Space Benefits For Humanity In The Twenty First Century

These twelve background papers have been prepared as part of the preparatory work for UNISPACE III. They look at: the earth and its environment in space; disaster prediction; the management of earth resources; satellite navigation and location systems; space communications and applications; basic space science; commercial aspects of space exploration; information systems for research and applications; small satellite missions; education and training in space science and technology; economic and social benefits of space activities; the promotion of international co-operation.

Though more than forty years old, the space age has just begun, and questions about its future abound. What will replace the Space Shuttle? Will the International Space Station justify its $100 billion potential cost? Are asteroids real threats to Earth or just the subject of science fiction movies? Will humans land on Mars? Will the search for extraterrestrial life be rewarded? In Space Policy in the Twenty-First Century, W. Henry Lambright brings together ten top-ranking observers of United States space exploration to address these and other issues relating to the future of the space program. While the U.S. no longer competes with the Soviets for technological "firsts," they argue, ideology and national image remain at the core of space policy, with other factors playing subordinate roles. Reminding readers of the historical highlights, the authors pose searching questions about the priorities and applications of space science, manned vs. unmanned flights, and commercial access to the space enterprise. Contributors include: Christopher F. Chyba, SETI Institute and Stanford University; Ronald J. Deibert, University of Toronto; Daniel H. Deudney, the Johns Hopkins University; W. Henry Lambright, Syracuse University; Roger D. Launius, NASA; Karl A. Leib, Syracuse University; John M. Logsdon, George Washington University; Howard E. McCurdy, American University; Scott N. Pace, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Debora L. VanNijnatten, Wilfrid Laurier University.

The Third United Nations Conference on the Exploitation and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) was held from 19 to 30 July 1999 in Vienna. The UNISPACE III report is an action plan to harness the power of outer space activities for the benefit of all humankind in the twenty-first century. It calls for specific actions , and describes issues and concerns related to eight main themes: protecting the Earth's environment, global communications, the Global Positioning System (GPS), education and training opportunities for youth, spin-offs and commercial benefits, the promotion of international cooperation, information needs and the global approach, and furthering knowledge and building capacity.

The 'Cologne Commentary on Space Law' is a three-volume annotation on the written norms of space law as enunciated through the Treaties of the United Nations and its General Assembly Resolutions. Volume I focuses on the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, popularly known as the ?Outer Space Treaty?. A broad international authorship of twenty experts addresses the historical overview and provides a provision by-provision interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty. This Volume also includes insights into the subsequent State practice, present-day applicability and future perspectives of the Treaty. The other four UN Treaties, the 1968 Rescue Agreement, the 1972 Liability Convention, the 1975 Registration Convention and the 1979 Moon Agreement, are addressed in Volume II, which was published in 2013. Volume III (published in 2015) delves into the eight most relevant United Nations General Assembly Resolutions/Principles on space activities. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, Volume I of the 'Cologne Commentary on Space Law' has been translated into Russian.

This volume develops a set of provocative themes: globalization is not new; it is neither legally inevitable nor irreversible; and international legal systems and institutions can assert only a special and limited influence on globalizing developments.

These 150 color posters represent some of the UN's projects and aims in the later half of the 20th century. They depict the call for disarmament, the demand for human rights, the plight of refugees, and other humanitarian aims. The collection includes posters adapted from works by well-known artists

The past quarter century of space science has been extraordinarily productive. The United States has held the lead in space science during most of these years, exploring new worlds, discovering new phenomena in space, and providing new ways to observe and predict changes in the global environment. The national space science program has amply fulfilled the objective of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 to extend "human knowledge of the Earth and of phenomena in the atmosphere and in space." Moreover, it has contributed substantially to other objectives set forth in the act, including the development of space technology, the preservation of U.S. leadership in space, and the fostering of international cooperation. National investment in space science has produced a treasure of trained people and facilities that can continue to be productive far into the future. It is a perishable treasure, however, and is eroding rapidly with the present lack of scientific missions and the aging of academic facilities. For the past 30 years, scientific investigation has been neither the only objective of the space program of the United States, nor even the dominant one. The Apollo project and the development of the Space Transportation Systems, and more recently, of the Space Station were not primarily designed to respond to requirements set by the various disciplines of space science. Instead, establishing a human presence in space and accomplishment of large engineering projects for their own sake have driven a major part of our space program since the establishment of NASA in 1958. The steering group for this study recommends that the present ordering of priorities in the national space program be changed. The steering group proposes that, as the nation considers its future in space, the advance of science and its applications to human welfare be adopted and implemented as an objective no less central to the space program of the United States than any other, such as the capability of expanding man's presence in space.