In his latest book, space scientist, futurist, and educator Joseph N. Pelton explores a dozen ways that Planet Earth is at “existential” risk, along with the many ways that space systems, data analytics, and advanced networking systems can help us cope with these global challenges. The chapters examine in a straightforward way how satellite systems and technol- ogy can drastically transform fields such as pandemic tracking and global medical responses, cosmic hazard monitoring, nuclear energy and waste disposal, water and land pollution, tele-education/telemedicine, and military conflict. Such examples show how orbiting smart systems will play an ever more vital role in our vulnerable modern world, allowing us to monitor, track, and respond to mounting problems of the 21st century. Dr. Pelton takes a broad view, probing the social, economic, and regulatory factors that are crucial to creating a more sustainable “Spaceship Earth.” This book is a call to action, promoting more organized international collaboration and investment in space technologies that can enable global change.

FOREWORD By Bruce McCandless II Former NASA Astronaut This volume is the fifth in the series on contemporary space topics by the Aerospace Technology Working Group with support from Secure World Foundation, the International Space University, and the International Institute of Space Commerce. It deals principally with the topic of sustainability of space operations. In all fields of challenging endeavor actually accomplishing an objective (e.g., putting a satellite into orbit) comes first, followed by exploitation or commercialization, and lastly by a realization that the resource is finite. Such "finite-ness" may come from considerations of pollution (e.g., space debris, propulsion effluent) or of actual limitations on the availability of the resource (e.g., crowding of Geostationary Earth Orbit - GEO). Both of these topics are among those discussed in detail in this volume. Developing countries, in particular, may find such considerations too burdensome, and this begs the need for regulation to avoid the classic "Tragedy of the Commons" situation. In the case of orbital debris we have collectively arrived at a point where tens of millions of tiny pieces of debris are currently in orbit, decaying at diverse rates in a situation where a single flake of paint has been demonstrated to be capable of causing damage when impacting at high relative velocities. At the other end of the spectrum, defunct satellites (e.g., ESA's Envisat) present discrete problems worthy of individual retrieval/disposal efforts but fraught with complications arising from ownership to potentially still effective ITAR constraints on access to onboard technology. And, of course, the managers of the International Space Station are absolutely paranoid about higher altitude orbital debris eventually decaying to and ultimately impacting their very large orbiting facility. While space may realistically be dubbed "infinite," very specific orbits, or sets of orbits, have practical capacity limits. In GEO, for example, spacing of satellites along it are subject to constraints arising from use of the same radio frequency spectra and the size of ground based antennas required to spatially discriminate between adjacent satellites. In popular high inclination sun-synchronous Earth imaging orbits, these all converge near the poles, creating a traffic management concern arising from the risk of collision. The subject of "green propellants" is treated from several aspects. The Liquid Oxygen / Liquid Hydrogen system, while yielding only water vapor from combustion, may have a significant carbon footprint associated with the manufacture of the LH2 from methane or methanol. Aluminum oxide, an exhaust product of common solid propellant boosters is generally regarded as inert, but the inhalation of fine particles of it can cause pulmonary fibrosis or other lung damage in humans. Additionally the need for oxidizer depletion shutdown in the family of hydrazine/oxidizer booster stages results in significant quantities of UDMH (for example) being dispersed upon impact of the early stages. No Foreword can do adequate justice to the carefully developed material within the publication itself. For a detailed and thought provoking coverage of the principal topics associated with the sustainability of space operations, this book is highly recommended, authoritative, and "a good read."

This book addresses space science and communication – one of the main pillars of space science sustainability, an area that has recently become of great importance. In this regard, research and development play a crucial role in sustainability development. However, obtaining essential data in the physical world to interpret the universe and to predict what could happen in the future is a challenging undertaking. Accordingly, providing valid information to understand trends, evaluate needs, and create sustainable development policies and programs in the best interest of all the people is indispensable. This book was prepared in conjunction with the fifth meeting of the 2017 International Conference on Space Science and Communication (IconSpace2017), held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 3-5 May 2017 to introduce graduate stuandents, researchers, lecturers, engineers, geospatialists, meteorologists, climatologists, astronomers and practitioners to the latest applications of space science, telecommunications, meteorology, remote sensing and related fields. The individual papers discuss a broad range of space science and technology applications, e.g. the formation of global warming from space, environmental and remote sensing, communication systems, and smart materials for space applications.

