Res Communis

European Ministers in Prague prepare a roadmap towards a common vision

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From ESA:

Space exploration: European Ministers in Prague prepare a roadmap towards a common vision

14 October 2009
ESA PR 26-2009. Ministers from the 29 European Space Agency and European Union Member States will meet in Prague on 23 October for the 1st EU-ESA International Conference on Human Space Exploration, to prepare a roadmap leading to the definition of a common vision and strategic planning for space exploration.

This first step in a process that will lead to the definition of a European vision in this field stems from a Resolution adopted by the 5th Space Council (*) in September 2008. Besides Ministers and delegates from the EU, ESA and third countries, the conference will also be attended by Members of Parliament and representatives of industry and academia.

Europe has gained notable expertise in human spaceflight, starting in the 1980’s with the development of the Spacelab laboratory flown by the US Space Shuttle, and now mainly with the International Space Station (ISS) to which Europe is an essential contributor. So far, more than 30 men and women from European countries have flown into space on either US or Russian space transportation systems. Europe contributes to the ISS through the Columbus laboratory attached to its central core, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (the largest-ever automatic cargo-carrier space tug) and other elements. For the very first time, an ESA astronaut – Frank De Winne of Belgium – is in command of the ISS.

ESA has carried out the farthest landing in the solar system so far with the successful Huygens mission on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. It has expanded its robotic presence in the solar system with probes visiting several planets such as Mars (Mars Express) and Venus (Venus Express) and the Moon (Smart-1). More recently, the combined launch of Herschel and Planck marked a new step forward in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe.

The Prague Conference will be a brainstorming session at a high political level where Ministers will have an opportunity to provide initial political guidelines to ESA and the EU on the development of a policy in the field of exploration of our solar system, going back to the Moon or reaching beyond to Mars.

The Conference will take place at the Stirin Castle, 25 km south-east of Prague (www.stirin.cz). The provisional programme for the press will run as follows:

- 09:30-10:30 Opening session
- 10:30-12:30 Presentations in the press room on exploration projects by the EU and academia
- 12:30-13:00 ‘Press point’ and Q&A session with ESA Council at Ministerial Level Chair Minister Mariastella Gelmini (Italy), ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, EU Vice-President and Commissioner Günter Verheugen and Czech Minister Miroslava Kopicová.
- 14:00-14:20 Live link-up with the ISS and ESA astronaut Frank De Winne
- 14:20-17:00 Afternoon plenary session
- 17:00-17:30 Closing session

India & South Korea to Negotiate ISS Partnership

by P.J.Blount with the blog faculty

From Flight Global:

South Korea, India to begin ISS partnership talks in 2010
By Rob Coppinger

South Korea and India are set to start talks on their membership of the International Space Station programme in 2010.

The heads of the South Korean and Indian space agencies told the first plenary session of the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, South Korea on 12 October that they want to join the ISS. . . . [Full Story]

Presidential Determination on the Delegation of Certifications Under Section 1512 of Public Law 105-261 and SEC. 1512. of the STROM THURMOND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1999 CERTIFICATION OF EXPORTS OF MISSILE EQUIPMENT OR TECHNOLOGY TO CHINA

by Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz with the blog faculty

Source:  WhiteHouse.gov  and Public.Resource.org

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                                 September 29, 2009

September 29, 2009

Presidential Determination

No. 2009-31

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

SUBJECT: Presidential Determination on the Delegation of Certifications Under Section 1512 of Public Law 105-261

By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of Title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to you the functions of the President under section 1512 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 (NDAA).

In the performance of your responsibility under this memorandum, you shall consult, as appropriate, the heads of other executive departments and agencies.

You are authorized and directed to publish this determination in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

SEC. 1512. CERTIFICATION OF EXPORTS OF MISSILE EQUIPMENT OR TECHNOLOGY TO CHINA.

The President shall certify to the Congress at least 15 days in advance of any export to the People’s Republic of China of missile equipment or technology (as defined in section 74 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2797c)) that—

(1) such export is not detrimental to the United States space launch industry; and

(2) the missile equipment or technology, including any indirect technical benefit that could be derived from such export, will not measurably improve the missile or space launch capabilities of the People’s Republic of China.