AEROSPACE POLICY RESEARCH CENTER
The
Center for Aerospace Policy Research at George Mason University conducts a balanced
program of sponsored research, independent research, and education. Housed in
the School of Public Policy's Center for Transportation, Logistics and Operations,
the Aerospace Center draws substantially on the School's faculty in aerospace,
aviation, technology policy, governance, and international commerce. The Aerospace
Center has four senior researchers.
Contributions
to Space Exploration:
Global Objectives, Plans and Capabilities
An
AAS/AIAA Initiative, organized in conjunction with George Mason University
The
American Astronautical Society (AAS) and the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics (AIAA) in conjunction with George Mason University has carried
out a series of events to highlight global space exploration objectives, plans
and industrial capabilities and develop a single integrated data base of space
exploration activities worldwide. The events focused on the comprehensive range
of plans, encompassing Moon and Mars programs and other missions and precursor
research that contribute to space exploration overall. National space exploration
objectives, plans and industrial capabilities worldwide are being reviewed in
relation to a standard template. The template approach aided an independent assessment
of the overall space exploration endeavor and the roles of individual national
space exploration components within it. The template approach also aided in the
identification of gaps, overlaps and strategic redundancies, providing useful
input to discussions on and planning for exploration activities for the coming
decades.
This
initiative was accomplished through a public seminar, a data synthesis working
group and an invitation only follow-on workshop. It is the first activity undertaken
by AAS and AIAA under a new collaborative agreement on international activities.
Public
Seminar: November 1–2, 2006
The
public seminar was held November 1-2, 2006, at the George Mason University, Arlington
Campus, Virginia. It highlighted the full range of national exploration, objectives,
plans and industrial capabilities (including purely commercial initiatives)
Seminar
Program consisted of:
A
keynote by NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale on the important role international
cooperation will play in space exploration
Presentations
by space agencies on their national exploration objectives, plans and industrial
capabilities. Speakers provided a template so that all presentations could be
made in the same manner, thus allowing an "apples-to-apples" comparison.
Panels
on commercial interests in space exploration Transportation and Infrastructure)
A
NASA presentation on status of the Global Space Exploration Strategy
Panel
on Congressional Prespectives on Space Exploration
Additional
Seminar details and copies of the presentations can be found on the AAS web site
at http://www.astronautical.org/
Synthesis Group
A small synthesis group
worked during November and and December 2006 and early January 2007, using the
data obtained from the Seminar, and additional information obtained by 'data mining'
on the World Wide Web, developed an initial draft of an integrated space exploration
database.
Invitation
Only Workshop: January 30 – February 1, 2007
Workshop
participants including many seminar speakers or their representatives from government
and industry, along with other invited experts reviewed and discussed the approach
used in developing the data base (Proof of Concept) in terms of its utility, both
to government agencies and the commercial sector, within the overall context of
global space exploration. The potential evolution of the database was also discussed
and a number of improvements were suggested. The role such a database could play
in the development of what was, at the time, referred to as "The Global Reference
Architecture" was also considered.
Written
Report; Promotion of Outcome
Workshop
results have been presented in a number of fora including the International Space
University's 11th International Symposium (February 2007) and the AAS's 45th Goddard
Symposium (March 2007). A paper has also been accepted for the upcoming International
Astronautical Congress in October this year. Complete results of the Workshop,
and a copy of the draft database, can be found in the Workshop
Report.
