- UN in Vienna discusses space solutions Credit: UN
Experts from around the globe took part early this month in the 48th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
The gathering took place in Vienna with international authorities reviewing the role of space science and space applications in improving the daily lives of people worldwide
Among topics addressed:
- Environmental monitoring
- Management of natural resources
- Early warning systems to help mitigate potential disasters
- Satellite navigation and communications
- Sustainable future use of outer space, including how to minimize the impact of space debris on future space missions to preserve the outer space environment for future generations
NEOs, use of space station on agenda
There was a rich variety of subjects tackled during the just-concluded UN session.
For example, the Subcommittee’s Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space held the first in a series of workshops on the safe use of nuclear power sources in outer space aimed at following up and re-enforcing the 2009 Safety Framework for Nuclear Power Sources Applications in Outer Space.
The Working Group on Near Earth Objects (NEOs) made progress on a new multi-year workplan for 2012-2013 to finalize draft international procedures for handling the NEO threat and raise awareness among decision makers about the global threat posed by NEOs as well as to engage international stakeholders in coordinated international efforts to mitigate such threats.
The Action Team on Public Health of COPUOS finalized its report on the “Use of space applications to improve public health”, stressing the need for better delivery of health and public health services through satellite communication applications, through which health resources and health care are provided at a distance by electronic means, and recommended work to be continued, in particular in areas of tele-epidemiology and tele-health.
Lastly, a seminar on utilization of facilities and cooperation opportunities on the International Space Station (ISS) was organized in cooperation with the ISS partners by the UN’s Office for Outer Space Affairs in the framework of the United Nations Human Space Technology Initiative – an effort that promotes international cooperation in human spaceflight and space exploration-related activities for the peaceful uses of outer space.
By LD/CSE