Space Politics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

2025

The Secure World Foundation envisions the secure, sustainable, and peaceful uses of outer space contributing to global stability on Earth. We work with governments, industry, international organizations, and civil society to develop and promote ideas and actions for international collaborations that achieve the secure, sustainable, and peaceful uses of outer space.

2025, Contributions of Home Library, 05.07.2025

The mysterious rectangular pits on the Moon, photographed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter near the landing site of the Ranger 6 space probe, resemble terrestrial quarries. While terrestrials are only planning to mine minerals on the Moon, apparently someone has already used the lunar resources. However, the intelligence services remain silent.

2025, Revista de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica

El espacio se ha consolidado como un dominio estratégico en la guerra moderna, evolucionando desde el "momento Sputnik" en 1957 hasta convertirse en un campo de competición geopolítica. Aunque el Tratado sobre el Espacio Ultraterrestre de... more

2025, European Journal of Futures Research

The protection of the interests and rights of future generations, which are being progressively influenced by the actions of the present, has become a pressing global concern. Since 2021, the United Nations has intensified its efforts to cope with this issue, particularly through Our Common Agenda. Space has been identified as a priority within the Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, as part of this broader initiative. This study explores sustainable space governance and its potential to advance the rights of future generations and promote intergenerational justice. Key areas such as regulating space traffic, mitigating space debris, and ensuring equitable access to space resources are identified as critical for the sustainable use and governance of space for both present and future generations. The study argues that protecting future generations' rights has become a global gridlock. In the context of global politics, sustainable space governance provides a pathway to addressing complex, interconnected challenges while safeguarding these rights. Intra-and intergenerational justice is already a component of existing space governance frameworks. Nevertheless, the advancement of these frameworks necessitates the prioritization of Wendt's concept of the internationalization of the state and the contributions of epistemic communities. This study synthesizes the four essential policy goals for future generations adopted in 2023 with gridlock pathways and suggests that the adaptation of these principles to space policies is crucial to address emerging challenges and secure a just future.

2025

The landscape of international space law is undergoing unprecedented transformation as humanity enters a new era of commercial space exploration, lunar resource exploitation, and multi-planetary ambitions. This article examines the critical developments in international space law from 2023-2025, analyzing how traditional frameworks established in the 1960s are adapting to contemporary challenges. Through comprehensive analysis of the Artemis Accords, emerging national space legislation, and evolving interpretations of the Outer Space Treaty, this study reveals both the resilience and limitations of current international space governance. The article argues that while existing treaties provide foundational principles, urgent multilateral cooperation is required to address regulatory gaps in space resource utilization, commercial activities, and lunar governance before competing national frameworks create irreversible fragmentation of space law. The research demonstrates that the current moment represents a critical juncture where proactive international legal development can either establish coherent global space governance or witness the emergence of competing regulatory regimes that may undermine peaceful space exploration.

2025, academia

The research undertaken is centered on how the eared concepts and laws of space security change from the surface of the Earth to the space. Space activities have not only created technological progress but have also created deployment of space governance and security systems and advanced protection devices. The research delves into the following key aspects: The methodological framework that is used by this current space jurisdiction looks particular from the one that was operational previously. When speaking about space security, we would be remiss if we did not consider three fundamental issues: possible dispute over Earth's orbit and outer space resources, the lack of international safety regulations and principles, and the break-in of satellite damages on Earth. Variant study design differs from the straight-text way by applying mixed-way methods including surveys, literature reviews, analysis of treaties and agreements and most actual cases to be able to show the complexity of exploring outer space. Way of Landscape Perception displays a setup in which a considerable number of subjects with conflicting interests and technological toolbox are involved, Finally, the end product achieve a cooperative and an adaptive status in which all the stakeholders can achieve quick and effective solutions for their problems at the same time. Therefore, in this paper we will strive for the launch of proactive international cooperation required for making ion of the new procedures and other rules, as well as foster further developments in the sphere of technologies to guarantee the environmentally responsible use of space in future.

