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From the Executive DirectorFrom the United Nations' Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
February 16 , 2007 This week I'm in Vienna, attending the Science and Technical Subcommittee Meeting of the United Nations' Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) to present The Planetary Society's proposal to establish an International Lunar Decade (ILD). Representatives of approximately 60 nations, plus about 10 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), are here. The Planetary Society is one of those NGOs, having been a consultative organization to COPUOS for some 20 years. Since one of the goals of the ILD is to encourage space science studies in developing countries as well as cooperation among space-faring countries, the UN's endorsement and support would be extremely valuable. We are also pursuing endorsements by international scientific organizations and space agencies. I'm impressed by the broad discussion of space benefits in very practical terms, quite apart from the intellectual and inspirational benefits of exploration. Most of the discussions deal with the crucial subject of observing Earth from space. Land use, water management, weather and climate, disaster, and humanitarian aid all benefit from space technology. Understanding Earth as a planet has long been a goal of The Planetary Society, and it has become more important as we comprehend the significance of global climate change. We've seen the results of global climate change on other worlds -- notably frozen Mars and scorching Venus -- and the perspective from space is unique and crucial. The "fallout" from the recent Chinese anti-satellite test also got attention at this meeting. The destruction of their own satellite seems to establish China as a major space player, as much as did their first human spaceflight. Human spaceflight, even when conducted by the military, hasn't much of a military purpose. But an anti-satellite capability has only a military purpose. Is it China's goal to build a large space weapons capability? Or is China making the case that the U.S. should support a ban of weapons in space? Many are debating this, and one suspects that the debate is going on in China as well. At the COPUOS subcommittee meeting, Russia spoke in favor of a treaty to ban weapons in space. The U.S. has generally opposed such a treaty, placing more emphasis on its unfettered access to space and right to protect its assets. There is also more literal fallout about the nearly 1,000 pieces of space debris from the destroyed Chinese satellite. There is some speculation that those in China responsible for the test did not anticipate such a large amount of space debris. One unintended result might be more attention to the danger from space debris to working satellites. (Space debris is also relevant as a military threat, since the accidental destruction of a satellite could be misinterpreted as a purposeful hostile action). The U.S. recently responded to the Chinese anti-satellite test by saying it would dampen efforts for civil space cooperation. Since the U.S. and China hardly cooperate anyway, it is not clear how worrisome that might be to the Chinese. But U.S. support for space cooperation spans the interests of both hawks and doves, each encouraging a window in understanding other nations. Another space "debris" subject is the danger from near-Earth objects. The Association of Space Explorers (ASE) has been leading a drive for a U.N. treaty to deal with the threat to Earth from near-Earth objects. This was also an agenda item at the COPUOS meeting. The Planetary Society supports this effort and is cooperating with the ASE.-- Louis Friedman Comments? We welcome your opinions on this subject. Send us email! |
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