Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday called for a global space summit in an internationally televised two way, point-to-point video appearance with the orbiting cosmonauts and astronauts aboard the international space station on Cosmonauts Day 2010.
The Russian president's call for global space summit comes at a time when American President Barrack Obama meets with 200 US leaders of space technology and policy at the Kennedy Space Center this week as to the future of human spaceflight and the aspiration of the nation to move from low-earth-orbit to placing humans in deep space outside of Earth orbit.
"No country can develop space alone, we need to combine our efforts and we need to talk about it more often," Medvedev stated. "So maybe we could have some sort of international meeting, maybe at the heads of governments level. Because we talk about various issues, such as tackling all kinds of challenges, dangers and hazards that humanity is facing these days, various disarmament programs, etc., but there is a very important and positive factor that unites us all. So maybe it would be good to have a summit, maybe at the heads of governments level, for the countries that are working in space. So see, I have a very good idea on this holiday. What do you think?"
"Space is our highest priority, regardless of how hard the economic situation is in the country. Space will always remain our priority. This is not just somebody's interpretation, it's our official state position. I am here in my presidential office and when addressing you, I can confirm again the significance of space for the government," Medvedev said in a call to the crew of the International Space Station on the 49th anniversary of the launch of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who became the first human to fly into outer space in 1961.
Russian space officials have recently indicated plans for a new nuclear propulsion systems and many other space system improvements in declaring 2011 The Year of the Cosmonaut in the coming 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight.
Whether or not President Obama would enter into an international space summit is yet to be seen. Chinese space diplomats would be required to be involved in any global confab as only the third nation to place humans in orbit. Never has there been a global space summit by heads of state resulting in a significant diplomatic communique - perhaps the time is coming. But any development taken to head-of-state level would require extensive preparation and pre-summit negotiation on the course of the agenda.
Diplomats of China and Russia have previously requested the United States to enter into a treaty to ban space weapons to which America has demurred. Yet the possibility of an expansion of the International Space Station to include both India and China participation is growing more ripe on US domestic policy decision agenda. Chinese human spaceflight is maturing with orbital three member space crews even conducting a spacewalk. China will also launch a space mini-lab next year. Meanwhile, India plans human spaceflights beginning in 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment