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NASA reports space junk near the US shuttle Discovery; SSI provides integrated, reliable information on global space security status, risks, and developments.
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International Space Station as seen from the US space shuttle Discovery. Photograph: Nasa/AFP/Getty Images Nasa/AFP/Getty Images
Space junk drifts towards Discovery shuttle A big piece of space junk is drifting toward the shuttle-station complex and its 13 astronauts, though Nasa said it would not delay a spacewalk. Mission control is keeping close tabs on the piece of European rocket in case it comes too close to the linked space shuttle Discovery and international space station. The debris is expected to pass within two miles of the space station tomorrow John McCullough, chief of Nasa's flight director office, said last night. That is five miles closer than earlier projections, but McCullough said it was "looking very positive" that the shuttle and station would not have to change direction to dodge the junk. The debris' oval-shaped orbit, which stretches as far out as 20,000 miles, has made it especially difficult to monitor. Experts estimate that the piece of junk – part of a booster on a three-year-old Ariane 5 rocket used to deploy a satellite – has about 18.5 square metres of surface area. 3 Sep 2009
The Space Security Index • The first and only annual, comprehensive and integrated assessment of the status of space security • Tracks annual developments on space issues and changes in long-term trends • Provides policy-makers and legislators with accurate, objective, and up-to-date information and analysis • Supports the development of policy to ensure secure access to space for all
SSI Governance and Advisory Cesar Jaramillo, Managing Editor, Project Ploughshares Dr. Wade Huntley, Simons Centre for Disarmament and Non-proliferation Research, U. of British Columbia Dr. Ram Jakhu, Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University Dr. William Marshall, NASA-Ames Research Center/Space Generation Foundation John Siebert, Project Ploughshares Dr. Ray Williamson, Secure World Foundation Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amb. Thomas Graham Jr., Special Assistant to the President for Arms Control, Nonproliferation and Disarmament (ret.) Hon. Philip E. Coyle III, Center for Defense Information Richard DalBello, Intelsat General Corporation Theresa Hitchens, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research Dr. John Logsdon, The George Washington University (Prof. emeritus) Dr. Lucy Stojak, M.L. Stojak Consultants & International Space University
Defining Space Security The secure and sustainable use of space and freedom from space-based threats • Methodology • Research on trends and developments • Online consultation • Expert review of research
Space Security Indicators • The Space Environment • Laws, Policies, and Doctrines • Civil Space Programs and Global Utilities • Commercial Space • Space Support for Terrestrial Military Operations • Space Systems Protection • Space Systems Negation • Space-Based Strike Systems
Space Support for Military Operations • US continues to dominate military uses of space, but concerns about future capabilities • Early warning • Secure communications • China trying to achieve independence in outer space • More states seeking a variety of independent military space applications, largely through dual-use programs
Space Systems Negation: 2007 • Ground station and communication links remain vulnerable • Chinese ASAT test • Continued proliferation of dual-use negation technologies • Ballistic missile proliferation • Anti-ballistic missile systems development • Continued R&D of potential dual-use negation technologies
SSI Reach “Space is in the news more than ever. With both Iran and North Korea developing space programs, and with both the United States and China demonstrating new capabilities to shoot down satellites, international concerns for space security have never been greater. In the Space Security Index, policy makers, journalists, and technical professionals, as well as those just interested in space, have a single reliable resource for information on space security. There is no more comprehensive and up-to-date source of information on developments in space, and the threats to space security.” Hon. Philip E. Coyle Senior Advisor, Center for Defense Information Former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, US Department of Defense