ODUMUNC 2021 Issue Brief for the Interstellar Crisis Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space 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 solar system. 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 astronomy, 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 Moon. None have gone Voyager 1 in leaves the solar system further. Even astronauts on the International Space Station go no further than Low Earth Could colonizing Mars be in the near future? Is Orbit, roughly 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the space between stars travelable? Are 2 the planet’s surface. Only unmanned probes individual breakthroughs in the field beneficial have travelled to other planets. The International or harmful for society as a whole? As we Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines ‘deep struggle to go further, can space exploration 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 rockets and the barrier of the speed of artificial probe—Voyager One, launched in light? Are the breakthroughs humanity already 1977— reach beyond the Sun’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, laser 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 China, Europe, and recommendations for UN Member Russia. States and the International Community? 2 Projecting Humanity into the Far Reaches of Outer Space outer space, mostly these are reconnaissance satellites. 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-satellite weapons (ASAT), a missile that destroyed an old Chinese-owned satellite, creating a debris field that renders a large swath of Low Earth Orbit 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 interstellar travel, since the early 1970s. Much Space and technology are intertwined. The first has been learned, especially from the Soviet US designed rocket was able to reach the edge Space Station Mir 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 astronaut 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, Venus, 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 scientists 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 3 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 Milky Way industrialist, and Galaxy. A deep space photo from NASA’s creator. In 1964 Hubble Space Telescope 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 Blue Origin, 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 lander known focus on electrical engineering.