Space Products & Innovation
Governance, Education, and Infrastructure
Taikonaut Teaches 60 Million From Space Station
Space exploration and utilization activities help inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields. All the ISS partners devote some portion of their activities on the station to educational purposes. Many other space agency programs also have an outreach component. Aside from cultivating an interest in STEM, the microgravity environment of space allows students to learn about other physical phenomena in unique ways.
Sticky GPS Trackers Slow Police Down
Satellite services are also being used by law enforcement in new ways to find and apprehend suspects. StarChase is a GPS-based pursuit management system that reduces the need for dangerous and destructive high-speed vehicle chases. Installed into the front of a law enforcement vehicle, StarChase targets and launches an adhesive GPS-enabled tracking device at fleeing suspect vehicles. Law enforcement can then track the suspect’s car at a safe distance.
Galileo Beacons Augment COSPAS-SARSAT
Governments cooperate on the use of space assets in search and rescue missions. The Cospas-Sarsat Program is an international effort to improve search and rescue (SAR) operations by outfitting a fleet of satellites to detect radiobeacons activated by parties in distress, then using the data to locate the individuals. SAR repeaters installed on satellites of ESA’s Galileo program were tested in January 2013 for the first time, expanding the suite of satellites capable of detecting radiobeacons.
NASA Spacecraft-locating Technology Used For Finding Disaster Victims
After a natural disaster, finding survivors amidst rubble is a daunting task. NASA technology used to precisely locate spacecraft has been adapted to detect the heartbeats and breathing of survivors trapped beneath debris. The new device, Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response (FINDER), sends microwave radar signals into rubble and analyzes the pattern of returned signals to detect heartbeats.
Governance, Education, and Infrastructure
Satellite products and services play an important role in governance, education, and the development and maintenance of infrastructure. Governments around the world rely on satellite communications for programs as diverse as election monitoring, border security, tax collection, distance learning, disaster relief, and national defense.
…And You Get .5 Mbps…
Space assets can help to improve and monitor government services and public infrastructure. Earth observation satellites can effectively image large swaths of the Earth’s surface, while communications satellites provide connectivity in regions where ground-based communications are costly or difficult. In 2013, the European Union (EU) reached the goal of ensuring 100% of citizens have access to broadband internet services of at least 0.5 megabits per second (Mbps), a feat made possible through satellite internet services to remote regions.
Space Products and Services – TSR 2013
Verifying War Crimes Using Earth Observation Imagery
While having a robust and open media network is an important step for developing nations, satellites can also be used to monitor regions in political turmoil where free media is suppressed. During clashes between Syrian government forces and rebels, Amnesty International commissioned DigitalGlobe to provide satellite imagery of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, to document artillery shelling and attacks on noncombatants.
Satellite Infrastructure Supports Middle East Media
Satellite communications play a very important role in developing nations, which often lack extensive ground-based infrastructure. In order to improve its broadcasting capabilities, Iraq is in the process of deploying new satellite television terminals to operate within the Arab States Broadcasting Union. This group serves as the umbrella organization for Arab government-owned radio and television channels, promoting media broadcasting and content development in the region.
Vatican Library Saved by Heavenly Technology
Governments also employ space technology to safeguard important and culturally significant artifacts. When the Vatican library needed to digitize antique books, it turned to a data format originally developed for storing astronomical data. The “flexible image transport system” (FITS) was developed jointly by NASA and ESA in the 1970s and features several qualities that make it well suited for digitally archiving the Vatican collection.