Message from the President

the 60th International Astronautical Congress this past October in Daejeon, South Korea. This year may also be seen in retrospect to have been a pivotal year for exploration. COSPAR is following with great interest developments in this domain, in particular the evolution of the NASA programme and the recommendations of the Augustine Report, through its Scientific Commissions and its Panel on Exploration (PEX). At times when resources are scarce and national ambitions are under pressure, COSPAR offers an ideal forum for fostering international collaboration beneficial to all. Enhancing this function of our Committee is one of the ambitions of the COSPAR Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC). The CSAC, which has now met four times, has proved its usefulness in identifying areas where COSPAR might most benefit the space science community, and for this I thank committee members and, in particular, its chair Len Fisk. I would also like to take the opportunity of this message to pay tribute to Peg Shea, retiring Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Space Research (ASR). Over the past fifteen years, she has been a driving force behind many of the improvements adopted by the Publications Committee and Bureau, leading to the editorial procedures that have recently been put into place, for a journal open to all relevant submissions, having no deadlines, in nine categories each with its dedicated and semipermanent editors, and with a steadily increasing impact factor. Other points to note briefly are COSPAR’s continued activity in GEO (Group on Earth Observations). Representatives of our Committee regularly attend the GEO plenary meetings, and COSPAR is an active co-chair of the GEO Science and Technology Committee. I conclude this review of COSPAR highlights with a mention of the new Capacity Building Fellowship Programme which just recently has seen its first few participants benefit from extended stays in the laboratories of their

COSPAR News Message from the President

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he past fifteen months are replete with evidence of another rich period for space research. Which achievements are the most important given the wide spectrum of interests addressed by the COSPAR community? In a field such as space research, with its important and long-range ramifications, this is a difficult question to answer. However, we cannot help but admire ambitious missions such as Herschel and Planck, Kepler, GOSAT, and GOCE as well as remarkable first steps like Thailand’s Earth observation satellite THEOS, the launch of an indigenous South Korean rocket, India’s mission to the Moon Chandrayaan-1, and Shenzhou 7 during which Chinese taikonauts walked in space, to name only a few of the most visible. While some of these endeavours did not fulfill their potential, history shows that it is only a matter of time before persistence pays off with success, for there is no spacefaring nation which has not experienced setbacks due to the challenges inherent in the conception and execution of our projects. Let me also mention a remarkable last, i.e., the final visit of astronauts to the Hubble Space Telescope. Yes, since I drafted my previous end of the year message in early fall 2008, great strides have been made. In this respect, I would like to stress in this International Year of Astronomy (IYA) the particularly impressive set of astronomical missions. These missions illustrate the crucial role of space techniques for astronomy, and that COSPAR is taking an active role in the IYA with the organization of one of its closing events, a symposium entitled ‘The Contribution of Space Science to Astronomy’ which will be held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 14 and 15 January 2010. Our Committee also organized a special plenary for the IYA at

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refer to that publication to prepare for the meeting but, in case you have missed it, you should visit www.cospar-assembly.org. The corresponding website for the German Organizing Committee is at www. cospar2010.org. The Assembly will take place at the Bremen Exhibition and Conference Centre, which, with its new extension, offers enough space to accommodate all the sessions, lectures and accompanying events of the 38th COSPAR Assembly and also creates a fresh and stimulating atmosphere in its light-flooded building. The venue for the 38th Assembly is strategically situated in the heart of Bremen. The main historic highlights of the 1200-year old Hanseatic city of Bremen are only a short walk from the conference centre.

mentors. Peter Willmore and his team of Panel on Capacity Building (PCB) officers are to be heartily thanked for their efforts to train the next generation of space scientists from developing countries. The preparations for the 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly have been underway for some time now, and all Associates will have had a preview of the Bremen programme in the form of the Call for Papers that was distributed to Associates in the August 2009 issue of Space Research Today. Do not forget that the deadline for abstracts is 19 February 2010, for I am sure that each of you will find in the programme scientific events that suit your individual interests. I encourage you to participate in the Assembly which, judging from the planning of the Local Organizing Committee, is certain to be a grosser Jahrgang (great vintage). On that note, I would like to wish all Associates the very best for 2010. I look forward to seeing you next July in Bremen.

Deadlines to Note: 19 Feb 2010 – Abstract submission 19 Feb 2010 – Applications for financial support 1 May 2010 – Early Registration

Roger-Maurice Bonnet (President)

38th COSPAR Assembly – A Reminder

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he August 2009 issue of Space Research Today included the Call for Papers for the 2010 COSPAR Scientific Assembly which is to take place in Bremen, Germany, on 18-25 July 2010. We would remind you to

Drop Tower, Bremen

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