2025, Journal of European Public Policy

The constitutive organisations of governance systems tend to multiply and diversify over time. In parallel, a tendency toward homophily favours the creation of clusters of homogeneous organisations. Yet, few systems drift to the point of disconnection or dislocation. Several remain sufficiently cohesive to allow adaptation and other complex properties to emerge. To maintain equilibrium between order and chaos, some organisations must create bridges between otherwise homogeneous groups. This paper argues that hybrid organisations are ideally suited for this role. By their nature, hybrids share characteristics with different types of organisations in global governance, allowing them to overcome strict homophily and create bridges across clusters. Hybrids benefit from acting as brokers and in doing so, they facilitate the exchange of material and ideational resources across the governance system. Even if it is not their intention, they contribute to holding governance systems together and counterbalance the effect of homophily. We illustrate this argument by examining the space governance system and the hybrid nature, bridging activities, and brokerage role of the European Space Agency.

2025, Global Environmental Politics

The pollution of Earth’s orbits by debris represents a pressing environmental problem. Recognizing that geopolitical factors hinder the adoption of a multilateral solution, several experts advocate for a polycentric governance system, inspired by Elinor Ostrom’s work. This paper assesses the viability of such a proposal. It finds that the global network of space organizations exhibits some of the structural characteristics of a polycentric system. However, arrangements concluded among these organizations fail to promote sustainability norms and interviews with key stakeholders reveal the absence of several favorable factors for a sustainable polycentric governance system. The paper concludes that a polycentric structure alone does not guarantee the emergence of sustainable governance. As orbital space is a relatively “easy case” for applying polycentricity theory to the global commons, this research serves as a reminder about the limitations of polycentric approaches in global environmental politics.

2025, Contributions of Home Library, 30.05.2025

The Moon is a natural control strip at the borders of our living planet. Are any traces left there by scouts from the numerous exoplanets that have flown through the Solar System? Space missions offer hope.

2025

Space exploration has drastically changed the lives of human beings in the twenty-first century. Five decades ago, though it was only a dream for many individuals including scholars, scientists and many more, to actually go to space and explore its wonders, today with the advancement of the technologies and the continuous involvement of states due to their special interests in reaching the horizon, it has become possible to engage in more space activities for numerous purposes that revolves around social, political and economic interests. There is a separate legal system to govern the space activities specified and passed by the United Nations General Assembly as well as there are institutions established under the UN to assist nations in space activities. However, it is a question of fact whether these laws are sufficient to govern the evolving space activities as well as the needs of the states in today’s society and the future which is unpredictable.
Accordingly, this study focusses on the existing legal regime for military operations carried out in space in selected jurisdictions as United States of America, Russia and China and looks into whether the laws available are sufficient for the modern-day space activities, especially for the military operations carried out by the aforementioned countries.

2025, SPACE ENVIRONMENT AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Space and politics have always been inextricably linked. Space is also linked to the concepts of security, safety, and defense. In the context of security and safety, space infrastructures and services are key elements of the political and strategic dimension. This is because the main driving force of all space programs of states has been political objectives. The advent of space flight created a fundamental historical rupture between industrial modernity and the post-modernity of the information age, which was initially only vaguely perceived. The information age, in all its manifestations, has given rise for the first time in human history to a truly planetary international political system. The space age is the age of global politics. Space, the new mysterious fortress of humanity, is being parcelled out for activities such as permanent military bases on Mars or the Moon, space equipment for the mining industry, a hotel to be built in orbit, and space tourism.
Despite having infinite resources, being located at strategically important points in the field of space is important in terms of ensuring the sustainability of the studies, and developed states are preparing to settle permanently in these strategic regions. The fact that humanity first turned towards and began to exploit the potential of outer space in the second half of the twentieth century is likely to define our age for decades and centuries to come, for whatever political necessity it may have been initially motivated by, future generations will regard the exploration of
the Solar System as one of humanity’s most important achievements With the space age, humanity has achieved unprecedented power. However, it has also brought with it an unprecedented vulnerability. The ability to be aware of both at the same time is the result of an unprecedented wealth of information and alternative ways of interpretation. Satellite-mediated space exploration and exploitation, and the technological and computer revolution, have brought about a quest for power by states in this area. In this respect, space has turned into an area where states compete with each other for space and resources today and in the future, just like in the world.

