Potential Of Space Activity To Resolve Humankind's Common Problems And Change Our Society
- Paper number
IAC-07-E5.I.02
- Author
Ms. Tomoko Ohkubo, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Why do we humankind go to the outer space? It's trite expression, we humankind have so much curiosity and adomiration for the unknown world and we can't stand still at the already known world instinctevely.When we started to research and develop the space technology, what stired up us to the space was our genuine frontier spirit and armaments races between nations.As the space development has been advanced, various new technologies have been derived from the space technology, which may be far from space and in unexpected or accidental fields in our society.For example, it's world famous, the bar code system in the distribution system, the HACCP system in the food industy, the Tefron frying pans in our kitchen, are derived from NASA's technologies. Japan also has various technologies and intellectual propertis and I'd like to present. Space activity brings benefits to our society directly or indirectly. Space activity in which each nation invests a large amount of money from tax is not only for the reserchers nor for those who are interested in space. Space technology makes impossibility be possible and maybe always the most advanced technology on the earth, so it has potential to resolve world common ploblems and change our society. It is the innovation. But recently, circumstances for space activity have been changed. In Japan, as affected by the long recession and decreasing tax revenues, the investment for space activity from the government has been reduced. It causes serious problems, space activity in Japan are facing not only the slowdown but also the crisis of collapse of its basis. Japanese space development policy needs reshaping, and is required that the reflection of having run short of the effort to explain the Japanese nation on the benefits of space activity. How do we reshape it? Now in Japan, hot discussions on significance of space activity are developed by the goverment and the diet. It is needed to promote people understanding on benefits of space activity for the society. And more, proposers engaged in space activity must suggest the expected social benefits, worthy social systems. The times had ended that we should think only how to go to the outer space. Now is the time we should reward the nation's expectations why we go to and what to do in the outer space.
- Abstract document