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Home , Astronaut training, Chen Dong (astronaut), Interstellar travel, Liu Yang (astronaut)

ODUMUNC 2021 Issue Brief for the Interstellar Crisis

Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of

Kaitlyn Keith ODU Model United Nations Society

Introduction: Deep Space 2020 gravity and enter deep space, the region beyond Humanity has only skimmed the smallest our . Today Voyager One is over 14 surface of just the solar system, let alone the million miles from Earth.3 Even now the universe. With current science, including visual possibility of sending people so far seems and radio , only four percent of the fantastic. But this situation may be about to visible universe has been explored, covering the change very rapidly. visible solar system, interstellar space, and nebulas. With technological advancements and the desire to uncover one of the universe’s most questioned subjects, interstellar communication, travel, and defense has become an ever-growing subject.

The year 2020 is the fifteenth anniversary of humans in space. In the years since 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in outer space, 566 people from 41 countries have risen above the Earth’s atmosphere, and 12 have 1 travelled as far as the . None have gone in leaves the solar system further. Even on the International go no further than Low Earth Could colonizing be in the near future? Is , roughly 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the space between travelable? Are 2 the ’s surface. Only unmanned probes individual breakthroughs in the field beneficial have travelled to other . The International or harmful for society as a whole? As we Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines ‘deep struggle to go further, can space’ to start at 2 million km (1.4 million overcome the limits of traditional chemically miles) from Earth. Only in 2012 did the first propelled and the barrier of the speed of artificial probe—Voyager One, launched in light? Are the breakthroughs humanity already 1977— reach beyond the ’s immediate has achieved the limit on what is possible? Is

1 ‘List of space travelers by name’, Wikipedia, 2 ‘Higher Altitude Improves Station's Fuel n.d., Economy’, International Space Station, 14 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_trave February 20111, lers_by_name ; ‘List of Apollo astronauts’, https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/exp Wikipedia, n.d., editions/expedition26/iss_altitude.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apollo 3 ‘Voyager’, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 5 astronauts October 2020, https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/

Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

international competition going to be too ● Will the governments of UN Member difficult to sustain? States respect the GoE’s recommendations? Will they follow the This Old Dominion MUN Crisis Brief covers leadership of Secretary-General António basic technologies and issues of interstellar Guterres and the GoE communication, travel, and defense, both older and new technological advances, and how one improves the field. The universe is incomprehensibly vast, but humanity’s first Forms of Interstellar Science steps beyond the Earth’s orbit will be daring, Interstellar communication is the collection and dangerous and controversial. They may require output of signals between different planetary extraordinary degrees of political leadership and systems and stars. The field of interstellar unprecedented cooperation. The first human communication is constantly evolving and steps to other planets within our solar system, or changing; As of 2020, the technology that has even beyond our solar system will challenge been developed is functioning, making much that we take for granted on Earth. communication easier than travel. Although with

these strides, there come downfalls. With the With these problems in mind, crisis starts from time it takes to receive output data from other the assumption of a mandate from the UN planetary systems, it could be anywhere from a Security Council, in the form of resolution couple of years to a completely new generation S/RES/2849 (2020), creating the Secretary- depending on where the signal was sent. General’s Group of Experts (GoE) to help guide these steps. No one can be certain how the GoE An important system for interstellar will work. communication is the US Deep Space Network

(DSN). This system includes a series of antennas The resolution establishes the basic framework at three different locations around the world and for the GoE’s work, its mandate. This mandate forms the ground segments needed for said is general. Its powers are no stronger than the communication. These antennas can be used in a Secretary-General it serves. But unanimous singular manner, collecting, transmitting, and approval by all fifteen members of the UN exporting data that helps us understand the Security Council, including the five Permanent universe and our place in it. The antennas can Members (P5), is exceptional, and creates a vital also be grouped together to receive more precedent in international law. Specifically: specific data and travel further depending on the

desired mission location. Other forms of ● The Group of Experts makes it possible interstellar communication include radio for UN Secretary-General António frequencies, communications, Guterres to plan to organize interplanetary optical communications, and deep multinational cooperation in space to a space optical communications. All these forms degree never possible before. Will the of communication are currently functioning, but GoE be able to agree on these there is great need for growth within the field. challenges and make useful Comparable systems exist in , Europe, and recommendations for UN Member Russia. States and the International Community?

