Posted on 10/01/2002 6:43:26 PM PDT by anymouse
The Space Gen team participated in the Sept 9-12th 2002 UN/ESA Enhancing the Participation of Youth in Space Conference this week in Austria. At that event a number of youth delegates from around the world felt compelled to join together and speak out against the growing inertia in the US to put weapons in space. Here is their declaration:
The Graz Declaration For Peace in Space (MS Word RTF format)
12 September 2002
The US government is now planning to put weapons in space. This threatens the precious peace of space, and demands a response from the people of the world.
Forty years ago today this peaceful vision was embraced by the world. It was a hopeful vision, inspired by cooperation, courage and exploration.
Putting weapons in space will provoke an arms race above our heads. It is destabilizing, unnecessary, immoral, and will pollute the space environment.
Space beckons us to a new future, a future that is not dictated by our past. To those who say this vision is unrealistic, we respond that it is a path to a better world.
On this historic anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this vision, and call upon our governments to take immediate action to keep space free from weapons.
At the final morning session, 40 years to the day after Kennedy made his historic moon speech from which that quote was taken, 42 delegates from 32 countries signed this declaration and took a stand that our future in space be one of peace.
If you are interested in finding out more about this please email: george@spacegen.org
------------------------
Contact info from The Space Generation Foundation main web page:
Los Angeles Office 254 Horizon Ave. Venice, CA 90291 USA Email: info@spacegen.org Telephone [+1] (310) 392-6675 Facsimile: [+1] (775) 535-4394
Houston Office 3700 Bay Area Blvd #303 Houston Tx, 77573 Email: julia.tizard@spacegen.org Telephone [+1] (281) 226-7777 Facsimile: [+1] (281) 244-5478
Board of Directors:
Peter Diamandis - peter@spacegen.org , Bob Richards - bob@spacegen.org , George Whitesides - george@spacegen.org , Loretta Hidalgo - loretta@spacegen.org , Andrew Hoppin - andrew@spacegen.org
------------
Space Generation Summit Accelerating our Pace in Space
The Space Generation Summit is a two and a half day meeting of approximately 200 international young delegates for the purpose of refining and articulating the vision of young people on the future utilisation and exploration of space by humanity.
It is being held in conjunction with the World Space Congress - the largest gathering of space scientists for a decade - and builds on the work of the Space Generation Forum of the Third UN Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space UNISPACE III
The SGS will take full advantage of the unique opportunities that WSC offers to present a unified global youth vision on space issues to world leaders.
---------------
------------
The Space Generation Summit is open to anyone who is young (18-35 years old) and interested in space. Places shall be competitive and individuals will be judged by the criteria outlined below.
The selection process is separated in to two levels:
The first level intends to select 100 demographically distributed delegates from the SGAC regional groups. These places shall be fully funded (see costs & funding (Adobe Acrobat PDF format)).
---------
The second level selects the remaining 100 delegates. This second level population is not determined by demographics - rather preference will be given to younger individuals and students who submit outstanding responses to the application form. These delegates will not be funded (see costs & funding (Adobe Acrobat PDF format)).
All applicants will be assessed on their enthusiasm and interest in the vision and objectives of the Space Generation Advisory Council and similarly spirited projects. Previous individual achievements, excellence and relevant experience will be taken in to consideration. Strong emphasis will also be placed on the insightful and creative answers to the two essay questions, "your vision - accelerating our pace in space" and "local community involvement" - your personal commitment to acting on what you learn from the Space Generation Summit and sharing this with your local community.
The selection process aims to maintain an equal gender balance within delegates. Final selection will be made via contact of the candidate's referees.
-------
A I M S & O U T P U T
SGS will take full advantage of the unique opportunities that WSC offers to present the global youth perspective on space issues to world leaders. Output from the Summit will be presented at the IAC Technical Sessions during WSC, as well as being available in a proceedings document following WSC.
This vision includes three key elements:
1. A declaration by youth on how humanity should use space.
2. Recommendations by the world's youth for what should and should not be done in space policy and space activities in the near and far future.
3. Expression by the young people of what they are doing and intend to do to facilitate and take action on these recommendations.
