Space technology in developing nations: an assessment

Space technology can make an immense contribution to solving the problems of the world as a whole, and the developing nations in particular. This report summarizes the use of satellites by developing countries in the fields of communications, remote sensing, disaster management and space science. India and China, in particular, have built up impressive capabilities in several of these areas, but the great majority of developing countries still do not have access to this technology. The author addresses a number of proposals to the international community for bringing the satellite revolution to the developing world.     

Outer space exploitability: International law and developing nations

This article outlines the principles upon which international space law is based. Space law has been successful so far in benefiting the developing countries without hampering the spacefaring nations. The principal treaty provisions that are of special interest to developing nations are discussed, and issues associated with remote sensing, communications and environmental harms are examined in detail. Since 1967 there has been a sharp change in the focus of legal concern towards ‘taking into account the particular needs of developing countries’, a principle that will be central to arrangements for the equitable sharing of the benefits of exploiting the space environment and its natural resources.     

Status of CHIPS: A NASA university explorer astronomy mission

In the age of `Faster, Better, Cheaper', NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been looking for a way to implement university based world class science missions for significantly less money. The University Explorer (UNEX) program is the result. UNEX missions are designed for rapid turnaround with fixed budgets in the $10 million US dollar range. The CHIPS project was selected in 1998. The CHIPS mission has passed the Concept Study and Confirmation Reviews. Many lessons have already been learned from the CHIPS UNEX project. This paper will discuss the early issues surrounding the use of commercial satellite constellations as the bus and the politics of small satellites using foreign launchers. The difficulties of finding a spacecraft in the UNEX price range will be highlighted. The advantages of utilizing Internet technologies from the earliest phases of the project through to communications with the spacecraft on orbit will be discussed. The current state of the program, as of July 2001, will be summarized and the project's plans for the future will be charted.     

The role of the united nations in promoting international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was established in 1959 by the United Nations General Assembly in order to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and to consider legal issues arising from the exploration of outer space. Since its establishment, the Committee has addressed such issues as benefits from space activities, the definition and delimitation of outer space and the use of the geostationary orbit, implications of remote sensing, space sciences, space-based communications, navigation and meteorological systems, as well as use of nuclear power sources in outer space, space debris and spin-off benefits of space technology. At its session in 1996, a symposium on the ‘Utilization of micro- and small satellites for the expansion of low-cost space activities, taking into particular account the needs of developing countries’ was organized by COSPAR and IAF to complement discussions on this theme. It was noted at the symposium that the increasing number of small satellites, in particular the proposed introduction of multi-satellite ‘constellations’ at low orbits, would result in concentrations of satellite mass at certain regions of space around the Earth. Special provisions would be needed to minimize the probability of satellite breakups and collisions which might create more space debris and compromise the future of spaceflight.     

The market of remote sensing data: A developing business

The past ten years have demonstrated the valuable contribution of space remote sensing to the management of natural resources. A second generation of observation satellites has been set up with Landsat D and SPOT to support operational applications all over the world. Such satellites have been established in light of economic pay-offs that should be illustrated hereafter.     

The participation of developing countries in space research

The Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (Unispace 82) identified crucial problems and made recommendations on strategies for developing countries to bridge the gap with advanced nations in the area of space technology. This article addresses some issues which, although implicit in the Unispace Report, are not discussed in detail therein. The role of space science and related scientific research is particularly emphasized. Close attention is paid to the role of human factors, such as the motivation to conduct research, the motivation to engage in international cooperation, and the motivation to utilize and exploit space. Possible opportunities for space research for developing countries, as well as relevant issues concerning management of space, are briefly discussed.     

The contest for leadership in East Asia: Japanese and Chinese approaches to outer space

Japan and China, as two advanced spacefaring nations in Asia-Pacific region, are often referred to as rivals in space. China's successful manned space launch program in 2003 and ASAT test in 2007 were considered as turning points which potentially introduces a “space race in Asia”. This article argues that there are three defining arenas in a space race: competition for prestige or soft power, competition over military capability or hard power, and competition of international services or public goods. It analyzes the objectives, norms and logics of space policy in Japan and China, and argues that these two countries have quite different thinking over what to do in space, explaining that they are playing different games in the first two arenas. However, Japan and China are competing for leadership and influence over the region. APRSAF and APSCO, two similar regional space organizations, are the vehicles for this competition. It concludes that there is a space race only in the third arena as a competition for leadership in Asia.     

Space-based societal applications—Relevance in developing countries

Space technology has the vast potential for addressing a variety of societal problems of the developing countries, particularly in the areas of communication, education and health sectors, land and water resources management, disaster management and weather forecasting. Both remote sensing and communication technologies can be used to achieve this goal.With its primary emphasis on application of space technology, on an end-to-end basis, towards national development, the Indian Space Programme has distinguished itself as one of the most cost-effective and development-oriented space programmes in the world.Developing nations are faced with the enormous task of carrying development-oriented education to the masses at the lower strata of their societies. One important feature of these populations is their large number and the spread over vast and remote areas of these nations, making the reaching out to them a difficult task. Satellite communication (Satcom) technology offers the unique capability of simultaneously reaching out to very large numbers, spread over vast areas, including the remote corners of the country. It is a strong tool to support development education. India has been amongst the first few nations to explore and put to use the Satcom technology for education and development-oriented services to the rural masses.Most of the developing countries have inadequate infrastructure to provide proper medical care to the rural population. Availability of specialist doctors in rural areas is a major bottleneck. Use of Satcom and information technology to connect rural clinics to urban hospitals through telemedicine systems is one of the solutions; and India has embarked upon an effective satellite-based telemedicine programme.Space technology is also useful in disaster warning and management related applications. Use of satellite systems and beacons for locating the distressed units on land, sea or air is well known to us. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is already a part of the International initiative called Satellite Aided Search and Rescue System.The programme to set up satellite-based Village Resource Centres (VRCs) across India, for providing a variety of services relevant to the rural communities, is also a unique societal application of space technology. The VRCs are envisaged as single window delivery mechanism for a variety of space-based products and services, such as tele-education; telemedicine; information on natural resources for planning and development at local level; interactive advisories on agriculture, fisheries, land and water resources management, livestock management, etc.; interactive vocational training towards alternative livelihood; e-governance; weather information; etc.This paper describes the various possibilities and potentials of Satcom and Remote Sensing technologies for societal applications. The initiatives taken by Indian Space Research Organisation in this direction are highlighted.     

