Space, security and resilience: Reflections on the debate

The RUSI Space and UK National Security Conference was held in London, 14 June 2011. Alixe Buckerfield de la Roche reports on some of the key themes discussed, including the increasing merger of space and cyber, the growing urgency in calling for development of robust and effective regulatory frameworks for orbital management, and the challenges surrounding national resilience achieved through space situational awareness. At RUSI’s 12th Missile Defence Conference held the same week Secretary General Rasmussen gave an address on NATO’s missile policy—focusing on partnerships and collaboration. His comments intersect aptly with the Space and UK National Security conference themes and are therefore included here.     

Space industry-10-year survey

Space Policy reprints here the Executive Summary of a report by Euroconsult: World Space Industry Survey: Ten Year Outlook, 1989/90 Edition. It summarizes worldwide trends in space activity as they appeared at the end of 1989 and analyses them in terms of their economic, financial and industrial aspects. The analyses are centred on the development of space applications and growth prospects in the corresponding markets for the upcoming 10-year period.     

Compliance of disposal orbits with the French Space Operations Act: The Good Practices and the STELA tool

Space debris mitigation is one objective of the French Space Operations Act (FSOA), in line with Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) recommendations, through the removal of non-operational objects from populated regions. At the end of their mission, space objects are to be placed on orbits that will minimize future hazards to space objects orbiting in the same region. The FSOA, which came into force in 2010, ensures that technical risks associated with space activities are properly mitigated. The Act confers CNES a central support role in providing technical expertise to government on regulations dealing with space operations. In order to address the compliance of disposal orbits with the law technical requirements, CNES draws up Good Practices as well as a dedicated tool, Semi-analytic Tool for End of Life Analysis (STELA).     

The UK parliamentary space committee: The emergence of a space lobby?

In the past few years the UK has become increasingly active as the financial conscience of the European Space Agency. This is not because the UK government has a wish to spend more on its national space effort; it is because it remains unconvinced of the benefits of certain European space activities, notably manned endeavours. In the absence of an effective UK space lobby, the government's policies have remained largely unchallenged. This article traces the growth of the Parliamentary Space Committee in the context of developments in recent European space policy and highlights the need for an active UK space lobby.     

Concept study on Deep Space Orbit Transfer Vehicle

In this paper, the concept of Orbit Transfer Vehicle for Deep Space Exploration (Deep Space OTV) is proposed, and its effectiveness and feasibility are discussed. Basic concept is the separation of two functions required for the deep space exploration, the transportation to the destination, and the exploration at the destination. Deep Space OTV is a spacecraft specialized for the transportation to the deep space destination. It is an expendable spacecraft propelled by solar electric propulsion. The payload of Deep Space OTV is Explorer, which is a spacecraft specialized for the exploration at the deep space destination. The effectiveness of the concept is discussed qualitatively, focused on the merits of the separations of two functions. The feasibility of Deep Space OTV is discussed based on the conceptual design of the spacecraft and its applicability to deep space missions. Several deep space missions are modeled and the payload capacity of Deep Space OTV is estimated. The missions include Asteroid rendezvous, Mars orbiter, Lunar lander, and so on.     

Concept study on Deep Space Orbit Transfer Vehicle

In this paper, the concept of Orbit Transfer Vehicle for Deep Space Exploration (Deep Space OTV) is proposed, and its effectiveness and feasibility are discussed. Basic concept is the separation of two functions required for the deep space exploration, the transportation to the destination, and the exploration at the destination. Deep Space OTV is a spacecraft specialized for the transportation to the deep space destination. It is an expendable spacecraft propelled by solar electric propulsion. The payload of Deep Space OTV is Explorer, which is a spacecraft specialized for the exploration at the deep space destination. The effectiveness of the concept is discussed qualitatively, focused on the merits of the separations of two functions. The feasibility of Deep Space OTV is discussed based on the conceptual design of the spacecraft and its applicability to deep space missions. Several deep space missions are modeled and the payload capacity of Deep Space OTV is estimated. The missions include Asteroid rendezvous, Mars orbiter, Lunar lander, and so on.     

History of UK contribution to astronautics: Politics and government

In all developed countries, once it emerged from the amateur era, Space (and especially rocketry) moved on the public agenda because of its potential significance for both the civil and military policies of governments (coupled with its appetite for new money). In the UK the policy treatment of Space broadly paralleled that in other countries until the post-Empire trauma, the burn-out of the White-Hot Technological revolution of Harold Wilson, and the financial crises of the 1970s exhausted the public appetite for large scale publicly funded projects in high technology. The culmination for Space of these pressures came in 1986–1987 when the UK rejected the emerging international consensus and, almost alone, stayed outside the manned space commitments which developed into the International Space Station. In this paper, Colin Hicks will review the UK political developments which led up to the 1986–1987 decision and how the politics and organisation of UK space activity have developed since then to the point where in 2008 a major government review of the UK involvement in manned space was commissioned.     

Is it time to create a World Space Agency?

