centennial high school model united nations conference uncpuos · saturday 11 november 2017...

Saturday 11 November 2017

Centennial High School Model United

Nations Conference – UNCPUOS

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Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the 2017 Centennial High School Model United Nations Conference! The United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (UNCPUOS) is focused on

regulating outer space activities in conjunction with the United Nations (UN). This committee is

for delegates of all skill types, and we would once again like to welcome all of you to our

committee!

My name is Malika Shah, and I will be your Chair for this committee. I am a junior at

Centennial High School, where I am the Secretary of the Model UN club. My love for Model

UN arose after I attended CHSMUNC 2016. I attended CHSMUNC for the first time last year as

a delegate and had an amazing time meeting new people as well as participating in heated

discussions. I hope to replicate my experience for you through this committee, which will be

discussing the topic of space debris. The riveting debate coupled with intense negotiations is

what sparked my passion for Model UN and is critical to the success of the actual UN. I hope

that you, whether a novice or a veteran, will experience the same thrill for MUN during this

committee. My name is Grace Suh, and I am ecstatic to be your Co-Chair for this committee. I am a

senior at Howard High School, where I serve as the Co-President of the Model UN club. I

chaired my first committee during CHSMUNC 2016. Last year, the WHO committee took on the

pressing issue of unsafe abortions and this year, we have put together another controversial

committee discussing the current space debris dilemma. The topic of space is extremely

prevalent in political headlines around the world, making it a great subject to tackle at this

conference and something I have a deep interest in. This is my last year in MUN, and I know that

we will make it the best ever.

This year, the committee will be handling the issue of space debris, also known as space

junk. This type of global trash ranges from castoff rocket appendages, ineffective satellites, and

spacecraft chunks to smaller paint chips, bolts, and screws. Space junk is currently endangering

nearby satellites, spacecrafts, the International Space Station, and the lives of astronauts due to

the speed in which it is traveling. Scientists even claim that the issue is cyclic: existing space

junk collides with space bodies, man-made devices, and other trash to create even more pieces of

debris, worsening the condition. However, there are benefits of space junk, including economic

factors, and countries will have to decide whether or not advancements in space exploration

outweigh the environmental impact. Through this committee, our goal is to provide the best




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simulation of the United Nations as well as educate and spread awareness on the urgent issue of

the ever-increasing space debris.

Sincerely, Malika Shah, Chair Grace Suh, Co-Chair

CHSMUNC 2017 Committee Co-Chairs




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Introduction to United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer

Space (UNCPUOS)

The United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space is an ad-hoc

committee that was established in 1959 soon after the launch of Sputnik. The mission of

UNCPUOS is "to review the scope of international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space,

to devise programmes in this field to be undertaken under United Nations auspices, to encourage

continued research and the dissemination of information on outer space matters, and to study

legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space." The committee originally consisted

of 18 members: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, India,

Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Sweden, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United

Arab Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States

of America. Today, it includes more than 80 member states and 20 permanent observer

organizations, making it one of the largest committees of the General Assembly of the United

Nations. Throughout history, UNCPUOS has played an important role in implementing many

treaties, most notably including the Liability Convention, Outer Space Agreement, and the

Rescue Agreement. This committee also monitors other international agreements relating to

activities in outer space and is a vital member of the UN General Assembly.

Topic: Mitigating the Issue

of Space Debris

The United Nations

Committee for the Peaceful Use

of Outer Space has “paid

particular attention to the issue of

preventing and minimizing the

creation of space debris” by

exchanging information with the

Committee’s Scientific and

Technical Subcommittee. In 2007,

the UNCOPUOS instituted the

Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines. This document was an addition to the 1968 Rescue

Agreement, a treaty that required “States Parties to return any foreign space objects discovered in

their territory to their owners and... notify the Secretary-General of any such discovered objects.”

Although such laws and treaties are in place, they remain broad and obscure, allowing private




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organizations and space stations to abuse and disobey the restrictions on space debris. Few

pieces of international legislation, besides the two listed, reference the issue of space debris

directly and thus allow further expansion by this committee.