-------------
SGS Sponsorship:
- ESA
- Aerospace Academy
- AIAA
- NASA
- CSA
- BNSC
All donations made to the Space Generation Foundation are tax deductible, tax code (?)
------------
SGS DELEGATE STATISTICS
- Europe: 30% (17 females)
- Asia Pacific: 24% (28 females)
- Africa: 18% (21 females)
- North America: 16% (45 females)
- South America: 7% (16 females)
- Middle East: 5% (24 females)
----------
----------
Student fees are $225 and Professional Fees are $550.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacegen.org ...
The question is what are we FReepers going to do about it?
You can contact the Space Generation Foundation (a presumably educational 401c tax-exempt non-profit organization and their sponsors (especially NASA and it's contractors, who are using your tax dollars to fund this anti-American political activism.
You can attend the free Exhibition at George R. Brown Convention Center on October 18-19. Complimentary “walk-up” registration for the Exhibition is available to professionals Oct. 14-17.
With the thousands of attendees and media coverage, it would make a good FReep event.
I guess what I don't like about this is that it puts the idea, unexamined, into the kids' heads that they can get a large group together and dictate behavior to anyone they like, and that the justification for this lies in either the size of the group or the purity of their intent. This is not a good lesson, especially not if their aim really is peace.
Dreamers all. We'll scale back with our efforts, and China and others like them will break down sobbing, since they are against destabilization, acting immorally, and 'pollution' of outer space.........one billion Chinese will suddenly break into a chorus of 'We Are the World' led by their murdering communist leaders.
The only thing I see related to outer spece is the way these dupes think, because they are way out there.
These folks are those who never learn from history; they'll lead us to disaster.
Yep, as you guessed, I heard this in the car and had to pull over from laughing so hard!
....but it doesn't, and never will.
They want you to go down in flames with them.
I'll bet they did!
From NASA Watch:
2 October 2002: Why No One From the U.S. Congress Representing Texas Will Be Speaking at the World Space Congress
Editor's note: Word has it that none of the Texas Congressional delegation were invited to speak at the upcoming World Space Congress - and they are not at all happy about it. This was done despite the fact that the event is being held in Texas and is being touted as 'the place to be' to discuss all manner of things associated with space. Go figure.
Editor's note: The AIAA contacted NASA Watch today to say that this was not true and that members of Congress were indeed contacted to attend and that some have declined. The fact remains that some noses are out of joint on the Hill and that some rather prominent members with a deep, daily interest in space - as well as some at the most senior levels of House leadership - were in fact NOT invited - and their staff have told us that.
Update: Editor's note: Michael Lewis from AIAA sent me a statement by email discussing this issue. I sent him an email at 4:15 PM today offering to post his response to me - verbatim - on NASA Watch and am awaiting his reply.
AIAA response from Michael Lewis: "The World Space Congress is a joint gathering of the international space science and engineering communities with representation from over 100 nations expected in Houston from 10-19 October. This event is held on behalf of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). The focus of this meeting is the scientific and technical information exchange between global space professionals. Every member of the Texas delegation received an invitation to attend a celebration of global space achievement in space science and technology for the WSC's inaugural ceremony on 14 October, accompanied by a VIP tour of the international exhibition hall. The remaining activities will be focused around 10 days of more than 40 current scientific and technical sessions, with the largest space-only exhibition display ever held."
Editor's final note: No mention whatsoever is made of involving members of the Texas Congressional delegation in a speaking capacity at this event. In an earlier email - one which was much more blunt on the issue of active Congressional participation (i.e. "speaking") AIAA's Michael Lewis would only admit to one such speaking invitation being made to a member of Congress: Sen. Hutchinson (R-TX), who declined the offer to give an opening presentation. The original point of this posting on NASA Watch referred to the fact that no attempt was made to involve the Texas Congressional delegation in a "speaking" capacity. With the one exception and correction noted above (which AIAA would not officially acknowledge on the record), I stand by my original comments: "Word has it that none of the Texas Congressional delegation were invited to speak at the upcoming World Space Congress - and they are not at all happy about it."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.