Position papers will be due on February 5th, 2021. The position paper format, and all other important conference documents, can be found on our conference website, http://lhhsconference.weebly.com/ Email all position papers to our committee email: [email protected]. Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or concerns!
Hello delegates! My name is Emily Guilfoyle and I will be your head chair. I am a senior and this is my fifth year participating in MUN. At school, I play tennis, am a part of the Spanish Immersion Program, and am a part of clubs like SHS and NHS. Outside of school, I enjoy hanging out with my friends(socially distanced), listening to music, and making food for my food Instagram. I look forward to seeing you all in committee!
Hi delegates! I’m Avary Baker and I’ll be your vice chair for the LHHSMUN conference. I am a junior at Laguna Hills and love being involved in MUN. I’ve been a part of the MUN program at Laguna Hills since my sophomore year and plan on continuing it through the end of high school. Other than MUN, I’m involved in the Red Cross Club and I'm a part of CSF. Outside of school, I enjoy going to the beach, being with my friends, listening to music, and watching movies. I am super excited to see you all in committee and wish you good luck in writing your position papers!
Hi everyone, My name is Rudy Hanafy and I am the moderator. I am currently a sophomore at Laguna Hills High School and have been doing MUN for two years. In school, I swim, play tennis and am part of CSF. Outside of school I love painting, talking to my friends and family, going to the beach and watching movies. Can’t wait to see you all!
Topic: Prevention and Minimization of Space Debris
Background There are more than 500,000 pieces of space debris orbiting around earth. Space debris is often known as non-operating human-made objects or artificial material orbiting Earth or re-entering its atmosphere. But space debris also includes natural particles such as meteorites. Travelling at very fast speeds of 17,500 mph, this debris may collide with satellites or other objects orbiting our planet. Prevention and minimization of space debris must be taken seriously as it is a danger to spacecraft. It can rarely fall back to earth, although most debris burns up in the atmosphere, larger debris may stay intact. Often space debris is tracked in order to minimize damage and ensure safety of spacecraft. It can be tracked through radars and telescopes. Space debris has been recognized as a rising issue since 1960. But mitigation methods took a long time to be enforced. Many also theorize that if space collisions increase rapidly Earth’s orbit could become impenetrable, preventing space exploration around Earth. Currently, advances in spacecraft and projects, such as mega constellations of satellites, have to factor in the dangers of space debri. As we advance,we must take action to prevent and minimize space debris.
UN Involvement The United Nations has been involved with UNOOSA in the prevention and minimization of space debris since 1994 when they established resolution A/AC.105/571 which put into place a greater initiative for researching and studying space debris (A/48/20). Since then, much more attention has been turned towards the issue of space debris. In 2010, the Secretariat for UNOOSA created guidelines for space debris mitigation that were concerned with International Space Law and Space Debris. While the United Nations has provided aid to create guidelines to resolve the issue, no specific resolutions have been created that are directly focused on the topic of space debris. In press release 0S/1719, the UN expressed their concern about the dangers of space debris. Additionally, other prevalent regional and international organizations are the International Law Association (ILA), Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), and the International Austronical Academy (IAA). While the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee is the only one directing its focus on space debris in particular, all three contribute to preventing and minimizing space debris.
Country Blocs African Bloc: In recent years, African countries have experienced an increase in demand for space products and services. In addition, the African Union decided to establish a space agency with its headquarters in Egypt. South Africa promotes these advancements since it will help advance African space policy and strategy, which is outlined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063. All of these efforts result in an increase of space debris.
Asia and the Pacific Bloc: Many nations within the Asian Pacific bloc contribute to space debris due to their many advancements in space colonization. India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has made four successful missions and launched 10 satellites. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, which is led by China, is overseeing a space surveillance project called the Asia-Pacific Ground-Based Optical Space Object Observation System.
Eastern European Bloc: European countries are currently making an effort to mitigate the threats imposed by space debris. The European Space Agency(ESA) is working to support guidelines from the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space that promote the long-term sustainability of outer space missions. The agency will also be hosting the world’s largest conference on space debris in 2021. Eastern European countries in the ESA include the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, and many more.
Latin America and the Caribbean Bloc: The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are often not key players in space exploration. Argentina currently leads in Latin American space exploration. Other Latin American and Caribbean countries usually find themselves more likely to partner with a country with an already established space program, such as the US or China, in order to participate in such space related issues. Western European Bloc and Other Countries: There are several western european countries in the European Space Agency that are trying to mitigate the negative effects of space debris. To add, other countries like the United States are attempting to contribute to space colonization with NASA. Overall, this increases space debris.
Questions to Consider
How will nations without established space programs be able to contribute to the minimization of space debris?
How can the UN get larger nations that already have large, established space programs to shift their focus from colonizing outer space to reducing the prominent space debris?
Should nations wait for further damage to be caused by space debris or should these nations take preventive action early on?
Will nations have to stop planned space missions in order to contribute to the prevention of space debris? How would this impact the development of their space programs and their stance in the current ‘space race’?
Is it more important for nations to examine immediate space safety risks caused by space debris or focus on long-term environmental stability?
Sources
DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY. “CHALLENGES TO SECURITY IN SPACE.” Defense Intelligence Agency United States of America, 2019, www.dia.mil/Portals/27/Documents/News/Military%20Power%20Publications/Space_Threat_V14_020119_sm.pdf.
European Space Agency. “The Current State of Space Debris.” ESA, 2020, www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Debris/The_current_state_of_space_debris.
Garcia, Mark. “Space Debris and Human Spacecraft.” NASA, NASA, 14 Apr. 2015, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html.
General Assembly. “Outer Space Activities Must Benefit All States, No Matter Their Development Levels, Delegates Tell Fourth Committee as It Begins General Debate | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.” United Nations, United Nations, 2019, www.un.org/press/en/2019/gaspd703.doc.htm.
O'Callaghan, Jonathan. “What Is Space Junk and Why Is It a Problem?” Natural History Museum, 2020, www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-space-junk-and-why-is-it-a-problem.html.
Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations. “Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.” United Nations, 2010, www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/st_space_49E.pdf.
Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations. “United NationsOffice for Outer Space Affairs.” Space Debris, 2020, www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/topics/space-debris/index.html.
UN Information Service. “DANGERS OF SPACE DEBRIS, PROSPECTS FOR SMALL SATELLITE USE AMONG QUESTIONS DISCUSSED IN SESSION OF OUTER SPACE SUBCOMMITTEE | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases.” United Nations, United Nations, 1996, www.un.org/press/en/1996/19960226.os1719.html.
Wall, Mike, et al. “Space.” Latest News About Space Junk and Orbital Debris | Space Debris Removal | Efforts to Reduce Threat of Orbital Collisions, 2020, www.space.com/topics/space-junk.