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.     

PFI in the sky, or pie in the sky? — Privatising military space

The UK has made use of dedicated, national military satellites for communications since November 1969. The replacement of the current system, Skynet 4, which will reach the end of its design lifetime early in the next century, is currently under consideration. Possible options which have been mooted to date include a new generation of a national satellite system (Skynet 5), or one of several international collaborative projects. However, these appear to have been superseded by a new possibility — a privately, commercially funded national system under the government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI). This paper examines the historical reliance of the UK on military satellite communications, the options for the next generation of such systems, and, drawing on the UK example, raises a number of questions concerning the potential significance of reliance on commercial enterprise to provide a key element of defence capability.     

浅谈我国企业遭受反倾销的原因及对策

反倾销是世贸组织允许的少数合法的贸易保护措施之一。入世后，我国成为世界上遭受反倾销投诉最多的国家。如何面对反倾销，已经成为我国企业一个必须重视的问题。本文从我国企业遭受反倾销的现状及原因入手，阐释了面对反倾销的应对措施。     

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.     

Looking ahead: Science requirements for the U.S./International Space Station

During the next eight years the United States, European countries within the European Space Agency, Canada, and Japan will engage in the design and construction of facilities included in the current conceptual design of the U.S./International Space Station. The object will be to build a manned space facility capable of supporting scientific research, technological development, and commercial operations. This paper is directed towards an overview of the essential requirements for successful scientific use of the Space Station. Because specific supporting technologies will change so drastically before heavy use can begin, it is important to discuss the most fundamental aspects of user requirements; namely, (1) What are the characteristics of a remote, manned space facility that can promote first rate scientific use? (2) What does it take to achieve such a facility, and (3) What guidelines can be given such that once the facility is in operation it attracts the best possible scientific talent?     

Effects of the long-term ESA programme on employment : Eurospace

European countries will be urged to undertake a new space programme, prepared under the direction of the European Space Agency (ESA). Can the financial efforts requested of them be considered as a profitable investment? This article examines the historical and potential effects of the European space programmes on employment, both within and outside the space sector.     

Securing Galileo's and GMES's place in European policy

The successful realisation of the flagship programmes, Galileo/EGNOS and GMES has been in doubt as a result of the current financial constraints. In providing an overview of the role of these two programmes in relation to implementing European policies – with sector-by-sector information on the ways they can help fulfil specific EU objectives – this paper attempts to demonstrate why and how they must be successfully operationalised. It therefore continues by analysing their political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal strengths and weaknesses and makes policy recommendations on this basis. Utilising these flagship programmes to carry through major European policies will be crucial for realising their great potential and achieving the Europe 2020 goals of the European Union.     

EVA Suit 2000: a joint European/Russian space suit design

A feasibility study in 1992 showed the benefits of a common European Russian space suit development, EVA Suit 2000, replacing the Russian space suit Orlan-DMA and the planned European Hermes EVA space suit at the turn of the century. This EVA Suit 2000 is a joint development initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Space Agency (RKA). The main objectives of this development program are: first utilization aboard the Russian Space Station MIR-2; performance improvement with respect to current operational suits; development cost reduction. Russian experience gained with the present extravehicular activity (EVA) suit on the MIR Space Station and extensive application of European Technologies will be needed to achieve these ambitious goals. This paper presents the current status of the development activities, the space suit system design and concentrates in more detail on life support aspects. Specific subjects addressed will include the overall life support conceptual architecture, design features, crew comfort and operational considerations.     

Earth observation and UK science policy

This paper examines the way in which Earth observation is linked to UK science policy through the 1993 UK science White Paper and subsequent policy statements, and how the central theme of partnership has been developed in practice. An example of crop yield prediction is given to illustrate the strengths and the weaknesses of the approach. The UK science and space strategies are set in the context of the European Strategy for Space and links are made to the US global change research strategy.     

UK space policy

The UK is at an important crossroads in its approach to space. The next few years will determine whether it will capitalize on the opportunities provided by its outstanding record in scientific research, or whether space will join the long list of industries where the UK has failed to realize its potential.     

Outlook of possible European contributions to future exploration scenarios and architectures

Building upon the important experience acquired with the development of the International Space Station, the major spacefaring countries are working within the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) at the definition of a coordinated framework for expanding the human presence beyond the Low Earth Orbit, the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER). The GER defines a long-range strategy for global exploration and include three major elements.

• •Common goals of ISECG participating agencies for space exploration.
• •Notional mission scenarios which are technically feasible and programmatically implementable. Two mission scenarios were defined in the 1st iteration of the GER: the “Asteroid Next” and the “Moon Next” mission scenarios.
• •Identification of near-term opportunities for coordination and cooperation related to e.g. the development of technologies, the implementation of robotic missions to destination of interest for closing strategic knowledge gaps which need to be addressed prior to human missions as well as the utilization of ISS for demonstration of exploration enabling capabilities.