2025

Frente al exponencial desarrollo de la tecnología y los avances en el posicionamiento de objetos espaciales, tanto por parte de los Estados como de empresas particulares, resulta urgente y necesario arbitrar los mecanismos jurídicos oportunos para limitar la contaminación del espacio ultraterrestre y, en particular, para conservar los cielos oscuros y silenciosos.

2025, Penn State international law review

2025

Space law, a dynamic branch of international law, regulates the exploration and use of outer space, emphasizing peaceful and responsible conduct. With advancements in space technology, new challenges such as space debris, asteroid threats, and the use of satellites for disaster management have emerged. The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) plays a pivotal role in developing international frameworks to address these issues. Through initiatives like remote sensing for disaster risk reduction and guidelines for debris mitigation, COPUOS fosters global cooperation. While legally binding treaties have slowed in recent decades, non-binding principles and guidelines remain essential tools in promoting the sustainable and secure use of outer space.

2025

This paper address the past and current efforts of the South American region in the space area. The space activities in the region date back from the beginning of 1967, since then these countries achieved a relative modest capability through their national programs and sometimes international collaboration, with the space activities in the region are led by Brazil and Argentina space programs. In an era where missions explore the solar system and beyond, this paper focus on the participation of a region that is still at the early stages of its space technology development, but has considerably to offer in terms of material, specialized personal, launch sites and energy. In summary, this work perform a historical review of the main achievements in the region, and by analyzing past and present efforts, it projects a trend for the future of space in South America. It is also put in contest current efforts to continue the region integration such as the South American Space Agency proposal.

2025

This paper explores the urgent need to strengthen international legal frameworks to prevent the militarization and weaponization of outer space. While foundational treaties such as the Outer Space Treaty (1967) set important principles for peaceful use, they lack enforceable mechanisms, clear definitions, and comprehensive coverage of emerging threats like anti-satellite weapons, cyber operations, and dual-use technologies. Drawing insights from the 2024 GGE-PAROS discussions, the paper identifies critical gaps in existing instruments, including the Rescue Agreement, the Liability Convention, and the Registration Convention, and emphasizes the need for a legally binding treaty that prohibits all forms of space-based weaponry. It advocates for the establishment of an International Space Security Organization (ISSO), stronger verification systems, and transparency and confidence-building measures (TCBMs) to ensure compliance and mitigate risk. The paper concludes that only through updated legal tools, multilateral cooperation, and proactive governance can the global community preserve outer space as a domain of peace, science, and collective security.

2025, Space Security and Defence in Nigeria: Regulatory and Policy Considerations for a New Frontier

As Nigeria ventures into space exploration with ambitious plans to launch a space satellite and send an astronaut to space, a critical examination of the country’s preparedness is warranted. These steps raise concerns with regards to the sufficiency of regulatory policies to guide such operation and more crucially, if Nigeria’s space security and defense framework is robust enough to address the complexities of such emerging frontier. This article seeks to tackle these concerns by exploring the intricacies of existing frameworks as regards space security and defence highlighting the country’s readiness to navigate the emerging threats and opportunities and suggestions on forward-thinking security postures.

2025, Enseñanza de las Ciencias de la Tierra

Se exponen algunos de los ciclos conocidos de larga duración que afectan al clima terrestre y se sugiere su interpretación a partir de consideraciones cósmicas, como podrían ser impactos de pequeños cuerpos celestes o el paso a través de... more

2025, The Conversation/Space.com

2025, Journal of the Americas - JotA

The article advocates for the transformation of the Alcântara Launch Center in Brazil into a space center with full spaceport capabilities, providing Brazil with the capability to autonomously access outer space and transport payloads.

