Briefing on meetings at & reports by the 65th & 66th United Nations General Assembly

Briefing on meetings at & reports by the 65th & 66th United Nations General AssemblyNo relevant differences are observed or identified after perusal of the space-related resolutions and documents issued by the UN System between 2010 and 2011. The most remarkable statements remain virtually unchanged in this time period. For instance, the UN GA recognizes the common interest of all mankind in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and reaffirms that these shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, irrespective of their degree of development. Also, the growing use of outer space increases the need for greater transparency and better information on the part of the international community. Again in 2011, the UN GA stated that it is deeply convinced of the important role that science and technology play in promoting sustained economic growth and sustainable development and that their use and applications in areas such as telemedicine, tele-education, disaster management, environmental protection and other EO applications, contribute to achieve the objectives in various aspects of economic, social and cultural development and welfare, particularly poverty eradication and mitigation of the consequences of disasters. It is necessary to continue to examine how space science and technology and their applications could contribute to achieve the UN MDG, since space tools are indispensable not only in areas linked to disasters, but also in climate change, food security, opportunities for education and global health. In 2011, 12 April was declared as the International Day of Human Space Flight to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes. We congratulate SGAC people working on the project YGNSS as their contribution [8] to the 2011 HLS AMR of the UN ECOSOC was accepted for distribution to all participants of the HLS in Geneva, July 2011. In this a written statement, the YNSS team informed the HLS AMR that SGAC “is focused on cultivating the next generation of space leaders and increasing awareness of the educational and societal benefits of space technology” and that “Within SGAC, the project YGNSS aims to present to youth the benefits of GNSS and how various such systems applications are able to benefit a nation’s economy and society”. Also, it is mentioned that “YGNSS has supported the educational outreach of GNSS applications”, that YGNSS has spread “the word that GNSS can be used for precision timing, agricultural and disaster management, and a wide variety of items that need accurate positioning, navigation, and timing”, that YGNSS has recommended “that the international community continue to foster the education of GNSS and the utilities of space technology”. Finally, the written statement informs that SGAC “is committed to providing a network for university students and young professionals in the international space sector to collaborate and contribute their international knowledge and skills to foster development”. As per the report from the IAF GEOSS Workshop, Space Sensors for Climate Monitoring [9], it is worth noting that satellite data are required to effectively monitor, characterize and predict changes in the Earth system, and particularly in the climate. Earth Observation (EO) satellites are essential as they provide the only realistic means to obtain the necessary global coverage. With well-calibrated measurements, e.g. using in situ data, space-based sensors will become a critical contribution to global observations for climate.Preprin

Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects: Definition and Determination of Damages After the Cosmos 954 Incident

This Note examines the conflicting provisions of the Liability Convention in the context of the Cosmos 954 incident to determine whether the damages that Canada claimed would be recoverable under the Convention. The analysis will illustrate the need for change in the Liability Convention\u27s definition of the measure of damages. Finally, this Note presents a proposal that would render the provisions more consistent with the spirit and the purpose of the Liability Convention

A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options

Absent an agreed international legal framework, attempts by the United States or any other nation or private entity to acquire and bring to Earth significant quantities of He-3 could give rise to controversy and conflict. Consequently, it seems timely to revisit the issue of the legal regime potentially applicable to exploiting He-3 and other lunar resources. Part I of this Article will briefly discuss the technical and economic prospects for the develop of He-3-based fusion energy. Part II lays out the present legal situation concerning the exploitation of lunar resources such as He-3. Part III analyzes whether it is prudent for the United States to seek an international lunar resource regime. Concluding that it would be, Part IV provides possible policy options for the United States concerning the establishment of an international legal regime capable of facilitating the development of He-3-based fusion energy

The Orbital Space Environment and Space Situational Awareness Domain Ontology – Towards an International Information System for Space Data

The orbital space environment is home to natural and artificial satellites, debris, and space weather phenomena. As the population of orbital objects grows so do the potential hazards to astronauts, space infrastructure and spaceflight capability. Orbital debris, in particular, is a universal concern. This and other hazards can be minimized by improving global space situational awareness (SSA). By sharing more data and increasing observational coverage of the space environment we stand to achieve that goal, thereby making spaceflight safer and expanding our knowledge of near-Earth space. To facilitate data-sharing interoperability among distinct orbital debris and space object catalogs, and SSA information systems, I proposed ontology in (Rovetto, 2015) and (Rovetto and Kelso, 2016). I continue this effort toward formal representations and models of the overall domain that may serve to improve peaceful SSA and increase our scientific knowledge. This paper explains the project concept introduced in those publications, summarizing efforts to date as well as the research field of ontology development and engineering. I describe concepts for an ontological framework for the orbital space environment, near-Earth space environment and SSA domain. An ontological framework is conceived as a part of a potential international information system. The purpose of such a system is to consolidate, analyze and reason over various sources and types of orbital and SSA data toward the mutually beneficial goals of safer space navigation and scientific research. Recent internationals findings on the limitations of orbital data, in addition to existing publications on collaborative SSA, demonstrate both the overlap with this project and the need for data-sharing and integration