Causes of Space Debris

Satellites

Nonfunctional satellites --

damaged during collisions or

abandoned by research facilities-

- contribute to half of the junk

currently roaming space. In fact,

there are currently two thousand

inactive satellites floating in open

space. Because of the drastic

effect satellites have on the

surrounding area, debris is not

spread uniformly in space but

concentrated specifically in areas

where satellites preside or are

orbiting. In Low Earth Orbit

(LEO) --an area proliferated by ineffective satellites-- objects travel at 4 miles per second. At

that speed, a tiny fleck of paint equates to a 550 pound object traveling at sixty miles per hour.

Thus, the placement and velocity of pre-existing debris increases the chance of more collisions

and the creation of even more trash in the future.

Due to their depreciating cost, communication satellites have drastically increased in

number from the former count of 1,300 active ones. In consequence of the rising number of

space satellites, the rate of collisions and trash production is predicted to increase by fifty

percent, as modeled by Dr. Hugh Lewis’ 200-year computer simulation.

For fifty years, the primary source of space junk arose from accidental explosions.

However, in 2007, the Chinese government authorized the intentional destruction of a weather

satellite, Fengyun-1C, as a part of an anti-satellite missile test. This event created mass amounts

of space debris, exponentially greater than those that typically arise from coincidental crashes

between satellites. Specifically, it was reported that 950 pieces of clutter, more than four inches

in size, were found at the site of the explosion. Some scientists claim the test was “the most

prolific and severe fragmentation in the course of five decades of space operations.”

Two years after the Chinese satellite, an American Iridium 33 satellite and a Russian

Cosmos 2251 satellite made contact and released two thousand additional pieces of debris at

least four inches in length while thousands of smaller flotsoms were also created. This incident




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marked the first time two active satellites collided while in their instructed orbit, suggesting that

satellites not only endanger their inactive counterparts but active ones as well.

Space Exploration

Since the beginning of the Cold War and Space Race, governments have authorized

multiple expeditions into space in hope of discovering other forms of life, retrieving resources

from unknown planets, or implementing technologies as a means of research and learning. Such

expeditions have put a strain on the condition of space, generating tons of debris in the form of

“discarded equipment, rocket stages, bolts, and other hardware released when satellites are

placed in orbit.” For spaceships, appendages and unnecessary engine parts detach from the main

body while in space to propel the rocket further towards the course of destination; these pieces,

once disconnected from the ship, join the ever-growing list of space debris. Trash, in the form of

plastic bags and discarded food, is also thrown off of ships by astronauts to preserve storage

room during their long missions. In addition, spacewalks or repairs --requiring the astronaut to

leave the rocket-- produce waste, for they often discard plastic bags or excess tools while outside

of the ship. These seemingly minor acts of space littering have accumulated to form massive

mounds of trash.

Legal Loopholes

Currently, the restrictions on space littering, the kind of international explosions allowed

in space, and the classifications on what debris is are unclear and absent of detail. There are no

specific guidelines or forms of measurement to judge what is an unacceptable amount of debris

for a certain space mission team to produce. International law pertaining to space debris is

mainly derived from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1972 Liability Convention. Under

these treaties, the “launching state” is responsible for objects in orbit. According to the common

legal definition of launching state established by these treaties, it is unclear to who exactly is the

launching party, for it typically is not registered with the United Nations before the occurrence of

the incident. The Liability Convention dictates that for damages which occur on orbit, fault must

be determined. However, a legal definition does not currently exist for fault within the context of

the Liability Convention. The Liability Convention has also never been formally invoked; all

incidents to date that could have resulted in potential claims under the Convention, including the

Iridium-Cosmos collision, have been settled by the respective countries.




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Consequences of Space Debris

Economic

In a journal for environmental economics, NASA physicists and economists propose “the

first theoretical economic model...of satellite launches and space debris.” They argue that

individual companies or government agencies have a strong financial incentive to launch new

satellites, but much less incentive to clean up the surrounding debris even when posing a threat.

In fact, Brendan Cunningham --an economics professor at the US Naval Academy-- claims these

organizations “don’t internalize the impact on themselves and they definitely don’t internalize

the impact of the debris on other launchers.” Space, in other words, is a classic “tragedy of the

commons’ problem” in which many individuals benefit from a collective service –cleaning up

the depris-- but no one has any incentive to bear the cost of it. Besides the economic cost of

having to clean it up, many other communities rely on space junk as their economic revenue.

Several Russian villages collect the scrap metal released from rocket launches, selling them for a

profit; such communities rely on space junk for trade and will collapse without such resources

for revenue.

Safety of Astronauts, Spacecrafts, and the

International Space Station

The rising quantity of space debris is

endangering and will continue to risk the safety of

all space vehicles, especially the International

Space Station, space shuttles, and other

spacecrafts with humans aboard. There are more

than twenty thousand pieces of debris larger than a

softball orbiting the Earth and five hundred

thousand pieces of debris the size of a marble or

larger. They travel at speeds up to 17,500 miles

per hour, fast enough for a relatively small piece

of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a

spacecraft. Specifically, there are millions of other

pieces of debris that are too small to be tracked.

Although small in size, these pieces should not be

ignored, for they exhibit great harm as well.

Nicholas Johnson --the NASA chief scientist for

orbital debris-- says “the greatest risk to space

missions comes from non-trackable debris.”




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Interference with other Missions Politically

Professor Vitaly Adushkin, an expert in geosphere dynamics at the Russian Academy of

Science in Moscow, and his colleagues at the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation,

claimed that space debris now poses a “special political danger.” They warned that impact with

another spacecraft --especially one used for military purposes-- could provoke political or even

armed conflict between space-faring nations. Despite extensive efforts to track space debris, it

would be almost impossible to identify the real cause of a collision if it occurred with an

unregistered piece of junk. As many military satellites occupy low earth orbits, this puts them in

a region that is at highest risk for such collisions due to the density of debris there.

Experts observe that “in the previous decades, there have been sudden failures of some

spacecraft for defense purposes...the causes of which have not been found either by observations

or by telemetry.” This is a politically dangerous dilemma, for hatred can erupt between national

governments as to who is to blame for the economic loss.

Cyclic Nature

The greater the debris count in space, the more it will be created as time passes. This is

the underlying meaning of the Kessler Syndrome, first introduced in 1978 by NASA scientist

Donald Kessler. Most space junk moves at orbital speeds; for example, an aluminum block can

travel as fast as 15200 miles per hour. When this junk collides with another object, many parts

will break off and become part of the greater pile of space debris. Considering the aluminum

block collides with an abandoned satellite, more than eighteen thousand pieces will break off and

contribute to the never-ending amount of space debris. NASA defines the Kessler Syndrome as

“a cascading chain of impacts that would render orbital space impassable.” In other words,

impact with debris disintegrates a spacecraft into a large number of fragments. Some of the new

debris strikes another spacecraft, which disintegrates and causes more impacts until a runaway

domino effect is created. Eventually, Low Earth Orbit would become too hazardous a region for

human or satellite travel due to the constant collision rate and increasing production of space

debris.

Methods to Address the Issue

Direct Removal

In order to solve the space junk problem, a number of active debris removal tactics have

been described. These methods include: electromagnetic procedures, momentum exchange,

remote processing, capture, and modification of material properties or change of material state.

Passive and active devices can be installed onto satellites to remove them at the end of their

missions and prevent them from joining the space junk pile. Some scientists envision an active

debris removal (ADR) mission to grab dead satellites and remove them. There are even studies




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for refurbishing missions, where robotic space vehicles grab a satellite nearing its end of life to

refuel and service it. Nearly all of these, however, have not been actively used in space yet.

These methods are also quite costly and would require the cooperation of nations to decide who

will pay the costs to remove the space debris. Additionally, there are political and legal issues

related to the ownership of defunct satellites that prevent, for example, a European ADR vehicle

from disposing of an Indian satellite without permission. There are also technology development

challenges, like the need to capture a non-cooperating target. Also, there is the cost of every

single mission that will have to be funded by taxpayers. According to some experts, nations need

to remove about ten large satellites per year to significantly reduce the collision risk. With more

than one hundred satellites launched into space every year, pulling ten down does not mitigate

the issue.

