August 2020
Scorpion – a study of the possible
... potential for the future. The space community still relies on expendable launch systems that are essentially civil missiles. Indeed, one of the most successful current launchers is Soyuz - the ‘modified missile’ that launched the...
October 2020
Essential role of satellites in disaster and pandemic management
... Charter on Space and Major Disasters. The Charter is activated by an “authorised user” – typically a representative of a national civil protection, rescue or security organisation – but to ensure timely action, the United Nations Office for Outer...
August 2020
Revisiting the Drake Equation - a cultural addendum
... unknown. But, for the sake of speculation, what if we knew the answer to how many active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations are out there in our galaxy? I’m suggesting, just for a moment, that we pretend we know the answer to N. The...
June 2018
Cosmic communications and the anthropology of outer space
... Telescope to do some of the first SETI measurements in 1960, created a thought experiment that playfully imagines how many ET civilizations there might be with whom we might communicate. It helps narrow the ‘maybes’ that SETI astronomers tangle with...
September 2017
Call for Australia to head back into space
...Department of Industry, Innovation and Science is responsible for civil space issues and is the central point of contact ... Australian space industry. Such growth implies not just additional civil capability, but also access for defence purposes to a...
March 2015
Space weather: the public & policy
... of these technologies include the power grid, civil aviation and many satellite applications. The threat posed...the loss of electric power. Expert concerns about impacts on civil aviation and GNSS occasionally got some attention but interest quickly...
