New Trends in Outer Space Development

In this lecture, you will learn a brief overview of history involving the Space Race. We will focus on the shift in perception and types of activities occurring today, compared to several decades ago.

It is important to first understand that space transportation and launch activities have come a long way since the Soviet Sputnik I launch in 1957. We have witnessed the space race being presented as a government competition between the USSR and the USA, to prevalent images of corporations providing suborbital joyrides and as asteroid mining companies, which have become key mass media themes.

The space race during the Cold War was a competition between two military superpowers, vying to impress the world with their technological might. Many advances in space technology happened within this political-ideological structure. However, in addition to the science and technology firsts motivated and funded by fears of losing political prestige, many technologies resulted, which were later commercialized.

The first wave of outer space development changed the world. Satellite telecommunications helps drive our modern global economy. The goods and services produced because of these outer space technologies include cell phones, the Internet, Facebook, Skype, and wireless financial transactions.

Today, a new space race is underway. It will be shaped and motivated by the promise of economic prosperity and the creation of new wealth. Key players include Canada, China, nations of Europe, who often work together as the European Space Agency, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Brazil and the United States and many others. In addition, business moguls and companies including Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, XCOR, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and others.

New types of space missions are also an emerging trend. This trend will also likely involve a blend of nations, companies and individuals. After reviewing the lecture and conducting research you should be able to:

Gain a deeper knowledge on the politics and history of space activities to better understand and explain new space activities compared to past space activities during the Cold War.

Attached are lecture notes with links to more resources to help you further deepen your knowledge on the topic covered in this lecture.

Now, you will learn about asteroid mining. We will focus on how a new outer space economy is likely to be jumpstarted by asteroid mining.

It is important to understand that there are different outer space locations where space mining proposals have aimed their focus. Proposals to mine on the Moon tend to use the term lunar mining. Space mining, in general, refers to mining and extraction for use of resources located in outer space. This can include mining on the Moon, asteroids and other celestial bodies. In this course, we will concentrate on asteroid mining. This lecture focuses on asteroid mining (i.e. mining and extracting natural resources from near Earth asteroids. After reviewing this lectures, and conducting key word searches and reviewing information on the subject, you will be able to:

Know names of key players in the asteroid mining market and understand how asteroid mining in linked to space transportation, space habitats, space law, space telescopes and spaceport phenomena.

Attached are lecture notes with links to more resources to help you further deepen your knowledge on the topic covered in this lecture.

In this lecture, you will now learn about spaceports. We will focus on how there is a growing trend to commercialize existing spaceports. It's important to also understand that there is also a trend towards new spaceport construction for commercial purposes. Imagining various reasons for increased construction of spaceports, helps us to realize the connection between this anticipated rising demand for space launches.

After reviewing this lecture and conducting key word searching and reviewing information on this subject, you will be able to:

Know what words to use in order to locate relevant websites, YouTube videos and other critical information relevant for understanding commercial space industries

Better perceive the link between the construction and commercialization of spaceports and the anticipation of increased space activities.

Attached are lecture notes with links to more resources to help you further deepen your knowledge on the topic covered in this lecture.

In this lecture you will learn about spaceships and space travel technology. We will focus on where space transportation development and space travel technology is likely to be heading, based in past data and trends.

It is important to realize that words like "spaceships" and "space travel" are terms typically reserved for SciFi.. Space transportation is considered to be the more sensible term to use for technologies involving getting to and back from outer space.

It is important to realize that the space transportation arena went through a recent transformation. Even before the NASA Space Shuttle fleet was retired, the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 provided legal encouragement for the growth of a new private or commercial space transportation industry.

After reviewing the lecture and conducting key word searches and reviewing information on this subject, students will be able to:

Identify and discuss key words and information about space transportation, spaceships, starships and how these technologies and activities are related to other commercial space activities so that you can discuss this type of information; and

Become aware of current organizations focused on developing starships to be able to discuss and explain emerging trends in space transportation, interstellar travel and outer space habitation.

Attached are lecture notes with links to more resources to help you further deepen your knowledge on the topics covered in this lecture.

In this lecture, you will learn about space habitats. It is important to understand that habitats could possibly include bases, stations, colonies, settlements, hotels, life support systems, spacecraft and transportation vehicles and interplanetary and international telecommunications devices. We will focus generally on space habitats and two examples, the International Space Station and Bigelow Aerospace's inflatable habitats.

Building up of the space infrastructure, will require space habitats in very forms. Space transportation systems will need to be developed and perfected that are capable of transporting people and materials back and forth between Earth and low Earth orbit, to near Earth objects such as asteroids and comets, to the Moon, Mars, and to the moons of Mars - Phobos and Deimos, our Moon.

New spacecraft are also likely to be developed better equipped to be converted into living quarters as well as to function as a transportation device. After reading the lecture, performing quick internet key word searches and reviewing this information, you should be able to:

Recall and identify key words enabling you to locate more information about space habitation include: International Space Station (ISS), space stations, space hotels, space habitats, space colonies, moon bases, space settlements, starships and space architecture.

Attached are lecture notes with links to more resources to help you further deepen your knowledge on the topics covered in this lecture.

In this lecture you will learn about space law. We will focus on international space law treaties and US domestic commercialization laws. It is important to understand that there has been a historical trend in favor of US domestic laws being used to encourage space industries. This pattern has been deemed as being consistent with international space law, even by space law authorities within the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, its legal subcommittee and the International Institute of Space Law.

This lecture represents a basic overview of key principles, themes and debates about international space law. International space law is distinct from domestic or national space laws. Curious about domestic space laws?

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs website, has a button on Space Law, which will allow you to access all of the international treaties, Declarations, working papers, and it has a link to National (domestic) laws for various nations.

After studying this lecture and performing various key word internet searches, then reviewing the information, you should be able to:

Restate and identify the components of international space law:

Understand international space law so that you can explain and discuss issues concerning space commercialization.

Attached is a detailed video presentation, outlining the history and key principles and critical information on international space law. Also attached are lecture notes with links to more resources to help you further deepen your knowledge on the topic covered in this lecture.

Gaining knowledge of the outer space development process, was a first step. The next step is to research yourself, from within. This can happen through imagination, prayer and meditation. After reviewing the short lecture and performing several key word searches, you will be able to determine a way to move towards exploring the possibilities involved with being able to participate in, and benefit from the outer space development process.You will also be able to:

Know key words so that you can search online sources (or university and pubic library resources) to ascertain how to design and formulate a step by step method, aimed at enabling you to access information using principles such as tapping into higher levels of consciousness to gain deeper more concise knowledge on subjects related to space travel and habitation