Spacelab- A Critical Review

A review of the Spacelab Programme from the point of view of a potential user is provided. In this context, the promise of Spacelab prior to the start of its development is compared with it currently estimated performance. A critical assessment of the utilisation of Spacelab is also included. Typical topics discussed include services provided for users (e.g. payload capability, available power and energy, thermal control) and operational aspects (e.g. mission duration, mission costs, participation by experimenter). Although, generally, there is good agreement with the initial specification, areas for concern are identified as power available to experiments, flight duration, data storage and most importantly operational costs

Asteroid belt and jupiter flyby mission study final report

Asteroid belt and Jupiter flyby mission stud

A European Approach to the Utilisation of Spacelab

The Spacelab Utilisation Programme conceived in Europe to encourage the use of Spacelab and to provide a ready access to space for European experimenters is summarised in concept and content. Within this programme four Demonstration Missions are planned to illustrate the usefulness of Spacelab and these are briefly described. In addition, considerable work has been done in Europe on possible payloads for Science and Applications. Some examples of these are provided

European Use of Space Shuttle

Europe\u27s association with the Space Shuttle started in 1973 when the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NASA for the development in Europe with European funds of Spacelab. In addition, it was agreed that ESA would provide approximately one half of the first Spacelab payload which will be carried on the SL-1 mission in September 1983. Further usage of Spacelab is foreseen either in missions dedicated to European countries or in missions shared with NASA. Also, it is anticipated that European space projects will make use of the launch and recovery capability of the Space Shuttle when these services are considered to be cost attractive. Finally, augmentation of the Shuttle\u27s capabilities is another likely area of participation through the provision of a European-built upper stage. This paper summarises these activities both from an ESA-NASA point of view and from the outlook of bilateral (i.e. NASA-ESA Member State) co-operation

Exploring recent developments in restorative policing in England and Wales

The evolution of the policing role over the last decade has led to 33 police forces in England and Wales integrating restorative justice practices, in one form or another, into their responses to minor crime committed for the first time by both youths and adults. Most recently, this reform dynamic has been used in response to more serious offences committed by persistent offenders and expanded to include all stages of the criminal justice process. Despite the significant positive rhetoric that surrounds the adoption and use of restorative justice, there are a number of procedural and cultural challenges that pose a threat to the extent to which restorative justice may become embedded within the policing response. This article explores these developments and highlights where potential problems for implementation may arise as well as some strategies to overcome them

Structural models of genome-wide covariance identify multiple common dimensions in autism

Common genetic variation has been associated with multiple symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, our knowledge of shared genetic factor structures contributing to this highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition is limited. Here, we developed a structural equation modelling framework to directly model genome-wide covariance across core and non-core ASD phenotypes, studying autistic individuals of European descent using a case-only design. We identified three independent genetic factors most strongly linked to language/cognition, behaviour and motor development, respectively, when studying a population-representative sample (N=5,331). These analyses revealed novel associations. For example, developmental delay in acquiring personal-social skills was inversely related to language, while developmental motor delay was linked to self-injurious behaviour. We largely confirmed the three-factorial structure in independent ASD-simplex families (N=1,946), but uncovered simplex-specific genetic overlap between behaviour and language phenotypes. Thus, the common genetic architecture in ASD is multi-dimensional and contributes, in combination with ascertainment-specific patterns, to phenotypic heterogeneity

Exploring the cultural dimensions of environmental victimization

It has become increasingly clear in recent years that our understanding of ‘victimisation’ is informed by a whole range of societal and political factors which extend well beyond whatever particular form of words appears in any given directive, code or legislative instrument concerning crime, crime victims or criminal justice systems. In this paper, I will seek for the first time to apply recent developments in our understanding of so-called 'cultural victimology' to the issue of environmental harm and its impact on human and non-human animals. McCGarry and Waklate (2015) characterise cultural victimology as broadly comprising of two key aspects. These are the wider sharing and reflection of individual and collective victimisation experiences on the one hand and, on the other, the mapping of those experiences through the criminal justice process. In this discussion I will examine how environmental victimisation is viewed by and presented to society at large and will argue that such representations often fail, as a form of testimony, to adequately convey the traumas involved. Nor is this achieved through the application of present models of criminal, civil or administrative justice regimes in many jurisdictions. This lack of cultural acknowledgement of the harms vested on environmental victims, it is argued, afford us a clearer understand of the continued reticence amongst lawmakers, politicians and legal practitioners to adequately address the impacts of such victimisation through effective justice or regulatory mechanisms. This is unfortunate given that the often collective nature of environmental victimisation makes this particularly suited to a more cultural analysis and understanding. It is argued that various forms of environmental mediation processes might hold the key to this cultural reticence to accept environmental harm as a 'real' and pressing problem as compared to other criminal and civil justice concerns

Desistance from crime and restorative justice

Over the last twenty years, research on desistance from crime and on restorative justice has grown rapidly and both have emerged as exciting, vibrant, and dynamic areas of contemporary criminological interest. While the implementation of restorative justice practices in Europe has been essentially victim-oriented, there has always also been an emphasis on including the moral and social rehabilitation of the offender. This more offender-centred approach to restorative justice and its practices is not limited to the evaluation of its ability to reduce crime, but is to be seen within the connection between reparation, resettlement (reintegration into the community after sentence), and desistance from crime. This article examines, from a broad perspective, but including some preliminary data from ongoing research on victim-offender mediation in prison, the capacity of restorative justice interventions to impact positively on offenders’ likelihood of stopping committing criminal offences