The end of the Cold War has allowed the proposal for a World Space Agency, originally proposed by the USSR, to be given serious consideration. There are clearly benefits that could accrue from the emergence of such an organization. Nevertheless it would be premature to establish it now. Rather, current efforts should be directed towards fashioning structures and activities that could serve as solid building blocks for a permanent global space institution.     

The Space Shuttle—Evaluating an American icon

The Space Transportation System (STS), for better or worse, has dominated the US space program for some 30 years and is now an American icon. The Space Shuttle orbiters have flown over 120 missions and certainly accomplished some amazing feats, including the deployment of the International Space Station (ISS), the launch and double repair of the Hubble Telescope, a number of classified missions for the US defense establishment and the cementing of international cooperation in space. As the remaining Space Shuttle orbiters head toward various museums, it is timely to look at the STS program in terms of key US space policy decisions that have paralleled the Space Shuttle’s often troubled history. This article seeks, from both a historical and a policy perspective, to assess what might have been. While noting the major accomplishments of the STS, it also identifies what can best be characterized as major lost opportunities and flawed policy decisions that have had multi-billion dollar consequences. In this regard, the US Congress, the White House, and NASA leadership have all played a role. If there have been failings, they have not been by NASA alone, but the entire US space policy leadership.     

Space policy challenges facing the Barack Obama administration

President Barack Obama faces space policy challenges in security, commercial and civil areas in an era in which the use of space assets for these ends is irreversible. The very future of space is linked to addressing the challenges within the first term of the Obama administration. This paper draws on, but does not attempt to summarize, discussions at the National Space Forum 2008 organized by the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies at the United States Air Force Academy and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. The goal of the forum was to examine the key decisions that will need to be made in regard to space policy by facilitating debate among the security, commercial and civil space sectors, and the broader national policy community. The paper focuses on choices which, for budgetary or other reasons, cannot be delayed. A brief discussion of the issues surrounding each choice is presented, followed by the implications of pursuing different choices. One key assumption underlies everything: resources available for activities in space will not grow significantly in real terms over the course of the Obama administration.     

空间天气科学与有效和平利用空间

空间天气科学是一门新兴的前沿交叉科学。文章首先从发展历程、发展现状和发展态势角度对空间天气科学进行了系统介绍,并指出空间天气科学是经济社会发展的"助推器"、助力科技革命的"加速器"和关系空间安全的"倍增器";接着对空间天气科学与有效和平利用空间的关系进行了阐述;最后对我国空间天气科学的发展和对人类的服务前景进行了展望,并给出了制定和实施"国家空间天气十年计划"和"空间天气科学服务和平利用空间国家专项"建议的初步构想。     

Space and Copenhagen: The role of satellites

A half-day meeting on the role of satellites in combating climate change was added on to the eleventh annual European Interparliamentary Space Committee meeting in London, October 2009. Organized by the UK Parliamentary Space Committee and the European Space Policy Institute, the meeting's four speakers covered a range of issues, before engaging in discussion with questions from the floor. The main points raised are presented below.     

俄罗斯空间站推进剂补加程序分析

补加程序是推进剂补加系统的关键技术之一,而目前也仅有俄罗斯有成功应用的经验.根据目前获取的资料,经过计算、仿真和论证,对俄罗斯空间站的补加系统进行了研究,分析了ATV对空间站进行推进剂补加的程序,初步得到了俄罗斯空间站推进剂补加的特点,可作为目前我国空间站方案论证期间补加程序的参考.     

Space motion sickness

Space motion sickness, presumably triggered by sudden entry into a weightless environment, occurred with unexpected frequency and severity among astronauts who flew the Skylab missions. Recovery from symptoms was complete within 3-5 days, and as revealed by the Skylab M131 Human Vestibular Function Experiment, all crewmembers were immune to experimentally induced motion sickness after mission day 8. This syndrome has been recognized as a possible threat to the early mission well-being and operational efficiency of at least some individuals who will fly space missions in the future. The causes of space motion sickness are not clearly understood, nor have satisfactory methods been identified to date for its prediction, prevention and treatment. In order to minimize the potential impact of this syndrome on Space Shuttle crew operations the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has organized a broad program of inter-disciplinary research involving a large number of scientists in the United States. Current research on the etiology of space motion sickness is based to a large extent on the so called sensory conflict theory. Investigations of the behavioral and neurophysiological consequences of intralabyrinthine, as well as intermodality sensory conflict are being performed. The work in this area is being influenced by the presumed alterations that occur in otolith behavior in weightlessness. In addition to sensory conflict, the possible relationship between observed cephalad shifts of body fluids in weightlessness and space motion sickness is being investigated. Research to date has failed to support the fluid shift theory. Research underway to identify reliable test methods for the prediction of susceptibility to space motion sickness on an individual basis includes attempts to (a) correlate susceptibility in different provocative environments; (b) correlate susceptibility with vestibular and non-vestibular response parameters, the latter including behavioral, hemodynamic and biochemical factors and (c) correlate susceptibility with rate of acquisition and length of retention of sensory adaptation. Controlled studies are also being performed during parabolic flight as a means of attempting to validate predictive tests for susceptibility to this syndrome. Research to develop new or improved countermeasures for space motion sickness is underway in two primary areas. One of these involves anti-motion sickness drugs. Significant achievements have been realized with regard to the identification of new highly efficacious drug combinations, dose levels and routes of administration. Although pronounced individual variations must be accounted for in selecting the optimum drug and dose level, combinations of promethazine plus ephedrine or scopolamine plus dexidrine are presently the drugs of choice. Work is also underway to identify side effects associated with anti-motion sickness drug use and to identify new drugs which may selectively modify activity in central neural pathways involved in motion sickness. In addition to research on drugs, efforts are being made to develop practical vestibular training methods. Variables which influence rate of acquisition of adaptation, length of retention of adaptation and transfer of protective adaptation to new environments are being evaluated. Also, included in this area is the use of biofeedback and autogenic therapy to train individuals to regulate autonomic responses associated with motion sickness. While valuable new knowledge is expected to evolve from these combined research programs, it is concluded that the final validation of predictive tests and countermeasures will require a series of controlled space flight experiments.     