In 2009 two studies have been awarded by ESA to Industrial Teams led by Thales Alenia Space—Italy and by Astrium—Germany to define, analyze and assess optional European scenarios for future human spaceflight and exploration activities, and to derive the required capabilities for the investigated timeframe until the year 2033. Work on the European scenarios has been aligned with and informed by the international work on the GER.A conceptual design of different Building Block Elements, representing critical contributions to international Design Reference Missions (DRM's) included in the ISECG GER, has been performed and analyzed with respect to programmatic risks, budgets and required technologies. Key driving requirements for the analyzed Building Block elements have been derived from the international DRM's included in the GER.The interim outcomes of the human exploration scenario study will be presented, identifying opportunities for European Contributions to an international exploration undertaking.     

The European space exploration programme: current status of ESA's plans for Moon and Mars exploration

After a large consultation with the scientific and industrial communities in Europe, the Aurora Space Exploration Programme was unanimously approved at the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at ministerial level in Edinburgh in 2001. This marked the start of the programme's preparation phase that was due to finish by the end of 2004. Aurora features technology development robotic and crewed rehearsal missions aimed at preparing a human mission to Mars by 2033. Due to the evolving context, both international and European, ESA has undertaken a review of the goals and approach of its exploration programme. While maintaining the main robotic missions that had been conceived during Aurora, the European Space Exploration Programme that is currently being proposed to the Aurora participating states and other ESA Member States has a reviewed approach and will feature a greater synergy with other ESA programmes. The paper will present the process that led to the revision of ESA's plans in the field of exploration and will give the current status of the programme.     

A Franco–German view of Europe's ambition in space for the 21st century

Europe has at last started to integrate the assets of its broad set of actors into a comprehensive European Space Strategy. But will this first approach be ambitious enough to strengthen Europe as a global actor? In this contribution, the individuals responsible for strategy in the French and German space agencies seek an answer to this question. They do so by reviewing the historical background to European space efforts, and its role in shaping present-day activities; setting forth a vision of how Europe should proceed in space, and measuring current progress in drafting a European space strategy against this vision.     

The X/X/KA-band deep space transponder for the BepiColombo mission to mercury

This paper reports the main characteristics of the deep space transponder (DST) equipment that has been designed, developed and tested by Thales Alenia Space—Italy (TAS-I) for the European Space Agency (ESA) BepiColombo mission to Mercury.     

The telemedicine frontier: going the extra mile

Telemedicine has the potential to have a greater impact on the future of medicine than any other modality and will profoundly alter the medical landscape of the twenty-first century. In the most remote areas, it can bring high-quality health care where none is now available. In global health care, it can enhance and standardize the quality of medical care, including developing countries. In the realm of space flight, it can provide a lifeline to medical expertise and monitoring. Through its mobility, it can provide urgently needed health care in instances of natural disaster. However, a number of challenges exist in its coordination and implementation on a global scale, specifically in the international and remote disaster scenarios. In the area of spaceflight, telemedicine capability will remain a consultation/information ‘lifeline’, but additional onboard medical capability and expertise will become crucial complements as missions become more advanced and remote from Earth.     

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.     

The impact of US export controls on the Canadian space industry

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) govern the export of defense-related technologies and services from the USA. In 1999 Canada's exemption to ITAR was suspended because of American objections over some Canadian companies retransferring US technology to third countries. This paper is a first attempt to quantify the impact of ITAR on the Canadian space industry. Thirty-two space-related companies were contacted and a total of nine responses were received, representative of around 60% of the Canadian space industry in terms of workforce and revenue. According to the results, the Canadian space industry has been relatively effective in meeting the challenges imposed by ITAR. However, these workarounds do not diminish its negative impacts, particularly with respect to cost and schedule. It is expected that ITAR will continue to affect the Canadian space industry, as no near-term relief from the current regulatory environment is on the horizon.     

Space: The routes of the future

This paper is an attempt to describe the interplay of factors and constraints that will shape the future of space technology. A demand-pull relationship with the needs of global society is tending to become dominant, except with regard to the field of manned spaceflight. Against this background some guidelines for a European space policy are proposed.     

Defining a European space research policy: The role of the European Space Science Committee

The willingness of the European Union (EU) to acquire an important position by defining a well articulated space policy for Europe requires a redefinition of the roles of the various actors of this policy. This has been demonstrated at the last ESA Ministerial Conference despite the financial difficulties encountered by all spacefaring European countries. The European Space Science Committee (ESSC), an associated Committee of the European Science Foundation (ESF), actively participated in the elaboration of such a policy by presenting the point of view of the space scientific community and making recommendations to ensure that scientific space research is appropriately accounted for in overall European space policy. The ESSC is briefly described along with its activities and contributions to the definition of a European space policy.     

The European contribution to a global civil navigation satellite system

Space technology revolutionizes navigation. It will become the method for any task of position, velocity, range determination and time distribution. The existing navigation satellite systems of the USA (GPS) and of Russia (GLONASS) are military systems. They only partly meet the requirements of civil safety critical applications. A global civil navigation satellite system (GNSS) is required. The European Union (EU) has recognized the importance of satellite based navigation and its role for transportation in general and for the development of the Trans-European Network (TEN) in particular. It has therefore decided to become a major partner in the development of the GNSS. In this article a concept is proposed which starts with a European regional segment (ENSS) as an element for the integrated global system. This concept requires the establishment of international standards to enable seamless global service. It has the advantage of meeting both the particular demands of regions and civil user groups.