Administrative reform of Japanese Space Policy Structures in 2012

In Japan, there are several government ministries and agencies with important roles in the development and use of space. In 2012, Japan restructured its administrative organs related to the development and use of space through legal amendments to the original acts that established these organs. Although this was an important administrative reform that took four years of planning and discussion to accomplish, this restructuring has not been communicated well outside of Japan. This study provides the first comprehensive overview of the recent legal changes in Japanese space policy. In contrast to some reports, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) still has primary responsibility for the finances and personnel of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This continues to be true even after the Cabinet Office begins its new role as the focal point for formulating Japanese space policy. It remains to be seen how the policy direction of the Cabinet Office will interact with the operational, financial, and personnel responsibilities of MEXT. I argue that knowledge of the roles of MEXT and the Cabinet Office in space policy, and the tension between the two organizations, is key to understanding Japan's future space policy decision-making process. By tracing the history of Japanese space policy since 2001, I also suggest that if bureaucrats had thought more deeply before making major reforms to space policy and its administration, there would have been less confusion over the development of national space policy this past decade. This paper concludes by identifying some key elements to monitor in the coming years of Japan's space policy.     

俄罗斯飞行力学研究的现状与发展趋势

介绍了俄罗斯飞行力学的传统定义、分类和发展历史；总结了俄罗斯飞行力学研究的一些特点；以公开发行的飞行力学刊物为依据，分析了俄罗斯当前飞行力学研究的热点问题；对俄罗斯在该领域的发展作出了展望。     

对我校发展高职教育的思考

从去年起 ,我校开始收高职新生。这是学校为适应社会发展的需要 ,不断改变办学形式、增加学习层次 ,开拓办学渠道的措施。无疑有利于学校的生存和发展。高职教育在学校工作中的定位如何 ?怎样办好高职教育 ,是沿袭原有的普通高校的教育模式 ,采取单一的封闭式关门教育 ,还是走改革创新之路 ,办出高职教育的特色 ,同时也为我校将来的发展开拓更大的空间 ?这是摆在我校全体教育工作者面前的一个急待解决的现实问题。1　高职教育是高等教育的一个重要方面发展高职教育是经济竞争和高科技发展的需要 ,职业教育是知应社会发展的需要。适应产业结…     

Japanese space policy during the 1980s: A balance between autonomy and international cooperation

In the mid-1980s, Japan decided not only to invest in a totally domestic rocket, “H-II,” to acquire its independent access to space, but also to participate in the U.S. Space Station program to promote international space cooperation. Not until then did Japan try to achieve simultaneously both autonomy and international cooperation. This paper reexamines how Japan achieved a balance between autonomy and international cooperation in its space activities during the 1980s, from the perspective of Japan–U.S. diplomatic history. Against the background of the Japan–U.S. relations of those days, the similarities and differences between the two big space programs made it possible for Japan to decide them at the same time of the mid-1980s.     

按照科学发展观要求深化创新拓展思想政治工作

思想政治工作作为党的建设新的伟大工程的重要组成部分,是我们的优良传统和政治优势。在由计划经济向社会主义市场经济转型的过程中,任何企图削弱或取消思想政治工作的观点和做法,都是错误和有害的;然而思想政治工作如果不面对新形势新情况,完成由传统形态向现代形态的转换,也将不能发挥其应有的作用。在新形势下,做好新时期思想政治工作,认真研究新形势下思想政治工作的特点和规律,     

Artificial satellites orbits in 2:1 resonance: GPS constellation

In this work, the resonance problem in the artificial satellites motion is studied. The development of the geopotential includes the zonal harmonics J₂₀ and J₄₀ and the tesseral harmonics J₂₂ and J₄₂. Through an averaging procedure and successive Mathieu transformations, the order of dynamical system is reduced and the final system is solved by numerical integration. In the simplified dynamical model, three critical angles are studied. The half-width of the separatrix is calculated through a linearized model which describes the behavior of the dynamical system in a neighborhood of each critical angle. Through the resonance overlap criterion the possible regular and irregular motions are investigated by the time behavior of the semi-major axis, argument of perigee and eccentricity. The largest Lyapunov exponent is used as tool to verify the chaotic motion.     

太空10大未解之谜之——反物质：宇宙中的异数

在上期的“太空谜云”栏目中,刊登了王山而的《暗物质：隐形在宇宙》一文,其对太空中神秘暗物质的介绍,引起了读者的极大兴趣。其实,早在2007年9月,NASA太空网就把宇宙中的10种神秘物质或现象列为了当代科学界最关注的太空10大未解之谜,“暗物质”仅是其中之一。此后,我们还将陆续推出太空10大未解之谜中其他未解之谜,敬请关注!本期,我们推出的是：