This book presents the complete story of the inseparably intertwined evolution of life and matter on earth, focussing on four major topics. It analyzes the driving forces behind global change and uses this knowledge to propose principles for global stewardship.

The Space Industry of the Future consists of the first instance of guidance for the space industry on how value creation in space can occur for the greater benefit of humanity using principles of capitalism and sustainability. The timing of this book is ideal given (1) sustainability challenges facing humanity and (2) that the growth of the commercial space economy is now occurring at a rate never seen before. This book presents an opportune guide written for technical, business, and policy practitioners alike that frames how this industry growth should occur from an integrated values and commercial perspective. This perspective is presented in the context of the modern technical capabilities of space systems relative to the world’s greatest problems. The guidance contained in this book for the growing commercial space industry includes considerations beyond profit seeking alone. This guidance is founded on a bespoke value creation criteria to apply in the context of for-profit outer space activities that, if used, will result in the maximum value creation that a company is capable of. The criteria are developed and presented through a rigorous discussion on capitalism, economics, value theory, the circular economy, stakeholder management, and ethics. The value creation criteria are then discussed at length in relation to the space industry. The primary audience for this book is practitioners within the space industry; this includes investors, business managers, policy makers, engineers, and scientists. The secondary audience includes students and researchers, as well as a growing range of parties interested in space policy and entrepreneurship.

A multitude of complex systems and actors pursuing their own agenda shape the dynamics of our world. Better understanding of their actions and interactions is crucial, and can be achieved by a profound knowledge of systems and their properties, and their representation in models allowing simulation of probable behavior. Drawing on his extensive research and teaching experience in modeling and simulation of a wide range of systems - from engineering to social systems and ecosystems - the author presents the fundamental concepts and approaches for understanding and modeling the complex systems shaping the dynamics of our world. The book applies state space analysis and system dynamics to deal with the dynamic processes of "causal systems," discusses information processing approaches for modeling decision processes of "actors" and "agents," and uses aspects of the coevolutionary development of systems in their environment to deal with normative orientation, ethics, and evaluation of policies and long-term development. The concepts are applied in particular to the issue of sustainable development of human society in an evolving world. The book is complemented by a survey of system topics and of models from many fields, and by an extensive bibliography on the many systems-related subjects covered. Hartmut Bossel is Professor Emeritus of environmental systems analysis. He taught for many years at the University of California in Santa Barbara and the University of Kassel, Germany, where he was director of the Center for Environmental Systems Research until his retirement. He holds an engineering degree from the Technical University of Darmstadt, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley. With a background in engineering, systems science, and mathematical modeling, he has led many research projects and future studies in different countries, developing computer simulation models and decision support systems in the areas of energy supply policy, global dynamics, orientation of behavior, agricultural policy, and forest dynamics and management. He has written numerous books on modeling and simulation of dynamic systems, social change and future paths, and has published widely in the scientific literature in several fields. Bossel is author of a System Zoo containing over one hundred simulation models of diverse systems.

Sustainable Composites for Aerospace Applications presents innovative advances in the fabrication, characterization and applications of LDH polymer nanocomposites. It covers fundamental structural and chemical knowledge and explores various properties and characterization techniques, including microscopic, spectroscopic and mechanical behaviors. Users will find a strong focus on the potential applications of LDH polymer nanocomposites, such as in energy, electronics, electromagnetic shielding, biomedical, agricultural, food packaging and water purification functions. This book provides comprehensive coverage of cutting-edge research in the field of LDH polymer nanocomposites and future applications, and is an essential read for all academics, researchers, engineers and students working in this area. Presents fundamental knowledge of LDH polymer nanocomposites, including chemical composition, structural features and fabrication techniques Provides an analytical overview of the different types of characterization techniques and technologies Contains extensive reviews on cutting-edge research for future applications in a variety of industries