2025, Temas Sociales

Una de las condiciones básicas para la existencia del Estado (ya sea moderno o atrasado) e' la capacidad de poner en marcha mecanismos de integración. Por ello, cada cierto tiempo, el Estado renueva tales mecanismos y ejerce permanentemente --<lice Bourdieu-una acción fonnadora de disposiciones duraderas, a través de todas las coerciones y de las disciplinas corporales y mentales que impone unifonnemente al conjunto de los agentes (Bourtlieu, 1997: 117). Bajo esta lógica deben entenderse las reformas estatales que se implementaron a panir de 1994. Si hien el Estado del 52 llevó adelante diversos mecanismos de homogeneización e integración, ellos no fueron suficientes para incorporar plenamente a otras culturas. El ctnocid;p frontal , más que integrar, potencialmente fue creando FOCOS DE RESISTENCIA Y de REBELDIA. Por ello, esta fomla de llevar adelante el proyecto de integración entró en una noloria crisis. Una vez fracasado el «Estado del 52». los liberales fueron preocupándose más y más por la'i estra(l~gias o fonnas de transplantar las instituciones lioerales a las naciones y culturas tradicionalmente excluidas. En tal sentido. el Estado no abandona su cardcl,'" integracioniSla y asimilacionista, empero, para promocionarlo. deja de lado los métodos ahierlos y frontales de ctnocidio cultural y opla por otros más simuladC'ts. «, .. En este proceso dicta reformas atrayentes para las nacicnaliúades, crea tamhién condiciones para que ellos mismos sean partícipes del proceso de destrucción úe su nación en marcha. a través de la democracia y el mercado, como valores delliberalislllo» (Patzi. 1'197: 155). A este proceso úe clnacidio cultural por medios más .simulados y úe largo plazo es a lo que vamos a llamar etnofagia estatal. Polanco. refiriéndose al tema. dice que en este proceso «como regla gcnt.:ral se inicia el abandono de los programas y las acciones explícitamente encaminados a destruir la cultura de los grupos étnicos, y se adopta un proyecto de más largo plazo que apuesta al efecto ahsorbente y asimilador de las múltiples fuerzas que pone en juego la cultura nacional dominante» (Polanco, 1991 :96) . • Docente de la Cam:ra de Sociolo~ía . UMSA. liS Instrumento Político de los Pueblos Originarios. Semi nari o: Pueblos Indigenas, Originarios y Desarrollo Sostenible. Santa Cruz, Diciembre 1996. auspiciado por Coordinadora de Solidaridad con los Pueblos Indígenas.

2025, pseudo-NATURE preprint

The Arctic is one of the most important issues in current politics. However, not all players in this region are known even to intelligence services. The basis for this thesis is the historical materials from the 15th to early 17th centuries 1. It was shown that various sources (including archaeology) indicate a hidden interest in the richest polymetallic ores in the area of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk much before the Russian colonization. Such activity of unidentified actors was accompanied by the suppression of native interest using both information-psychological operations and the mass murder of uncontrolled pilgrims in 1578-1585 using high-tech weapons. This report is a continuation of those studies. Two cases of the use of sonic weapons were identified in the 13th and 16th centuries. The traces of one such tragedy were discovered in the form of a gigantic (5x6 km) ancient cemetery located on the flat tops of the Putorana Mountains east of the "Skalisty" mine, near the city of Norilsk. The cemetery is oriented towards Mecca, highlighting the surprising mass presence of Muslims in the Arctic desert long before the start of industrial development of this region in the mid-20th century. Historical sources and Siberian folklore describe techniques that far exceeded the capabilities of both local reindeer hunters and humanity as a whole. This circumstance allows assuming the activity of masters not from this planet.