The International Space Station: a pathway to the future

Nearly six years after the launch of the first International Space Station element, and four years after its initial occupation, the United States and our 6 international partners have made great strides in operating this impressive Earth orbiting research facility. This past year we have done so in the face of the adversity of operating without the benefit of the Space Shuttle. In his January 14, 2004, speech announcing a new vision for America's space program, President Bush affirmed the United States' commitment to completing construction of the International Space Station by 2010. The President also stated that we would focus our future research aboard the Station on the long-term effects of space travel on human biology. This research will help enable human crews to venture through the vast voids of space for months at a time. In addition, ISS affords a unique opportunity to serve as an engineering test bed for hardware and operations critical to the exploration tasks. NASA looks forward to working with our partners on International Space Station research that will help open up new pathways for future exploration and discovery beyond low Earth orbit. This paper provides an overview of the International Space Station Program focusing on a review of the events of the past year, as well as plans for next year and the future.     

航天员空间活动接受辐射剂量限值的研究

空间生物学辐射效应是由空间辐射环境引起的,空间辐射环境的变化受太阳活动性影响。空间辐射水平比地表面水平高,航天员在空间所接受剂量比地面人员接受的吸收剂量高出100倍甚至更高,并且高能重离子的生物效应显著。文章简要阐述了空间辐射环境、空间辐射生物学效应与航天员的辐射剂量限值等问题。     

Intelligent Space All-Optical Network Technology

Microwave transmission in a space network is greatly restricted due to precious radio spectrum resources. To meet the demand for large-bandwidth, global seamless coverage and on-demanding access, the Space All-Optical Network(SAON) becomes a promising paradigm. In this paper, the related space optical communications and network programs around the world are first briefly introduced. Then the intelligent Space All-Optical Network(i-SAON), which can be deemed as an advanced SAON, is illustrated, with the emphasis on its features of high survivability, sensing and reconfiguration intelligence, and large capacity for all optical load and switching. Moreover, some key technologies for i-SAON are described, including the rapid adjustment and control of the laser beam direction, the deep learning-based multi-path anti-fault routing, the intelligent multi-fault diagnosis and switching selection mechanism, and the artificial intelligence-based spectrum sensing and situational forecasting.     

Taking space to the public

The UK space industry is an important part of the British economy and likely to become more so, but it needs well-educated graduates, government support and investment. Such an effort would be aided by an educated public. Education is an important part of a successful space industry policy. The Space Education Council, supported by the BNSC, is doing important work talking to the public about space. This article argues that there is a need for more space education work and reports on the Space Education Council's recent symposium.     

Using Spacelab as a precursor of science operations for the Space Station

For more than 15 years, Spacelab, has provided a laboratory in space for an international array of experiments, facilities, and experimenters. In addition to continuing this important work, Spacelab is now serving as a crucial stepping-stone to the improved science, improved operations, and rapid access to space that will characterize International Space Station. In the Space Station era, science operations will depend primarily on distributed/remote operations that will allow investigators to direct science activities from their universities, facilities, or home bases. Spacelab missions are a crucial part of preparing for these activities, having been used to test, prove, and refine remote operations over several missions. The knowledge gained from preparing these Missions is also playing a crucial role in reducing the time required to put an experiment into orbit, from revolutionizing the processes involved to testing the hardware needed for these more advanced operations. This paper discusses the role of the Spacelab program and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center- (MSFC-) managed missions in developing and refining remote operations, new hardware and facilities for use on Space Station, and procedures that dramatically reduce preparation time for flight.     

A forward plan for space in the UK

Below we present edited extracts from a Forward Plan recently prepared by the UK government which sets out aims and actions for the UK civil space programme. These have been developed during a process of consultation involving British National Space Centre (BNSC) partners, industry and academia which started with a forum held at Surrey University in September 1995, and culminated in the discussion of a draft Plan at the Second UK Space Policy Forum in June 1996. Crowm copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.