Prevention Strategies

Tethers, balloons, solar sails, and active decommissioning devices are all examples of

systems that can be installed on satellites before launch to increase the chances of being able to

dispose of them when they become inactive. Whatever technology is ready and available today is

better than doing nothing towards the space junk issue. No more nonfunctional satellites, such as

DMSP-F13, should be left uncontrolled in orbit. This type of trash poses a risk to operative

satellites due to the fact that a collision may occur and safe access of space for incoming

missions is limited. Dr Lewis' study, funded by the European Space Agency, has created a series

of guidelines to help prevent collisions. Some of them include decreasing the amount of time

spent in low orbit after the end of a mission, making the satellites smaller and more lightweight,

adding propulsion systems, and deploying missions to remove faulty satellites.

Other

There are many other options out there that could be beneficial in alleviating the current

issue, for research is always ongoing and innovative ways to reduce space junk are being

produced. For example, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency proposes to use an

electrodynamic tether whose current would slow down the speed of satellites and space debris

production, according to an early 2014 report from Agence France Presse. Slowing the satellite

speed would make it gradually fall closer to Earth, where it would burn up.

Past UN and International Actions

There are five major UN treaties, which relate to space debris:

● Outer Space Treaty: The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the

Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

● Rescue Agreement: The Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of

Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space




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● Liability Convention: The Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by

Space Objects

● Registration Convention: The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into

Outer Space

● Moon Treaty: The Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other

Celestial Bodies

The most important out of these is the Liability Convention, although the others do work

to add detail to the foundational guidelines. The Liability Convention expands on the Outer

Space Treaty by claiming that “countries bear international responsibility for all space objects

that are launched within their territory.” It does not matter who launches the object; if it was in

the country’s territory, it is the country’s responsibility. Even though the responsibilities are

outlined here, the countries and the UN do not follow up on these requirements. There are many

other provisions outlined in the Liability Convention and the other treaties which are worth

exploring.

Bloc Positions

North America

The United States of America is home to NASA among many other private organizations

concerning space exploration. USA also has a strong view regarding environmental clean up.

USA will have to decide as to the position they will take when facing this issue. The cleanup of

debris is an expensive endeavor, but if USA is in support of a “greener” Earth, they will have to

see if one side outweighs the other. Canada also faces a similar dilemma; however, the costs of

space junk cleanup will be considerably less, so they may be in favor of cleaning up their portion

of the space junk. Mexico is in support of cleaning up the space junk as it has no considerable

costs to bear; they would want to clean up space for a clearer atmosphere.

Europe/Australia

Many European countries are home to branches of the European Space Agency among

many other private space organizations. These private organizations are one of the major

contributors to space junk. Some countries within this bloc also rely on space debris for their

economy. In fact, several Russian villages collect the scrap metal released from rocket launches,

selling them for a profit; such communities rely on space junk for trade and will collapse without

such resources for revenue. European countries are also staunch advocates of a “green”

environment and are environmentally friendly. They will have to decide as to how they want to

approach this issue. On one side, they are hosting missions into space and are to some extent

responsible for the space debris; thus, they will have to pay some part of the cost. On the other

hand, the European nations will have to consider their position regarding a “green” environment

on Earth.




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South America

The South American continent is a firm supporter of cleaning up the space debris.With

numerous incidents of space junk falling from the atmosphere into the waters surrounding the

continent, South American countries are tired of having to clean up after other countries, most

notably Russia. They will benefit from this as they will not have to bear any costs. If anything,

they will be saving money that they could use domestically.

Middle East

Similar to the other space stations around the world, the Middle East is impacted by space

debris for it endangers their satellites and risks ruining any future projects they have planned. It

also can lead to extreme cuts in their program’s funding due to satellite collisions. Thus, Middle

Eastern countries are concerned and want to limit the production of space debris by other, more

prominent space stations, like Russia and China.

Asia

China

The Chinese Space Station is one of the major contributors to the problem of

space debris, following the Fengyun-1C collision. This country is deeply interested in

continuing their anti-satellite missile tests and do not see their endeavors as endangering

the international community. They has made small attempts in space debris mitigation

such as the Aolong-1, a satellite that was launched in space with a small robotic arm to

grab debris pieces and launch them toward the atmosphere. Although the country has

made some advancements in reducing the space debris, China prioritizes its own space

tests and the potential gain from space research for their military over the issue of space

junk.