2024, Northwestern journal of international law and business

What do we want from space? We want the knowledge we can gain from scientific research; we can learn much about the Earth and its inhabitants, as well as the universe around us, by studying space. We want to explore, to satisfy the thirst for adventure and conquest imagined in countless science fiction books and films. We want to improve our collective lot down here on Earth. Space offers the potential for practically limitless wealth, some already being exploited, some we may only harness in the distant future, and undoubtedly some we cannot begin to guess. Already the wealth of space is being developed in the form of telecommunications and remote satellite observation. The private-sector investment in telecommunications satellites alone was projected to total 54.3billion(includinglaunch)between1996and20001−andthisfiguredoesn′tincludeothercommercialspaceventures,nordoesitincludeinvestmentinRussianandChinesesatellites.Afurther54.3 billion (including launch) between 1996 and 20001 -and this figure doesn't include other commercial space ventures, nor does it include investment in Russian and Chinese satellites. A further 54.3billion(includinglaunch)between1996and20001−andthisfiguredoesn′tincludeothercommercialspaceventures,nordoesitincludeinvestmentinRussianandChinesesatellites.Afurther70 billion was projected to be invested in satellite communications ground stations over the same period. 2 Research in materials science is uncovering phenomena unique to the lowand no-gravity environment of space, and the space-based processing of these new alloys, composites, ceramics and polymers may soon become an important industry. 3 The field of biotechnology is also taking advantage of zero-gravity conditions to manu-Associate, Kirkland & Ellis (New York Office).

2024, статья

Аннотация: В статье изучен процесс складывания сотрудничества между СССР и США по вопросам мирного освоения космического пространства, начиная от запуска первого искусственного спутника Земли и до начала работ по организации совместного пилотируемого полета. Автор показывает, что объединенные работы СССР и США по освоению космоса начались не в начале 1970-х гг., как это традиционно считается, а в 1962 году, после подписания соглашения между Академией наук и НАСА. Несмотря на то, что двусторонние отношения развивались неровно, пунктирно, иногда приостанавливаясь, все же ни одна из сторон за эти годы не выходила из договора в угоду политическим интересам. В статье детально рассматриваются предпосылки советскоамериканского сотрудничества по освоению космоса, его основные направления и результаты. Автор показывает, что период между соглашениями 1962 и 1972 гг. заложил основу будущей программы «Союз»-«Аполлон» (ЭПАС), выявив основные направления возможного диалога. Ключевые слова: история космонавтики; комитет по космосу; Интеркосмос, Академия наук; NASA; Драйден; Благонравов Batchenko V. S. Cooperation between the USSR and the USA on space exploration before the "Soyuz-Apollo" program Annotation: The article examines the process of developing cooperation between the USSR and the United States on the peaceful exploration of outer space, starting from the launch of the fi rst artifi cial satellite of the Earth and before the start of work on the organization of a joint manned fl ight. The author shows that the joint work of the USSR and the USA on space exploration began not in the early 1970s, as is traditionally believed, but in 1962, after the signing of an agreement between the Academy of Sciences and NASA. Despite the fact that bilateral relations have developed unevenly, dotted lines, sometimes suspended, yet none of the parties over the years has withdrawn from the treaty in favor of political interests. The article examines in detail the prerequisites of Soviet-American cooperation in space exploration, its main directions and results. The author shows that the period between the 1962 and 1972 agreements laid the foundation for the future Soyuz-Apollo program (EPAS), revealing the main directions of a possible dialogue.

2024, The Observatory, October 2024, vol. 144, pp. 252-254

Attention is drawn to the danger of dense dust clouds appearing near the Moon. Numerous reports of such phenomena are ignored when planning space flights to the Moon. This policy of ignoring dust hazards has already led to a number of... more

2024, April

"Outer Space: Rwanda and Nigeria Sign an Accord for More Responsible Exploration – Why This Matters" is an article that discusses the significance of the bilateral agreement between Rwanda and Nigeria aimed at promoting responsible and sustainable space exploration. The article highlights the importance of this accord in fostering collaboration between African nations in the rapidly growing space industry. It underscores how this partnership could set a precedent for other African countries, encouraging the development of local space policies and the establishment of a unified African stance on space exploration. Additionally, the article explores the broader implications of this agreement for global space governance, particularly in ensuring that space activities are conducted with due regard for safety, environmental protection, and the long-term sustainability of outer space.

