Space education: challenges and strategies in teaching space policy to technical university students

Law and policy provide the foundation for space actors engaging in space activities. Likewise, various levels of policy and regulation apply internationally, domestically, and even institutionally to both governmental and nongovernmental entities. Consequently, teaching the policy frameworks for space regulations and best practices is essential for a comprehensive university curriculum in space education. Challenges arise, however, when instructing technical and non-policy university students in humanities-centered topics. Reading comprehension, writing ability, critical thinking, and communication skills are critical elements of policy education, yet many technically oriented students struggle with these requirements. Given these are fundamental skillsets necessary for success in both academia and a dynamic space work force, adapting traditional teaching methodologies may be required to optimize desired learning outcomes for technical student audiences. Customizable strategies exist that can combine and scale these fundamental skillsets with substantive content and materials, providing a range of teaching and learning modalities for study, assessment, and experience. This presentation will highlight potential learning approaches tried at one aeronautical university to address these challenges. For instance, overarching strategies may include commencing with a visual of the student journey (much like a user journey in an investment pitch) delineating the value-added experience for students engaging in course content, and building substantive skill-based learning components which are introduced sequentially and with increasing level of difficulty. Examples of learning methodologies include applying Bloom’s Taxonomy in assignment creation. Most importantly: 1) Knowledge: involves identifying, understanding and remembering core content (e.g. pop quizzes, reading quizzes, cumulative review quizzes, question bank assessments); 2) Analysis: involves reading comprehension, interpretation, evaluation, analysis (e.g. essays, summaries, case studies); 3) Application: involves investigation, research and designing research projects (e.g. research articles, posters, digital presentations, short videos). Scaffolding assignments and artifacts into manageable pieces throughout the semester is key to guiding students towards success and reducing potential for ‘expert blind spots.’ Lastly, an end-of-course review and self-reflection of the student journey is helpful in underlining the critical thinking process and provide a visual review of the student journey in acquiring substantive knowledge, skills, and experience throughout the ter

Reimagining Icarus: Ethics, Law and Policy Considerations for Commercial Human Spaceflight

Commercial human spaceflight presents an area for engaging novel human activity and objectives, to include space exploration, entertainment, transportation and extraterrestrial resource acquisition. The inherent dangers and lack of scientific and medical certainty involved however raise interrelated questions of ethics, bioethics, law and public policy. This is particularly the case with spaceflight participant (SFP) screening, selection, and commercial human spaceflight activities where regulations are currently silent or lacking. In the absence of established law, ethics can play an important role by informing industry standards, policies and best practices. Understanding the fundamental ethical values at stake in the application of new technologies and societal opportunities therefore is a significant step in establishing a practical, moral and sustainable framework for human expansion into space. As the frequency and reliability of private human spaceflight activities advances, spaceflight is likely to take on the legal and ethical vestiges of common carriers, with distinct passenger rights and higher standards of care attributed to the launch operator as a common carrier. This chapter raises some of the complex issues and challenges that face the private spaceflight industry and that merit collaborative discussion across disciplines and the global space transportation community going forward

Access Mars: Assessing Cave Capabilities Establishing Specific Solutions: Final Report

The human race has evolved, grown and expanded through the exploration of Earth. After initial steps on the Moon, our next challenge is to explore the solar system. Mars shows potential for both scientific discovery and future human settlement, and so is a prime candidate for the next leap of human exploration. Such a bold endeavor will be a driver for an unprecedented worldwide cooperative effort and the catalyst for a new era of international, intercultural and interdisciplinary human relations. Scientific and technological progress will also accelerate as mankind is ushered into a new era of space exploration. Currently proposed Mars missions have identified a number of challenges such as high levels of radiation, harsh climate and limited launch windows. Recently discovered lava tubes on Mars present potential solutions to some of these issues, but raise a variety of intriguing new challenges. These encompass not only technological and engineering considerations, but also legal, ethical and societal issues such as planetary protection and crew safety. This report assesses the feasibility of overcoming such challenges through the exploitation of Mars caves. This report reviews existing reference missions and identifies areas of further research essential for adapting mission architectures to utilize caves. Cave suitability is considered with respect to size, type, location and their potential to mitigate hazards. They are also assessed with respect to their potential for scientific work adhering to astrobiology guidelines and the search for extra-terrestrial life. This report compares surface and subsurface habitat options. Engineering challenges arising from the use of caves are addressed along with proposals for alternate architecture solutions. Mission analysis is conducted to determine the transit trajectory and define two possible mission scenarios with surface crews of 6 and 12 crew members. Different types of habitat are described and evaluated. An architecture for precursor missions is provided utilizing surface rovers, cargo delivery rovers and pressurized human transport vehicles. The implications of sub-surface operations on thermal control, communications and power systems are investigated with recommendations given. Crew selection, training methods and life support system solutions are also addressed. Literature suggests a low radiation environment within Martian caves, allowing for extended duration missions. The ACCESS Mars Team concludes that using lava tubes as human habitats is not merely a viable habitat solution for a Mars expedition, but also potentially more beneficial than proposed surface solutions

Family planning in conflict: results of cross-sectional baseline surveys in three African countries

