Science
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF AVIATION AND AEROSPACE SYSTEMS
Kazan Daytona Beach


Space in global safety of Humanity

International Symposium

(Cyprus, Limassol, November 2-4, 2009)

V.A.Menshikov

K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics

Prevention of anthropogenic disasters and beforehand preparation to predictable natural phenomena (earthquakes, tsunamis) by monitoring of their presages and primary signs is an important activity which enables to essentially weaken their destructive effects.

The consequences of such disasters are rather severe: in 2008 alone there were over 300 natural and anthropogenic disasters with about a quarter of million victims. These cataclysms are accompanied by serious economic damage. According to the data from international organizations, the natural and anthropogenic disasters that occurred over the last 30 years caused the damage of $1.5 trillion. The problem of human safety became global.

Russia appealed to solve the problem and suggested a relevant Project of "International Global Aerospace Monitoring System" (IGMAS), which was discussed at the dedicated First International Special Symposium "Space & Global Security of Humanity" (2-4 November 2009, Limassol, Republic of Cyprus). Integration of the world space potential and participation of the largest number of countries in the Project would be the real alternative to Space as a place for military, economic and information opposition.

The first proposals on establishment of such a system with joint efforts of the international community were submitted at the International Conference "Advanced Space Technologies for the Humankind Prosperity" (Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, 2007), reported later at the international scientific Forums "Space for Humanity" (Korolyov City, Russia, 2008), "Advanced Space Systems and Application" (Shanghai, China, 2008), Mediterranean Conference on Astronautics (Tunisia, 2008), and further discussed in the framework of the Academic Day at the International Academy of Astronautics (Glasgow, Scotland, 2008). In 2009 in accordance with the agreement between K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics (TRAC) and the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), with support from a number of IAA members representing the USA, France, Germany, India, China, Tunisia, and Ukraine, the Workgroup of experts was formed in the framework of IAA responsible for studying the prospects of IGMAS establishment. Preliminary results of this work were discussed at the Cyprus Symposium, held by IAA in cooperation with TRAC and "Znanie" Association.

This wide-ranging scientific forum was supported by the U.N.O., some foreign space agencies, many national and international scientific, public and non-governmental organizations. The scientists, engineers and managers from 18 countries took part in it, including the representatives from the space branch of Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States. They are: A.N.Perminov - Head of the Russian Space Agency, T.A.Musabaev - Head of the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, A.S.Koroteev - President of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, Yu.M.Urlichich - Director General of the Russian Research Institute of Instrument Engineering, Chief Designer of GLONASS system, A.N.Kirilin - Director General of the State Scientific Production Space Center "TsKB-Progress", B.I.Poletaev - Director General and Chief Designer of "Arsenal" Design Bureau, V.G.Degtyar - Director General and Chief Designer of Academician V.P.Makeev State Rocket Center, L.A.Makridenko - Director General and Chief Designer of Russian Research Institute of Electromechanics and A.G.Iosifyan Factory, S.I.Konyukhov - Director General and Chief Designer of "Yuzhnoe" Design Bureau (Ukraine).

At the grand opening ceremony of the Symposium the participants were greeted by members of the International organizing committee: Dr. Jean Michel Contant, General Secretary of the International Academy of Astronautics; Prof. T.A. Musabayev, Head of the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Dr. O.A.Zinchenko, General Director of the National Space Agency of Ukraine; D.D.Prunariu, President of Romanian Space Agency; A.Paschalidus, Minister of industry, culture, trade and tourism of the Republic of Cyprus; S.B.Shestakov, Chief of the international cooperation  Office at the Department of new challenges and threats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia; A.N.Perminov, Head of the Federal Space Agency of Russia.

Plenary papers were reported by the managers of core Russian and foreign associations. The main goals and trends of the world community activities were announced in the area of space engineering and technology application for IGMAS Project implementation, the future system was outlined, forecast, information and telecommunication tasks that can be solved using this system were specified, and promising trends of international cooperation in these spheres were stated.

The Symposium activities fall into five areas:

-          space exploration and global problems of Humanity and the present (space activities and sustainable development; the role of promising space technologies in danger slackening and diminution of deleterious consequences of natural disasters and anthropogenic catastrophes; philosophic aspects of cosmonautics: development of "cosmism" concept and problematic of "space thinking");

-          predictable outline of IGMAS (goals, tasks, versions of structure and arrangement of IGMAS operation; concepts for the system control, aerospace monitoring data acquisition, processing and distribution; economic aspects of establishment, deployment and operation of IGMAS; staging of the IAA IGMAS Project implementation);