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Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

outer space, mostly these are reconnaissance . All five Permanent Member States of the UN Security Council rely on reconnaissance and navigation satellites, such as the American GPS network, and its Chinese, European and Russian equivalents. All five Permanent Member States are experimenting, with not just militarization of space (military use of space) but space weaponization (stationing weapons in space or firing weapons into space from the Earth). In 2007 China notoriously experimented with anti- weapons (ASAT), a missile that destroyed an old Chinese-owned satellite, creating a debris field that renders a large swath of unusable to this day. A Deep Space Network [DSN] antenna in Goldstone, California

The Soviet Union and the United States have led Technological Advance research and practical experience studying , since the early 1970s. Much Space and technology are intertwined. The first has been learned, especially from the Soviet US designed was able to reach the edge Space Station in the 1980s and 90s, and the of space in 1946 on the WAC Corporal Mission. International Space Station (ISS) which replaced This was rapidly followed by similar it later in the 1990s and continues to orbit the accomplishments in the Soviet Union. Earth today. Some of the problems of long- duration safe flight have been resolved, The key milestone for human space flight came especially the effects of life in a gravity-free on 12 April 1961, when the first manned flight, environment for up to a year. But much remains Vostok 1, carrying Yuri Gagarin, was unknown. launched from the Soviet Union. Two years later in 1963, the Soviet Union sent another manned Much also has been done on Earth, including flight carrying the first woman into space, experiments to simulate long-duration space Valentina Tereshkova. The first piloted mission missions, the medical problems, the to orbit the moon was in 1968 on the US Apollo psychological and social problems, and the 8 mission by NASA. Subsequently several dangers of space like surges in solar radiation. countries have sent unmanned probes to the Moon, Mars, , and Asteroids. American space probes have reached Saturn and The Unavoidable Military other outer planets. Beginning with Viking 1 in Dimension 1977, the United States also has sent probes into Deep Space.

Among the field of interstellar communication Now, in the year 2020, technological advances and travel, defense becomes a rising need. Space have come to a stop. Inventors and are has become an ever-growing and adaptive constantly trying to create new technologies and subject, essential to global security. At least 20 ways of achieving greatness. Has technology UN Member States have military satellites in

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Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

truly reached maximum potential or will this Jeff Bezos: group coming together be able to overcome and Bezos is a well- make the next big breakthrough? known entrepreneur, How far to go? A nebula in the industrialist, and Galaxy. A deep space photo from NASA’s creator. In 1964 Hubble Bezos was born in Albuquerque to teenage Participants parents. After years of fast- Siva food work he Subrahmanyam enrolled in a Student Science Training Program Banda: Born in at the University of Florida, where he told an Andhra Pradesh, audience he would be the first to colonize space. India, Banda had a He transferred to Princeton University to major gift for science in engineering, where he graduated with a 4.2 from the start. GPA and president of several organizations After an average revolving around space. In 1994, Bezos created childhood, he Amazon. With annual revenue over USD 260 enrolled in his billion in 2019, it is the world’s largest private Regional firm by revenue. Bezos is the world’s wealthiest Engineering individual. In 2000, Bezos created , College in a firm dedicated to lower the costs of space Warangal, India. flight through re-usable launchers. In 2019 There he received a Bachelor of Science, with a Bezos unveiled plans for a moon known focus on electrical engineering. This was as Blue Moon. followed by him getting his MA in from the Indian Institute of Science. In 1978 Banda came to the United States to Col. Chen Dong: Born attend Wright State University, where he in 1978 in , completed his PhD in aerospace engineering. , Chen was raised After all of this education, Banda joined the US to have a drive for Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory in 1981 higher education and as a civilian engineer. He started his budding greater work. He holds a career from his living room as an in-house Master degree in researcher. Over the years, he earned a multitude engineering from Xi’an of awards for his work in engineering. Jiaotong University. A fighter pilot in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, he was selected to be a CNSA astronaut in 2010. In 2016, Chen was sent off with other Chinese astronauts on a mission lasting 33 days and landed back safely. This marked the longest Chinese manned flight to date. For the

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Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

