0
Want this question answered?
Be notified when an answer is posted
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Who is Dr. Mazlan Othman?
Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), a post she held already from 1999 to 2002, and we are pleased to confirm that she has taken up her new post last 12 December 2007. After leaving OOSA in July 2002, Ms. Othman joined the National Space Agency of Malaysia as Director General. Ms. Othman's earlier career highlights were: Founding Director General of the Space Science Studies Division in the Malaysian Prime Minister's Office and University Lecturer (physics) at the National University of Malaysia. Ms. Othman holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy and Space Sciences (1981), and a BSc (Hon) in Physics (1974), both from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. She is Secretary-General and Fellow of the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia and a Member of the International Astronomical Union. Ms. Othman, the author of two scientific books, is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Astronautics, the Institute of Physics (Malaysia) and the Malaysian Scientific Association. In 2007, Ms. Othman was elected Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Does any country own the moon?
Not officially. While the United States planted a flag on the moon, the astronauts' intention wasn’t to claim ownership, and there’s actually an international treaty that forbids any country from claiming the moon (or other celestial bodies) as its own.Back in the late 1950s, there was significant global concern that a country would eventually try to weaponize outer space. After the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, the United Nations General Assembly formed a committee to address the issue.The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) had members from 24 countries (it now has 92), and negotiated to create laws regarding the use of space. COPUOS assembled the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by major space-faring nations including the United States and Soviet Union, and that treaty expressly forbids private ownership of the moon. Here’s the relevant language from the treaty:"Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means."The treaty also establishes important rules regarding the military use of space. Countries cannot put weapons of mass destruction into space, nor can they establish military bases or conduct military exercises on any celestial bodies. That wasn’t really an idle suggestion—in the 1950s, NASA actually considered testing a nuclear missile on the moon, per recently declassified documents. After signing the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the United States and the Soviet Union began sharing scientific knowledge and collaborating on manned flights, so it’s safe to say that the treaty was a landmark moment in space exploration. It’s still an important framework, although some space law experts question whether current advances have rendered parts of the treaty ineffective. In particular, the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act allows private companies to get the rights of anything they find in space, which seems like a potential violation of the Outer Space Treaty. At this point, however, no country (or private corporation) has claimed the moon or any other celestial body, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Which one of the following countries presented the document on ‘practical ways’ to put an end to the Arms race (a) U.S.A. (b) U.S.S.R.(c) Japan (d) China?
Background In 1959, the UN General Assembly established the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in Resolution 1472 (XIV). This committee identified areas for international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, devised programs to be undertaken by the United Nations, encouraged research on matters relating to outer space, and studied legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space. During the 1960s and 1970s a number of agreements were adopted to prevent the weaponization of outer space. These include the Partial Test Ban Treaty, formally titled the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water (1963), the Outer Space Treaty, formally titled the Treaty on the Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1967), the Rescue Agreement, formally titled the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (1968), the Agreement Relating to the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization "Intelsat" (1971), the Liability Convention, formally titled the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (1972), the Launch Registration Convention, formally titled the Convention on the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (1975), the Moon Agreement, formally entitled the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1979). Although these treaties ban the placement of weapons of mass destruction in space, they do not prevent states from placing other types of weapons in space. As a result, many states argue that existing treaties are insufficient for safeguarding outer space as “the common heritage of mankind.” In order to address this, the final document of the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on Disarmament mandated that negotiations should take place in what is now the Conference on Disarmament (CD), “in order to prevent an arms race in outer space” that are “held in accordance with the spirit of the [Outer Space Treaty].” In 1985 the CD established an ad hoc committee to identify and examine issues relevant to PAROS such as the legal protection of satellites, nuclear power systems in space, and various confidence-building measures. The United States resolutely opposed giving the committee a negotiating mandate, preferring bilateral talks with the Soviet Union. The committee convened each year through 1994. No further committee meeting occurred due to objections made by the United States. In 1990 the United States stated that it “has not identified any practical outer space arms control measures that can be dealt within a multilateral environment.” With its large missile defense program and technical advantages in potential space weaponry, the United States has consistently refused to negotiate PAROS in the CD. Obligations Under the draft treaty submitted to the CD by Russia in 2008, State Parties would commit to refrain from placing objects carrying any type of weapon into orbit, installing weapons on celestial bodies, and threatening to use force against objects in outer space. State Parties would also agree to practice agreed confidence-building measures. A PAROS treaty would complement and reaffirm the importance of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which aims to preserve space for peaceful uses by prohibiting the use of space weapons, the development of space-weapon technology, and technology related to “missile defense.” The treaty would prevent any nation from gaining a military advantage in outer space.