-          methods and means for the global aerospace monitoring of natural disasters, emergencies, anthropogenic accidents and disasters (capabilities of existing and future orbital, aviation and ground hardware together with methods and technologies for aerospace monitoring for the benefit of prediction and timely warnings about natural phenomena (earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, avalanches, mud flows, etc.) and emergencies, large-scale anthropogenic accidents and disasters; environmental monitoring of the Earth and near-Earth space; monitoring of military conflicts, regions of terrorist threats, drugs trafficking routs, and sea piracy);

-          promising technologies for acquisition and distribution of data (technologies for acquisition, computer processing and multidimensional presentation of aerospace monitoring information, including the one based on "neo-geography" concepts, in the systems of decision-making at the international, regional, state and corporate levels);

-          prospects of utilization of IGMAS information resources (knowledge distribution, development of telecommunication technologies for distant education, problems of formation of integrated educational space on the basis of advanced information and space technologies, problems of emergency medicine, etc.).

The range of submitted papers was quite broad: from development of a single strategy for space exploration on the basis of engineering and technological potential of multifunctional space monitoring systems to some individual engineering achievements in the sphere of Earth remote sensing (ERS) and methodology of dangerous natural phenomena prediction.

The problem of information and telecommunication support of users all over the world is an independent challenge. Possible application of the widest range of space technologies in IGMAS structure for radio communication support (including retransmission of remote sensing data) opens the doors to participation of radio amateurs from all the countries in development of the Project, namely in tryout of its space and ground components, complexes and systems. E.g. the predesigned deployment of autonomous constellation of small space vehicles and microsatellites equipped with special hardware for retransmission, control of ionosphere condition and some other critical geophysical parameters will demand a great scope of work on its testing and calibration. And not only the specialists of core companies will take part in this process but also the enthusiast amateur radio operators.

The Symposium participants were unanimous in their opinion that IGMAS would base on the concepts of advanced engineering and technological achievements in the Earth sensing, space, aviation and ground means of all the countries. Together with resources of the system under development, the national (China, France, India, Italy, Russia, USA, Japan) and international (GEOSS, GMES, DMC Sentinel Asia) means and programs will be involved. Even today they contribute much to development of different regions of the Earth. A real milestone will be initiation of the Project in the framework of the United Nations Organization similar to the programs like "Spider-UNO", which has been implemented since 2007 (utilization of space information for prevention and elimination of emergencies and urgent reaction), for which efficient and reliable radio communication is of primary importance.

Considering a great number of scientific and applied tasks associated with development of both the system and its components that can be solved only by joint efforts of scientists and engineers of different countries, the Symposium participants came to an unanimous decision that such a project should be supervised and promoted by the International Academy of Astronautics as an organization which had absorbed the world scientific potential in space science and engineering, first of all for the benefit of the whole Humanity. According to the decision made at the Symposium, the Academy together with the International Association "Znanie" in the course of the coming year will submit the Project of IGMAS to UNO. Prospects of its practical implementation by the world community will be discussed at the sessions of core UNO committees and subsequently submitted to the annual UNO General Assembly. To this end the corresponding appeal to the UNO will be prepared in the nearest future with the request to estimate the key aspects of IGMAS establishment and operation for the benefit of international community on the whole and implementation of the proposed projects in the framework of UNO.

The Symposium has also advised to address to the national space agencies, core international scientific and public organizations for support of IGMAS Project. For the same purpose the Project Manager's report on results of the Project promotion was offered to be included in agenda of the Academic day in Prague (26 September 2010).

The preliminary results of this work will be discussed at the joint working meeting of the public committee responsible for the IGMAS Project promotion in the framework of Cyprus Symposium and a group of international experts. The meeting is to be held in Riga (Latvia) in July 2010.

The concept of International aerospace system for global monitoring proposed by Russian scientists and supported by their foreign colleagues is supposed to fulfill complex solution of the widest range of forecasting, telecommunication and environmental tasks. It could be considered as a key concept that if implemented would be able to outline the beginning of new integrated strategy of space exploration aimed at environmentally safe and socially sustainable development of the world community, relying on the common everlasting values, at maintenance of life on the Earth.

 

Valeriy Alexandrovich Menshikov, Designer General of the Multifunctional Space System of the Union State, Deputy Director General of Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Director and Scientific Supervisor of A.A.Maximov Research Institute of Space Systems - Branch of Khrunichev Research and Production Space Center, Head of "Space Communication & Control Facilities" Department of Moscow State Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automatics; Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor; Honoured Scientist of the Russian Federation, Laureate of the Prize of the Russian Federation Government, Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, Member of Presidium of Russian Cosmonautics Federation; Vice-President of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, President of Moscow Regional Department of RACT. Author of more than 600 published scientific proceedings and monographs popularizing achievements of Soviet and Russian cosmonautics. Field of scientific interests: applied space mechanics, development and application of space engineering, for educational purposes as well



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