2024, SPACE LAW 101 FOR BEGINNERS: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO SPACE LAW

Space is the new frontier and space law is relevant to ensure that
this final frontier is chartered with regulation and order to
avoid the chaos that will be detrimental to humankind. This book is
written with the understanding that the relevance and substance of
space law as a branch of public international law continues to
expand and it is imperative that members of the legal profession
come to understand it.
This treatise therefore presents a concise, engaging and pleasantly
delivered explanation of what space law is, its evolution through
the years, sources, the challenges of space law, space law
institutions, space law and private companies and the relevance of
lawyers in space affairs. This text features discussions on the five
fundamental treaties that regulate outer space activities as
orchestrated by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
(UNOOSA) and covers issues such as the militarization of space,
liability for any damage of a space object, protection of the space
environment, rescue of astronauts, registration of space objects,
human use of space resources, etc. Other issues such as the
proliferation of non-state and commercial entities as space actors,
the adoption of national laws and international soft law
mechanisms that complement the international treaty regime and
Intellectual Property Rights in space are also succinctly discussed.
This text has been substantially written to help legal minds and
other non-legal but interested persons gain the basic knowledge
about space law and the current trends and challenges in space law
and technology in recent years; it presents the narrative in a clear,
concise and easy to understand manner and is accordingly highly
and enthusiastically recommended to learned members of the Bar
and all members of the public.

2024

Future interplanetary crewmembers will be micro-societies like autonomous and auto-organized systems far from the Earth. They will have to live and work together in small habitat units as it is simulated at Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, USA. Missions become longer and the multi-national heterogeneity of the crews becomes new characteristics to emphasize. The purpose of this study is to combine ethological and anthropological methods for quantitative and qualitative descriptions of the crew’s non-verbal and verbal behavior during a 15-day period, characterized by a multicultural background (French, Danish, Australian and American). The results show global high occurrences of visual interactions compared to both facial, body and object interactions. Differences of language skill have an impact on communication abilities. Subjects using no-native languages compensate with interaction abilities. With the evolving of common working and living habits, some will actively int...

2024

En este documento, presentamos la unidad didáctica desarrollada por el grupo 5 de la quinta cohorte de la maestría en Educación Matemática de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad de los Andes. El tema de la unidad didáctica es la elipse horizontal con centro en el origen del plano cartesiano. Implementamos la unidad didáctica en el grado décimo de educación media técnica de la Institución Educativa Rural Departamental Limoncitos. Este grado está conformado por 14 estudiantes en edades de 14 y 15 años. La institución se encuentra ubicada en el municipio de Pacho en el departamento de Cundinamarca y atiende estudiantes campesinos de estratos socioeconómicos 1 y 2, pertenecientes a familias reconstruidas. La mayoría de los estudiantes tiene un nivel académico bajo debido a que, por su entorno, no consideran el estudio como una oportunidad de vida. Para ellos, es costumbre recibir clases de forma tradicional. En esta población, identificamos dificultades para interpretar y traduci...

2024

2024, Journal of Advanced Military Studies

Traditionally, discussions of governance beyond Earth have largely been held to the purview of debates about space law and global governance regimes. Yet, the priority of space exploration among ambitious, tech-industry associated billionaires and its continued potential for militarization suggest that a more dynamic approach may be needed, given that state-sponsorship of extraterrestrial colonial projects may be more akin to partnerships between private and public actors rather than nation-states assuming traditional roles as sole sources of decision-making. Permanent settlements in space will require forms of localized government that may look distinct from contemporary models of political order. This article thus asks a provocative question associated with the empirical record of human colonization and settlement in prior eras: What sort of authoritarian governance is most likely to form in human space settlements during the medium term? Reviewing variations on political order in small-scale colonial settlements in light of recent conceptual work on authoritarian rule, the article identifies three theoretical models of governance that may emerge once beyond Earth settlements become permanent fixtures of human society.

2024, Revista de Ciencia, Tecnología y Política

Resumen: El presente trabajo se propone caracterizar la tecnología espacial de Argentina desde una perspectiva sistémica a través de sus diversos desarrollos en cohetería y satélites, desde 1960 hasta la actualidad. Para ello se subdivide el período analizado en tres etapas tomando en cuenta los aspectos políticos e institucionales de cada una y las experimentaciones y desarrollos llevados a cabo durante las mismas. Asimismo, se utilizan diversas figuras de mérito para caracterizar algunos aspectos de los desarrollos en cada etapa.

