A third age in space? RUSI's ‘New Directions in Missile Defence’ conference

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) held its 10th missile defence conference in London, 28–29 May 2009. While the emphasis was on terrestrial military activity, it was clear that space had become integral to such activity and that, beyond whatever moral objections might be made, the question of missile defence poses additional risks in terms of debris proliferation and traffic disruption. This report discusses the general issue with reference to conference speakers' presentations.     

Commercial space and international trade rules: an assessment of the WTO''s influence on the sector

This paper explores how the WTO process may affect the development of commercial space industries in Asia. It does so by examining how the ever greater reach of trade rules may constrain industrial and technology policies aimed at developing an indigenous space capability. The role of the USA is also examined, as it is the US industry that will be among the most affected by increased competition in satellite and launcher services.     

狮子王辛巴的荣耀

寒流袭击的那天,没有冬天的广州突然出奇的寒冷。面对中国百年不遇的寒冷天气,我选择了逃离。连续飞行了14小时,穿越了5个时区,我降落在南半球被阳光燃烧着的肯尼亚首都内罗毕(NAIROBI)。我和一个中国人以及两个法国人,带上本地的黑人司机、厨师和充足的食品、水以及扎营设备,开着那辆带天窗的专业狩猎远征(SAFARI)越野车,做一次彻底的狩猎远征。     

Refocusing European missile defence

The 11th RUSI Missile Defence Conference was held in London, 26-27 May 2010. Anders Hansson reports on some of the main themes to emerge, including the fact that the fields of space and nuclear missiles are becoming more closely entwined, the need for China to be more involved in discussions on missile defence, the need to distinguish capabilities from intent, and the fact that the all-too-short window for formulating new rules for orbital management must be opened now.     

Conference round-up: Space,defence and trips to the Moon

What are the trends in missile defence, the perceptions of space and defence in society and the now emergent commercial human spaceflight industry? Europe seems stuck in a financial rut and unable to fashion a united approach, the USA and Russia have not acknowledged the need to understand the issues in a context broader than that of a bilateral debate over the intentions of Iran, and a growing number of companies is getting serious about taking paying customers into space. This report covers the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Missile Defence Conference 2012; the RUSI Defence, Industries and Society Conference 2012 and the third European Space Tourism Conference held at the Royal Aeronautical Society in July, all in London.     

伊朗 谜一样的国度

电视中,每天都有关于伊朗的报道,伴随美国要打击伊朗的叫嚣,让人有种大战迫在眉睫的紧张。我唯恐伊朗再不去,这个国家就会像伊拉克一样,彻底改变当今的面貌。于是在好友的帮助下,展开了这次向往已久的伊朗之行。     

Fate of prebiotic adenine

Equilibrium adsorption isotherm data for the purine base adenine has been obtained on several prebiotically relevant minerals by frontal analysis using water as a mobile phase. Adenine is far displaced toward adsorption on pyrite (FeS2), quartz (SiO2), and pyrrhotite (FeS), but somewhat less for magnetite (Fe3O4) and forsterite (Mg2SiO4). The prebiotic prevalence of these minerals would have allowed them to act as a sink for adenine; removal from the aqueous phase would confer protection from hydrolysis as well, establishing a nonequilibrium thermodynamic framework for increased adenine synthesis. Our results provide evidence that adsorption phenomena may have been critical for the primordial genetic architecture.     

Options for space — proposal for a programme

Because of the physical scale of human operations at present, we need to extend them into the Solar System for sustainability and into interstellar space for knowledge. Stabilizing the population on Earth, as well as reducing poverty, is vital, as is a more environmentally appropriate demographic transition than the historical one. Space assets can contribute most to strategic threats in areas like power and minerals and can also assist global education. Such public interest is important as education, but it is vital to remember that a certain level of precision in materials and engineering is needed before ideas become realizable. The crucial step is to turn the space environment to an open market and override the present government monopoly constraint. As a start, a Center for International Space Industrialization Research (CSIR) is to be set up as a model for the better understanding of the issues involved, thus making a case for strategic investment for space assets.