Background: Despite the serious consequences of conflict for reproductive health, populations affected by conflict and its aftermath face tremendous barriers to accessing reproductive health services, due to insecurity, inadequate numbers of trained personnel and lack of supplies. Family planning is often particularly neglected. Methods: In six conflict-affected areas in Sudan, northern Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, household surveys of married or in-union women of reproductive age were conducted to determine baseline measures of family planning knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding contraception. Health facility assessments were carried out to assess baseline measures of family planning services availability. Data were double-entered into CSPro 3.2 and exported to SAS 9.2, which was used to calculate descriptive statistics. The studies' purposes were to guide program activities and to serve as a baseline against which program accomplishments could be measured. Results: Knowledge of modern contraceptive methods was low relative to other sub-Saharan African countries, and use of modern methods was under 4% in four sites; in two sites with prior family planning services it was 12% and 16.2%. From 30% to 40% of women reported they did not want a child within two years, however, and an additional 12% to 35% wanted no additional children, suggesting a clear need for family planning services. The health facilities assessment showed that at most only one-third of the facilities mandated to provide family planning had the necessary staff, equipment and supplies to do so adequately; in some areas, none of the facilities were prepared to offer such services. Conclusions: Family planning services are desired by women living in crisis situations when offered in a manner appropriate to their needs, yet services are rarely adequate to meet these needs. Refugee and internally displaced women must be included in national and donors' plans to improve family planning in Africa

Pathogenetics of alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins.

Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACDMPV) is a lethal lung developmental disorder caused by heterozygous point mutations or genomic deletion copy-number variants (CNVs) of FOXF1 or its upstream enhancer involving fetal lung-expressed long noncoding RNA genes LINC01081 and LINC01082. Using custom-designed array comparative genomic hybridization, Sanger sequencing, whole exome sequencing (WES), and bioinformatic analyses, we studied 22 new unrelated families (20 postnatal and two prenatal) with clinically diagnosed ACDMPV. We describe novel deletion CNVs at the FOXF1 locus in 13 unrelated ACDMPV patients. Together with the previously reported cases, all 31 genomic deletions in 16q24.1, pathogenic for ACDMPV, for which parental origin was determined, arose de novo with 30 of them occurring on the maternally inherited chromosome 16, strongly implicating genomic imprinting of the FOXF1 locus in human lungs. Surprisingly, we have also identified four ACDMPV families with the pathogenic variants in the FOXF1 locus that arose on paternal chromosome 16. Interestingly, a combination of the severe cardiac defects, including hypoplastic left heart, and single umbilical artery were observed only in children with deletion CNVs involving FOXF1 and its upstream enhancer. Our data demonstrate that genomic imprinting at 16q24.1 plays an important role in variable ACDMPV manifestation likely through long-range regulation of FOXF1 expression, and may be also responsible for key phenotypic features of maternal uniparental disomy 16. Moreover, in one family, WES revealed a de novo missense variant in ESRP1, potentially implicating FGF signaling in the etiology of ACDMPV

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

Space Security and Gender: Incorporating the Gender Perspective into Decision-Making Processes

Dr Sara Langston discussed the importance of including the gender perspective in decision-making processes for space activities. This included all areas, such as government and civil, peaceful and security related. She stated that values impacted the way people pursued their goals, and more role models were therefore needed in space activities. Women, in particular, offered forward thinking on numerous fronts, introducing a distinct form of problem analysis from that of men. While great minds often think alike, they also think differently. The gender perspective was about introducing a different way of thinking to long-standing debates. Ms Langston outlined four ways in which greater gender representation could help discussions on space security: i) increased interpersonal communications, ii) finding alternative ways to bridge differences of opinions, iii) creative thinking, and iv) collaborative thinking. Furthermore, she stressed the need to examine precisely how data is shared and disseminated, with particular attention being paid to who is receiving the data and who is making decisions based thereon. --From the Conference report

Legal and Ethical Considerations for Policing Nongovernmental Actors in Space

The increasing scope of private actors engaging in the use and exploration of outer space, now and in the future, is proffering a myriad of activities directed towards and conducted in outer space. These include human space transportation, space resource utilization, space tourism, space stations and prospective human settlements, as well as an influx of supporting space-based assets and platforms. Consequently, it is likely that as access to space opens and the number of multi-national/ multi-cultural space actors expands, the interests and concerns for protecting the rights, safety and security of these nongovernmental entities and their agents will become a priority. Three primary questions are raised here concerning outer space: (1) Under the current space law regime (and in light of the extreme space environment), what practical, legal and ethical mechanisms may be employed by space actors to police and protect their safety, security and interests while guarding against conflict; (2) Particularly, to what extent would such policing or protection measures be deemed ‘non-aggressive’ and in compliance with the current space legal framework; and (3) What protocols/guidelines can nongovernmental actors apply if conflict ensues between space actors. The purpose of this work is two-fold. First, this paper will address the intention and scope of public/private safety, security and law enforcement, as well as lay the foundation for the application of law and long-arm jurisdiction over private space actors off-Earth. Here we also raise pertinent ethical issues, challenges and concerns and identify where law, policy or normative frameworks are silent, inadequate or lacking for space. Secondly, this paper will address analogies and trends for nongovernmental entities (e.g. long-distance corporations historically and common carriers today) in regard to private enforcement protocols for public safety, security and managing conflict, highlighting comparisons and distinctive concerns particular to space. In conclusion, we will highlight pertinent issues for consideration in the application of safety and security practices for private entities and persons in space, as well as optimal mechanisms and recommendations looking forward

Space Law and Governance

On January 22-23 the Bermudan Department of Energy and Secure World Foundation hosted the Bermuda Space Sustainability Workshop 2020 which brought together more than 30 space experts from government, industry and academia to discuss Bermuda\u27s role and place in space and the space industry. See more here