2024, Review of International Political Economy

The global space industry is booming. While governmental agencies used to dominate outer space activities, private space organizations (PSOs) now launch rockets, operate strategic satellites, and even take tourists on space expeditions. How can we explain this emergence of PSOs? Building on organizational ecology theory and drawing on a novel dataset of 1,751 space organizations and 52 semi-structured interviews, this paper finds that mutualistic relations between governmental space agencies and PSOs have been instrumental in the rise of PSOs. This emphasis on mutualism challenges the prevailing belief that a few visionary private entrepreneurs create the space industry from the ground up. It also refutes the notion that PSOs simply out-compete a stagnant public sector. PSOs have not superseded governmental space agencies; they are nurtured by and develop with them. This paper is one of the first to explain how private actors can emerge in a field historically dominated by governmental actors. In doing so, it contributes to studies on public-private interactions by showing how mutualism can structure a nascent industry. It also opens up new avenues for research on the political economy of outer space by making available a rich dataset of space actors.

2024

The introduction of the field of astrosociology in 2004 by author Pass focuses on the study of astrosocial phenomena (that is, social, cultural, and behavioral patterns related to outer space). As such, astrosociology exists as a multidisciplinary field to fill a vacuum that covers several space-related subfields from social and behavioral science as well as humanities perspectives, including many issues related to global space governance. For this reason, this paper centres on four specific related areas focusing on the divergent interests and social inequality among nations that involve dominant and subordinate voices in global space policymaking, and the enactment and enforcement of global legal regimes/international law: (1) The impact of cooperation and conflict among nations on global space governance. (2) The participation of developing nations and their prevention from participating. (3) Settling differences between developing and developed nations. (4) The roles of pre-spac...

2024, Mirando hacía las estrellas: una constante necesidad humana [Segunda edición]

General Rafael Reyes Prieto, reconocido y categorizado en (A1) por COLCIENCIAS, con el código COL0104976; así como del proyecto de investigación

2024, Acta Astronautica

Land-based extreme environments (e.g. polar expeditions, Antarctic research stations, confinement chambers) have often been used as analog settings for spaceflight. These settings share similarities with the conditions experienced during space missions, including confinement, isolation and limited possibilities for evacuation. To determine the utility of analog settings for understanding human spaceflight, researchers have examined the extent to which the individual characteristics (e.g., personality) of people operating in extreme environments can be generalized across contexts (Sandal, 2000) [1]. Building on previous work, and utilising new and preexisting data, the present study examined the extent to which personal value motives could be generalized across extreme environments. Four populations were assessed; mountaineers (N =59), military personnel (N = 25), Antarctic over-winterers (N = 21) and Mars simulation participants (N = 12). All participants completed the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ; Schwartz; 2) capturing information on 10 personal values. Rank scores suggest that all groups identified Self-direction, Stimulation, Universalism and Benevolence as important values and acknowledged Power and Tradition as being low priorities. Results from difference testing suggest the extreme environment groups were most comparable on Self-direction, Stimulation, Benevolence, Tradition and Security. There were significant between-group differences on five of the ten values. Overall, findings pinpointed specific values that may be important for functioning in challenging environments. However, the differences that emerged on certain values highlight the importance of considering the specific population when comparing results across extreme settings. We recommend that further research examine the impact of personal value motives on indicators of adjustment, group working, and performance. Information from such studies could then be used to aid selection and training processes for personnel operating in extreme settings, and in space.

2024, OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)

A new reactor concept which has the potential of enabling extremely energetic and ambitious space propulsion missions is described. Fission fragments are directly utilized as the propellant by guiding them out of a very low density core using magnetic fields. The very high fission fragment exhaust velocities yield specific impulses of approximately a million seconds while maintaining respectable thrust levels. Specific impulses of this magnitude allow acceleration of significant payload masses to several percent of the velocity of light and enable a variety of interesting missions, e.g., payloads to the nearest star. Alpha Centauri, in about a hundred years or very rapid solar system transport. The parameters reported in this paper are based on a very preliminary analysis. Considerable trade-off studies will be required to find the optimum system. We hope the optimum system proves to be as attractive as our preliminary analysis indicates, although we must admit that our limited effort is insufficient to guarantee any specific level of performance.

