{"285101":{"#nid":"285101","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"Why is Syria launching a space program during a civil war?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EDr. Mariel Borowitz looks into Syria\u0027s move into space-related research:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ESyria\u0027s interest in a space agency may be practical or symbolic. Space technologies can provide some practical benefits for nations, even those that are less developed. Communications satellites can be used to provide connections in remote areas - whether for telemedicine, tele-education, or other uses. (For example,\u0026nbsp;theIndian Space Research Organization - ISRO - has invested in these types of technologies.) Earth observation satellites can be used for environmental studies, land use planning, disaster management\/ disaster relief, among other uses. Organizations like NASA SERVIR exist to encourage nations to use satellite remote sensing data to solve national challenges, and other nations develop indigenous remote sensing satellites for\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;same purpose. Satellite remote sensing data can also be used to monitor conflict, particularly if\u0026nbsp;thedata is high-resolution. For example, Amnesty International has used satellite data to monitor shelling in Syria. In addition to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;practical benefits of data use, a space agency can also help to increase\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;science and technology capacity of a nation, as individuals are trained to work with this data, and as new and improved applications are developed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;Syrian government may also be hoping to get some symbolic benefit from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;development of a space agency. Space activities generally involve advanced science and technology; participating in these activities may provide a sense of technological advancement, even at a time of crisis. Participation in space activities is often seen as a source of prestige for a nation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003EI don\u0027t know of any precedent for creating a space agency during a civil war. However,the\u0026nbsp;original space race between\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Soviet Union and\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;United States took place during\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;cold war, and was used as a source of technological prestige and competition. Demonstrating space capabilities was seen as representative of military or economic power. Syria could be hoping to get a similar prestige benefit from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;creation of its space agency.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p3\u0022\u003EWhether or not a space agency is feasible depends significantly on what Syria hopes to accomplish with its space agency. However, I would say it is possible, as space activities are actually very scalable. At\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;least, a country can benefit from even a very small agency (a few space experts) by participating in international organization like\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space - ensuring that their nation has a voice in these fora. A small space agency may also benefit from focusing on how to use existing data from other nations\u0027 space assets for their own benefit (for example, all of NASA\u0027s Earth observation data is freely available - this could be used by Syrian scientists or others for environmental research, land use planning, etc.). Both of these activities would require very few people and a very small investment. (Small agencies are not uncommon - for example, Ecuador\u0027s space agency had 7 employees in 2012, Portugal had 5, Mexico had 50. There are a number of space agencies that invest less than 10 million per year in their space activities.)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003EIf Syria decided to invest more, they could follow\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;trend of Nigeria, Turkey, Algeria, and other nations that have developed small national satellites for practical uses - usually Earth observation or communications satellites - usually by contracting with another organization or country. Both SSTL in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;United Kingdom and\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Great Wall Company in China have worked with other nations to develop relatively simple satellites while also training engineers from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;purchasing nation. More advanced satellite development, exploration, or launch capabilities would require much larger programs - both in terms of people and funding - and seem much less practical for Syria. So, a small program focused on participation in international organizations and\/or application of existing space-based data to Syrian issues would likely be feasible - development of more advanced satellites or launch vehicles significantly less so.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27751","created_gmt":"2014-03-24 12:53:11","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 02:27:02","author":"Vince Pedicino","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"black caucus","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"http:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2014\/3\/21\/5532702\/syria-announces-space-program-as-civil-war-rages","dateline":{"date":"2014-03-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-03-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"},{"id":"1286","name":"Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy (CISTP)"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"89871","name":"Borowitz"},{"id":"795","name":"CISTP"},{"id":"851","name":"INTA"},{"id":"167146","name":"space"},{"id":"167781","name":"Syria"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}