UN COPUOS Interaction: Questions and Comments for the Members of COPUOS
As part of the 2008 UN COPUOS Meetings, SGAC would like to invite you all to submit any questions or comments that you might have for Members of the UN Subcommittees. As they gather to discuss how the international community will face the obstacles of space exploration, you can voice your opinions or ask for clarity on any space topic by posting below. During the meetings, SGAC will present these queries to the Members. We will then post responses onto the message board as soon as they are available.
The first meeting this year will be the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee on Feb. 11-22. Please submit your posts as soon as possible!
For more information on the UN Subcommittees, please go to: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/meetings.html.
What is the subcommitee doing to create space awereness in africa especially on the topics given to the commitee to work on.Secondly we will really appreciate if some of these committe meetings are organized in africa,this will also help to create awareness.
Hi!
Thank you for your question! In order to understand better how the Committee works I recommend you read http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/copuos.html. However, to answer your question, committee itself cannot do anything anywhere as it is made up of the member states and it is in their power to so space activities and create awareness in their countries and regions. Committee can give recomendations and some resources but member states have to do the job. Thus it is up to the countries in Africa and the region itself to create awareness.
Committee meetings cannot be organised in Africa, as it always meets in the United Nations in Vienna. the venue never chages. However, the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs does often organize workshops and conferences in Africa and other parts of the world. For more info go to www.unoosa.org.
best Wishes!
I have red some of the past reports of the commitee and find it very interesting and encompasing as a a professional in the space community i am very pleased that youths are carried along,thats why I am also pleading for the youths in africa to be given a sense of belonging by if possible including basic space awaereness as an agenda in this or next years sucommitee meeting.
For the topics on NEO I will also like to suggest that tracking stations should also be located in africa so that we can build capacity too.
Dear all,
please check the following list to see if your country is a Member State of COPUOS. If so please consider sending them a message or a question which we can pass on to them during COPUOS over the next 2 weeks. Feel free to write to your delegation in your native language - it would be nice if you could provide us with a translation so that the rest of us can relate to your question as well.
Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Hungary, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela & Viet Nam
Yes Alex, I think it is good for a country to become a member of COPUOS, and I have seen the list of all the countries which are the member of COPUOS so far, but I didnt see Tanzania, and I would like for it to be the member oas well. Or it is the member but it is not in the list?
Hi Catory,
In summary a member state's government has to apply through the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs. More info you can find on the ir website: www.unoosa.or.
Cheers,
Agnieszka
My comments concern the deficit in space education and awareness amoungst the youth of today.
In the UK, the number of students studying technical, scientific and engineering degrees is falling at an alarming rate, leaving a void in society as more students opt for 'softer' options such as media studies or sociology. I am led to believe that the same is true for many western countries.
The increasing perception is that these subjects are too hard, and that young people are not inspired by the scientific education that they receive and fail to see the enthusiasm or relevance for studying such subjects at a higher level. These trends will have direct repercussions on mankind's journey into space, as we will lack the brightest young specialists for the job.
How does COPUOS envisage solving this problem?
Also, how can the UK delegate encourage putting more UK astronauts into space? We have, so far, contributed a proportionately low amount of candidates, the suggestion being that the smaller countries have a much harder time making an impact on space applications than the larger superpowers like NASA or the Russian Space agency. It is exponentially more complex to organise such a multinational space organisation like the European Space Agency, and consideration must be given to ensure such organisations are not suffocated in their efforts.
I have heard via casual conversation a good example of the negative effects coming from this. Switzerland have vastly cut back on astronomy and space education courses at their universities, because it doesn't see the relevance that they could bring for their own country. This is alarming if true, and warrants preventative action.
What does the Committee suggest?
Different countries go into space for different purposes or different countries with different ideological background.U K does not believe in Manned Space Vehicle but Unmanned Space Vehicle,thats why U K has few astronauts.Remember U K is a member of European Space Agency and their still contributing their own quota annually.
Again, different countires with different capabilities e.g Canadians are very good in robotics while Japanese are very good in artificial inteligent.
Furthermore, everybody has different motive for studying a particular subjects in school.For example in Nigeria, medical students believe in automatic job than any other causes that are being thaught in Nigeria Universities because they just know that when they graduate they will get a job since they know that it is compulsary to do their housemanship from their its most likely they get retained.
I believe if the same kind of advert people place on new products can be used also in promoting space among the students.
Students should be encouraged and be told that it is not only those people that study physics,engineerings courses can work in space related organizations but also people from other discipline e.g Economis,Geography,Statistics,Library studies,History,Mass Communicationm,Psychology e.t.c
Lastly, students should be told about the contribution of their course of study to the society e.g Economics are to Manage.In essence they should be told the application of their course of their study to National Development.
I believe the Comitte and thus most of the member states are aware of this large problem with not enough outreach and educational programmes. It truly is a large problem and it is very alarming. But again, it is up to the individual states, space agencies, and NGO's to come up with ideas,w hich would facilitate the space awareness. ONOOSA itself organizes many educational and training workshops throughout the world but that simply is not enough.
I think the answer is within reach.One of the regional centres for space science and technological education is in Nigeria.These centres were founded by UNOOSA and that is where Mr.Nyeng one of the Regional Coordinator for SGC is currently working and I think the executive director of the centre in Nigeria is Mr.Nyeng boss
Mr.Nyeng should be contacted to find out from his boss on this issue and I think he should be able to help by asking his boss the processes involve to be a member.
In regards to the shooting down of US Satellite 193, how does the US distinguish this action from the recent incident where China destroyed a weather satellite?
Also, when it was first announced that US193 would re-enter orbit, US authorities said there was very little chance that it would crash near human presence. What changed that caused the US to decide to shoot the satellite down instead? Thank you.
Hello daporras,
In a quote on CNN.com, it was stated "The regret factor of not acting clearly outweighed the regret factor of acting," he said."
The article can be found at http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/20/satellite.shootdown/index.html.
While the action by the US is regrettable, the US has proven 20 years ago it can shoot down a satellite. I think if the US was doing this just to show they could do it, they would go for something in a much higher orbit to match what the Chinese did a year ago. I would not be surprised though if politics was part of the reason for the ASAT launch, but I do not think it is the only reason.
It's multiple fold... better safe than sorry on all accounts. Destroy the satellite to prevent possible human injury, prevent recovery of potentially secret technology, and be sure the U.S. has a current capability for ASAT should it be necessary.
Oh, and share the intercept data with China so they don't complain about it too loudly.
You might not like it... but it is all very rational and reasonable!
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Joined: 2007-10-29