11 mission, Chen was awarded the Commander at the Yokota Air Base in Japan. Merit Medal (Third Class) along with the This gathered many international connections as honorary title of ‘hero astronaut’ by China’s well as local, and led to promotion in 2009 to the Central Military Commission rank of Brigadier General. In 2019 he was appointed to the four (Full General) position of Chief of Space Operations for the US Air Elon Musk: Born in Force. Pretoria, South Africa, Musk has always had a strong tie to Sergey Nikolayevich engineering and great Ryazansky: From science. By age 10, his Moscow, Ryazansky has interest in computing always had a deep love grew massively when for space, which he shared he was given the with his grandfather. In newest computer of that 1996, Ryazansky year. This activity gave graduated as a him the title of “nerd” biochemistry major. After leading to massive college, he worked as a bullying throughout his childhood. Musk gained researcher at the Institute a passion for greater, which contributed to him of Biomedical Problems. In 2003, his work moving to . After moving to the US he made him stand out and be selected as a research attended the University of Pennsylvania, where cosmonaut. In 2005-06 Ryazansky participated he studied economics and physics. He was in a 105-day space mission on the International accepted for a PhD program at Stanford Space Station. He arrived in September on the University but dropped out. Today he is most Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft, accompanied by famous as chief of Tesla car company, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, and American SpaceX, the firm he created in astronaut Michael Hopkins. He is retired as an 2001. astronaut, but highly active as a consultant on manned and unmanned space exploration.

General John William ‘Jay’ Camille Fournier Raymond: Born in Saelovèze: 1962, Raymond Saleovèze was born graduated from in September of Clemson University 1972 in Marseille, with a degree in France. With a Administrative strong interest in Management. This stars from a young led him to be commissioned an officer in the US age, her interstellar Air Force. In 1989 to 1993, Raymond had journey followed in served as an operations center officer under the suit. In 1991, she enrolled in the Institut Strategic Aerospace Division at Vandenberg Air Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’espace and Force Base. From 2010 to 2012, Raymond graduated with a Master in Aerospace served as Vice Commander and Deputy Mechanics and Avionics. After graduating, she

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Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

began working for Icarus Interstellar, working original work ethic was lacking. In 1991 he on Project Icarus. Project Icarus is an completed his PhD in astrophysics at Columbia international project working towards the first University, with a dissertation on Abundance humankind interstellar mission. She continues to distributions along the minor axis of the work on this project to date and has emerged as Galactic bulge. He taught as a professor, wrote one of Europe’s most prominent advocates of extensively and lectured, contributing to several manned . prominent television documentaries. In 2001 he was appointed to the Presidential Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Chief Master Industry. Best known as a public intellectual and Sergeant Roger commentator on astronomy and space Towberman: exploration, he has received many major awards. Towberman joined the US Air Force in 1990. Today he is the senior enlisted, non- Major Lui Yang: commissioned officer Lui was born in (NCO) in the newly , created US Space Henan, in the Force. Starting with countryside. the Air Force, he Coming from a showed great prowess. In 1992 he completed working family, cryptologic language, leadership and intelligence Liu went on to training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. People’s In March 1997, he became a C2 Network Liberation Air Analyst on Kelly Air Force Base. He continued Force (PLAAF) this until 1999 when he served in a number of Aviation assignments as Operations Superintendent in University. After intelligence and operations units. In July of 2019 graduating with he was appointed the Command Senior Enlisted qualifications as a pilot, she began service on Leader of the US , where he serves active duty with the PLA Air Force in 1997, now. rising to the rank of Major. She logged 1,680 hours of flying before being selected for . She was selected for the crew Neil deGrasse of the mission . This was the first Tyson: A native manned mission to Chinese space station, New Yorker, in Tiangong 1. Lui became the first Chinese 1972 Tyson started woman to go into space. While in space, she attending Bronx made breakthroughs in . She is High School of still an active astronaut, contributing as a pilot Science. Tyson and space medic. went to Harvard where he majored in physics. Even though he showed great brilliance, his

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Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

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Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space

SpaceX - Wikipedia. (n.d.). from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX United States Space Force—Wikipedia. (n.d.). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Space_Force Washington Post, About halfway through their historic mission, a pair of NASA astronauts are preparing for their return. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/03/spacex-nasa-mission- update/ What’s the Space Force. (n.d.). https://www.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/FAQs/Whats-the-Space-Force

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