A five-day international workshop on human space technology in San José, Costa Rica , from 9 to 13 November 2015 is being organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs in cooperation with the Government of Costa Rica and co-organized by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), as part of the Human Space Technology Initiative (HSTI) within the framework of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications.
The Workshop will bring together senior experts, professionals and decision-makers from public sectors, academia and industries worldwide. The Workshop participants will exchange information on recent accomplishments and efforts in the areas of human space technology, relevant science and research activities as well as educational promotion for the next generation. The Workshop will also aim to contribute to establishing institutional capacity in microgravity science, enhancing international cooperation in human space exploration as a global endeavor, and exploring the participation in space commercial activities.
The establishment of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and its Scientific and Technical and Legal Subcommittees coincided with the time of the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961. In its resolution establishing the Committee, the General Assembly stressed that this body was called to review the scope of international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, to devise programmes in this field to be undertaken under United Nations auspices, to encourage continued research and the dissemination of information on outer space matters, as well as to study legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space.
The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies came into force soon before the first human, Neil Armstrong, set foot upon the surface of the Moon in 1969. This treaty established, inter alia, that "exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind".
The Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) was held in Vienna in 1999 and recognized that large human space exploration missions exceed the capacity of a single country and that cooperation should be privileged in this area, and thus, recommended the development of future space science programmes, in particular through international cooperation. One year later, in 2000, the first crew went on board the International Space Station.
In 2010, the Office launched the Human Space Technology Initiative (HSTI) within the framework of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. HSTI aims at promoting international cooperation on human space flight and space exploration-related activities, creating awareness among countries on the benefits of utilizing human space technology and its applications, and building capacity in microgravity education and research. Under HSTI, various activities have been initiated.
In 2011, the United Nations/Malaysia Expert Meeting on Human Space Technology was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 14 to 18 November. The meeting, the first of its kind in the United Nations, focused on facilitating a discussion on the benefits of human space technology, capacity-building and microgravity research in general and on identifying potential opportunities for developing countries to cooperate in human space technology activities and to take part in space science research.
In 2013, the United Nations/China Workshop on Human Space Technology was held in Beijing, China from 16 to 20 September. The objectives of the workshop were to enable participants to exchange information and views on human space exploration and human space technology and its applications and to put forward constructive and innovative proposals on promoting international cooperation in microgravity science, capacity-building and education, and human space exploration.
Reaffirming the achievements made at the Expert Meeting and Workshop, the Office for Outer Space Affairs, together with the Government of Costa Rica and IAA, is organizing a Workshop as a further extension of the United Nations/China Workshop. The planned Workshop will focus on:
The Workshop will also discuss potential cooperation in the context of HSTI activities to promote human space technology and its application to benefit the world.
The comprehensive programme will include plenary and working group sessions. The plenary sessions will consist of keynote speeches and technical presentations that will address achievements and plans at national, regional and international levels as well as the broad perspective of human endeavors in space. The working group sessions will provide sufficient time for participants to discuss the corresponding topics and formulate recommendations.
The Workshop will cover the following topics:
- National, regional and international space programmes
- Microgravity science
- Capacity building and education
- Human space flight and exploration
- Space industries
- Environmental issues and natural hazards
- Next-generation, low-cost experiments in fundamental physics
The detailed Workshop programme will be made available through this website.