Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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The Uses of Outer Space
In just a few decades, outer space has become of the utmost importance for global
commercial, political and military interests. Now, a wide range of satellites systems
are involved in communication, navigation, entertainment, business and humanitar-
ian disaster relief. People around the world will be aware of, and possibly use, a
Global Positioning Satellite/System. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a
satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into
orbit by the US Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military
applications, but in the 1980s, the US government made the system available for
civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 h a
day and with no subscription fees or setup charges. By providing computer net-
works with an almost instantaneous global coverage, satellites now play important
roles in our daily lives. Their use for monitoring, communication and control sys-
tems has led to a dramatic growth in the use of space. As with most applications of
large-scale technology, there are a number of ethical issues that arise. The increased
use of satellite and high-tech systems has not only added to our scientifi c under-
standing of our environment and the means to see and experience conditions from
outside the protective atmosphere of our home planet, it has also resulted in new
possibilities for commercial and political exploitation. Satellites and sophisticated
computer systems have provided the ability to collect, store and analyse huge
amounts of information on personal, company and state business and operations,
enabling mass surveillance and personal profi ling by governments and/or by corpo-
rations either on behalf of governments or for their own use. The operations involved
may or may not be legal and may or may not require offi cial authorisation. Although
it is claimed that these processes are carried out for the benefi t of consumers or for
national security, they are also subject to criticism as they also offer new challenges
to civil and political rights and freedoms. New advances in space technology are
happening so fast that a full consideration of how to control any possible misuse can
lag far behind the possibilities opened up by new developments.
There has also been an enormous increase in the number of Earth satellites, and
thousands have been blasted into space since the fi rst was launched by the Soviet
Union in 1957. Some have crashed back into the atmosphere; others have escaped
Earth's gravity and are fl ying off into deep space. The US Space Surveillance
Network
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has tracked over 24,500 objects larger than about 10 cm in space and is
watching about 8,000 of them currently in orbit. Most of these objects are useless
space junk (which is itself a huge global problem), but the US Union of Concerned
Scientists has compiled a Satellite Database which lists over 1,000 operational sat-
ellites currently in orbit. Of these, almost half, close to 450, are operated by the
United States and over 100 have a military use. Russia appears to have less than 100
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Established to detect, track, catalogue and identify artifi cial objects orbiting Earth is the respon-
sibility of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space, part of the United States Strategic
Command (USSTRATCOM) - see them on Facebook at
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