Dear All,
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is
having an inquiry into the European and UK Space Agencies.
The Royal Astronomical Society is preparing a response and
would welcome input from the geophysics community. Since
we are dependent on space agencies to put up Earth observing
and global positioning satellites, which many of us use, I
(with my Royal Astronomical Society Council hat on)
am inviting comments from list members.
The remit of the enquiry is reproduced below. I appreciate
that direct experience with the space agencies may be less
common among us than our astronomical and solar-terrestrial
physics colleagues, but I think it might be worth including
in the RAS response some statements on the value of space
observatories to Earth science and the impact of any
current or impending deficiencies.
I need comments by Easter although the HofC deadline is
12th April, because the Easter break and the EGU intervene.
Please write to [log in to unmask] (and you don't
have to be a RAS member to comment).
Regards,
Sheila Peacock.
The Science and Technology Committee has agreed to conduct an inquiry into the work
of the European and UK Space Agencies and seeks written submissions on the following
matters:
· What are the strengths and weaknesses of the funding, organisation, and work of the
European Space Agency?
· In light of the European Commission’s recent Communication on relations between
ESA and the EU (COM 2012 671), what relationship between ESA, the EU and the
UK would provide the most effective governance regime? Why?
· How effective is the EU’s support for research and innovation in the space sector?
What effect have changes to the Multi-Annual Financial Framework had on ESA and
support for the space sector from the Horizon 2020 programme?
· How effective has the UK Space Agency been and what improvements could be
made? Is the UK effectively exploiting opportunities for growth in the space sector or
could more be done?
· Does the UK get good value for money from its membership of ESA? How does its
return on investment compare to other countries?
· How resilient is the UK’s space-based infrastructure? Are threats from space debris or
solar activity being appropriately mitigated? What role do, or should, ESA and the
UK Space Agency play in addressing these issues?
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