Other Asian Countries

Most asian countries, although also active in space exploration, are more willing

to cooperate with the international guidelines concerning space debris. In particular,

Japanese scientists have designed and launched a cargo ship bound to the International

Space Station that acts as a space junk collector with the help of a fishnet company. India

has claimed that space debris is an issue but places no blame on the Indian Space

Research Organization (ISRO) for the severity of the current issue. ISRO successfully

designed and developed a propellant venting system for space debris removal and

“actively contributes to the efforts” of the international community to eliminate trash.

Africa

Because of Africa’s somewhat lacking space program compared to other industrial

nations, they are not as directly impacted by this issue. Africa does uphold and agree with the




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current UN’s policies on space debris and wishes to prevent future trash. In 2014, a South

African nano-satellite came very close to a collision with two defunct satellites which would

have had a very detrimental impact on the largely-funded project. With this in mind, Africa is

aware that their space satellites and economy are affected by the debris, working against any

countries who abuse the current international space laws.

Questions a Resolution Must Answer:

1. What defines “space debris”?

2. Who is responsible for the current space debris issue?

3. What is the most cost-efficient way to clean it up?

4. What are some provisions to reduce the amount of space debris in the future?

5. What happens if a country is unable to pay for the space debris cleanup?

6. What are the guidelines to how much a given mission team can produce in terms of space

debris?

Conclusion

Space debris ranges from castoff rocket appendages, ineffective satellites, and spacecraft

chunks to smaller paint chips, bolts, and screws. Space junk is currently endangering nearby

satellites, spacecrafts, the International Space Station, and the lives of astronauts due to the speed

in which it is traveling. Scientists even claim that the issue is cyclic: existing space junk collides

with space bodies, man-made devices, and other trash to create even more pieces of debris,




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worsening the condition. UNCPUOS seeks for a compromise between nations to cleanup the

existing space debris and prevent future accumulation

Suggested Resources

1. http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/st_space_49E.pdf

2. http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/topics/space-debris/index.html

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Committee_on_the_Peaceful_Uses_of_Ou

ter_Space

2. https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/the-economics-space-

junk/ARGKnCkIKMnzGyi63HpPHM/story.html

3. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html

4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3419432/Space-junk-isn-t-just-dangerous-

astronauts-trigger-WORLD-WAR-Collisions-satellites-debris-risk-sparking-conflicts-

nations.html

5. https://www.space.com/23039-space-junk-explained-orbital-debris-infographic.html

6. http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/doc/ARI/ARI%20Study%20Report/ACT-RPT-MAD-ARI-

10-6411-Pisa-Active_Removal_of_Space_Debris-Foam.pdf

7. http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nwgs/SatelliteCollision

-2-12-09.pdf

8. http://spacenews.com/op-ed-space-debris-prevention-remediation-or-mitigation/

9. https://www.space.com/24895-space-junk-wild-clean-up-concepts.html

http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/st_space_49E.pdf

http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/topics/space-debris/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Committee_on_the_Peaceful_Uses_of_Outer_Space

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Committee_on_the_Peaceful_Uses_of_Outer_Space

https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/the-economics-space-junk/ARGKnCkIKMnzGyi63HpPHM/story.html

https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/the-economics-space-junk/ARGKnCkIKMnzGyi63HpPHM/story.html

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3419432/Space-junk-isn-t-just-dangerous-astronauts-trigger-WORLD-WAR-Collisions-satellites-debris-risk-sparking-conflicts-nations.html



https://www.space.com/23039-space-junk-explained-orbital-debris-infographic.html

http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/doc/ARI/ARI%20Study%20Report/ACT-RPT-MAD-ARI-10-6411-Pisa-Active_Removal_of_Space_Debris-Foam.pdf

http://www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/doc/ARI/ARI%20Study%20Report/ACT-RPT-MAD-ARI-10-6411-Pisa-Active_Removal_of_Space_Debris-Foam.pdf

http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nwgs/SatelliteCollision-2-12-09.pdf

http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nwgs/SatelliteCollision-2-12-09.pdf

http://spacenews.com/op-ed-space-debris-prevention-remediation-or-mitigation/

https://www.space.com/24895-space-junk-wild-clean-up-concepts.html

centennial high school model united nations conference uncpuos · saturday 11 november 2017...

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