2024, Psychologica

Research in human spaceflight has extensively documented how microgravity environments, such as spaceflight across Low Earth Orbit (LEO), affects astronauts’ and Spaceflight Participants’ emotions. However, a more refined understanding of this topic will become especially relevant as national and international space agencies increase the duration of manned space missions, and as the private sector fully enters the aerospace arena. In this paper, we analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the four main types of interventions for dealing with the stressors associated with human spaceflight (i.e., ergonomic, physiological, psychological, and psychosocial), and then elaborate on a psychosocial intervention grounded on evidence-based interventions across several fields of psychological research. Among the components of such interventions, we recommend adopting advanced stress coping strategies, developing emotional and intercultural competencies and crafting a shared social identity amon...

2024, Contributions of Home Library, 23.04.2024

The paradoxical increase in the accident rate of lunar missions, despite technological progress, is a sign of an unaccounted factor. Such a factor could be a cislunar dust cloud discovered in situ by space missions. It is shown that the scattering of light by this cloud was also observed from Earth in the 18th-20th centuries. These facts mean episodes of increased dust concentrations that threaten the safety of flights to the Moon. However, discussions about this threat are taboo in space media and even in scientific publications. This illogical behavior indicates that space agencies are not so much interested in space exploration as in the taxpayer money.

2024, Ciencia y Poder Aéreo

El objetivo general de ésta investigación es el seleccionamiento de un sistema de separación de etapas que use como actuadores dispositivos no explosivos en el evento de liberación para un cohete multietapa, esto con el fin de disminuir tanto riesgos como fallas durante la misión y también en el manejo y ensamble de éstos sistemas en tierra, por otro lado, la investigación busca contribuir con el desarrollo de la industria aeroespacial en el país ayudando al aumento de la escasa documentación disponible en éstas tecnologías para una futura implementación de estos sistemas en Colombia que permitirán el uso del espacio ultraterrestre, llevando cargas a diferentes órbitas desde el territorio colombiano. La metodología desarrollada se dividió en varias partes que permitieron la revisión de la literatura en éste tema, la redacción de los requisitos que debe cumplir el sistema y por medio de una matriz de tamizaje de tres sistemas previamente elegidos se logró la selección de un sistema q...

2024

2024, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ... Annual Meeting

2024, Acta Astronautica

Coping is a dynamic physiological and psychological process in response to perceived environmental stress that functions to restore physiological homeostasis and reduce negative affect [1]. Thematic content analysis was employed for references to 13 well-established coping strategies in interviews with 20 retired long-duration male cosmonauts. As in previous research with other space samples [2,3] the retired cosmonauts mentioned Problem-Oriented strategies more frequently than Emotion-Oriented ones. In the present sample, Seeking Social Support, Planful Problem Solving and Endurance/Obedience/Effort were the top three most mentioned coping strategies. Cosmonauts who had spent more than a year in space, compared to those who had spent less than a year, mentioned using Planful Problem Solving more as they recalled their career and retirement. Examining changes over time, spaceflight had a positive effect on Accepting Responsibility. Endurance/Obedience/Effort steadily decreased over time, while we found an inverted-U pattern for Distancing and Self-Control. Additional results in relation to other astronaut samples and the relationship between coping and post-flight growth are discussed.

2024

The primary aim of this thesis is the exploration of the term “heterotopia” coined by Foucault, in an urban design framework. With this aim, this thesis will trace the spatial urban usage and will demonstrate by exemplifications; how an open ended concept can be applied in an urban space, albeit there are no strict definitions, descriptions and directions in the related literature about how heterotopic thoughts can actually be injected to an urban space. In postmodern urban life, many different cases can be considered as heterotopias by means of urban space usage, like political settlement e.g. Freetown Christiania–Copenhagen/Denmark or physical allocation for settlement e.g. mega events like Olympic Games, world cups, Formula-1, carnivals, festivals or EXPO’s and social and political collective movements regarding city rights and urban transformations e.g. V for Vinegar protests in Brazil and Gezi Park protests in Turkey in 2013. This thesis will also seek to answer the questions o...