Two decades into the Cold War, President Lyndon Johnson declared: “All that we have accomplished in space, all that we may accomplish in days and years to come, we stand ready to share for the benefit of all mankind.” The global community has, since the days of Sputnik and the Apollo program, witnessed an evolution in the way that nations approach space. What was initially considered a forum for the demonstration of national power has become a new frontier to be conquered not by force but through friendly cooperation. Yet as we enter the 21st century, politicians and scientists still wonder about the place of space in international politics: Will space function as a common ground for research, or will it once more become a battlefield for the collision of national interests?

Of Plowshares…
Many nations have collaborated to develop peaceful space technology. One of the most visible examples of such cooperation is the International Space Station, which, according to NASA, is the “largest international scientific and technological endeavor ever undertaken.” The ISS draws financial, human, and technological resources from the United States, Russia, Europe, and several other states.

As countries have shown interest in traveling to the Moon and to Mars, the ISS has come to function as a natural platform from which to develop the necessary technology to achieve these goals. Patrick Coronado, a senior engineer at NASA and manager of one of its Goddard laboratories, told the HPR, “With the installation of the European and Japanese modules, the ISS has become a more viable tool for scientific studies.”

Although the ISS was originally intended to study the effects of space on the human body, its new capabilities will allow scientists to conduct research in fields such as telecommunications and alternative industrial materials. “Collaboration with them is ongoing. We are seeking to increase this with the Europeans, the Russians, and the Japanese, especially in sharing knowledge on boosters, infrastructure and instrumental technologies,” said Coronado.

…And Swords
Over the last few years, however, states have also developed new military space technologies, alarming those concerned about the militarization of space. In the latest example, in early 2007, China managed to successfully destroy an orbiting satellite, the first such test in twenty years. A coalition of nations, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, voiced concerns over the Chinese government’s intentions behind the test for both environmental and military reasons. In what the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space labeled as the “worst fragmentation event in space history,” several thousand debris objects were released, posing a danger to the ISS’s defensive shield and other orbiting satellites. Militarily, the test sparked concerns that other countries would follow suit with similar technologies.

Such fears were confirmed last February when the United States used a missile to destroy an aging spy satellite. Although the decision was announced well in advance, members of the international community, and especially China and Russia, expressed the same military concerns that America had expressed in the Chinese test the year before. The lack of meaningful standards for such activity remains a jarring loophole in international legislation.

A Collective Corollary
When interviewed by the HPR on the potential misuse of new military technologies in space, Dimitar Sasselov, a professor of astronomy at Harvard and director of its Origins of Life Initiative, said: “People think about this, and there is a good, earnest effort to do as much as we can. History shows that as long as you try to [make] a conscious effort to be careful you always know when that threshold is crossed and it’s not a good idea to do it.” The international community is certainly aware of the destructive potential that military space technology holds. After the recent Chinese and American tests, many states are wary of the further militarization of space.

Through the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs, coalitions of nations have sought new ways to increase peaceful cooperation in space. Collaboration and transparency remain cornerstones of international policy on this issue. As Coronado put it: “If we listen, share, understand, and cooperate with our international partners, we will mitigate a tendency towards seclusion, possession, and aggression.”]]>http://hprsite.squarespace.com/politics-in-the-new-042008/rss-comments-entry-1800474.xml