratospheric and exospheric layers given the chemical activity associated with rocket combustion by-products.(3) Minimization of Type II error should be considered in situations where minimization of Type I error greatly hampers or precludes our ability to correct the environmental condition being studied.(4) In certain situations, airborne collects may be less expensive and more environmentally benign, and comparative studies should be done to determine which path is wisest.(5) International cooperation and data sharing will reduce instrument and launch costs and mission redundancy. Given fiscal concerns of most of the major space agencies – e.g. NASA, ESA, CNES – it seems prudent to combine resources.     

Alexandre Ananoff (1910–1992): 30 years to promote astronautics before Sputnik

2012 marks the 20th anniversary of Alexandre Ananoff's death. Born in 1910 in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Russian–French space expert and enthusiast Alexandre Ananoff is known for being the organiser of the first International Astronautical Congress at La Sorbonne University, Paris, in September–October 1950, as well as being the author of the famous book L’Astronautique (1950) and for advising fellow author Hergé for his book adventures of Tintin on the Moon. The purpose of our paper is to present his complete works promoting space, from his first public presentations after discovering the works of Tsiolkovsky in the late 20s to his analysis of the first Sputnik launch in the popular French magazine Paris Match in 1957.A. Ananoff was a real ambassador for astronautics and a pioneer in space education for the general public—probably the first one in France. He built a unique collection of books and novels about space travel (donated before his death to the French Air and Space Museum of Paris-Le Bourget), wrote dozens of articles, gave numerous lectures and corresponded with most of the space pioneers around the world. However, he was criticised for being an autodidact and was very disappointed by the lack of consideration accorded him within his own country. During the 60s, he progressively stopped his space activities to turn his attention to becoming a specialist of 18th century French painters. He published his Memoirs of an Astronaut in 1978 and gave his last lecture at IAC in September 1979. He died in Paris on 25 December 1992, aged 82. His last wish was that his ashes could be sent on the Moon, an end accomplishment for all his efforts.     

Towards an EU industrial policy for the space sector – Lessons from Galileo

The rise of the EU as an actor in the European and world space theatres, in its various roles as initiator, owner and operator of large-scale programmes such as Galileo and GMES, has raised a number of questions with regard to industrial policy. Based on the experiences from the Galileo programme's procurement round in the Full Operational Capability (FOC) phase and on the present discussions on space industrial policy within the EU, this paper argues that, whereas the EU's political ambitions in space have been discussed and become reasonably well defined, the specific policy tools and legal instruments to put them into practice are far from complete. First, an unequivocal industrial policy for the space sector needs to be defined that reconciles the Union's political ambitions with the economic specificities of the space sector. At present, this is a work in progress, with opinions diverging between member states. Second, both logically and temporally, these policy decisions need to be translated into legal instruments that allow their implementation. This implies the development of made-to-measure funding instruments and procurement rules. We conclude by emphasising the need for a sector-specific industrial policy as an integral part of the EU's space policy.     

Discovering the basic strategic orientation of big space agencies

The aim of this paper is to identify the basic strategic orientations of some of the world's main space agencies. This study focuses on the Brazilian, French, European, Japanese, Indian and Russian agencies. Basic strategic orientations indicate the real space exploration objectives of large countries. This is useful because there are some ambiguous areas in the formal strategic documents published by these agencies. The results highlight the common objectives of the agencies studied, which is to have an important role in international political leadership even considering the specific objectives related to the economic and social contexts of the individual countries.     

智能天地一体化网络的卫星跟踪测控技术综述

随着卫星互联网和我国航天测控技术的不断进步,航天测控网络朝着智能化、一体化的方向发展,在自主测控、资源分配等方面进展良好。因此,建立智能天地一体化的航天测控网是我国航天未来发展的重要目标。针对智能航天测控网中的跟踪测轨、遥测和遥控三个方面,分别介绍了相关原理与技术。同时,结合CCSDS提出的空间数据链路标准协议详细介绍了TM、TC、AOS、Proximity-1以及USLP标准,分析了不同标准所使用的技术与实际应用。本文从数据链路层和物理层的角度介绍了智能航天测控系统的工作原理及技术要求,为我国智能天地一体化卫星测控通信网的研究提供参考并予以展望。     

典型星载遥感器光学系统总剂量效应防护方法与设计

针对空间不连续工作的典型星载光学遥感器的结构和光学系统,进行抗辐射薄弱环节与总剂量效应的仿真分析计算,提出在遥感器入光口遮光罩处增加防护盖以降低光学系统中辐射吸收剂量预示最大位置处的吸收剂量,并对防护盖的具体参数进行仿真优化设计。研究表明:光学系统各光学部件所在位置辐射吸收剂量处于不均匀状态,接收地物信息的第一镜体处的预示值最大;安装防护盖后,可大幅降低该处的辐射吸收剂量,使之与其他部位的吸收剂量处于同一量级水平;防护盖的实施参数以厚度1~3 mm、距离入光口遮光罩端部小于20 mm为最佳。文章最后描述了防护盖设计方法的通用性,给出了防护盖的适用技术条件。