28.Iv.1430
(Pre.S. if you're willing to translate this note into good Arabic, lemme know)
- These are in no particular order, so even though some points might seem weak, subsequent others may be better.
- A space program or rather a space orientation need not replicate the traditional history of the first space agencies. It can encompass both technical and cultural objectives and directions. So although a bit misleading or limiting, the term "spc prgrm" is used throughout with this sense in mind.
- A spc prgrm can provide indirect help to education and curricula by galvanizing and motivating a lot of science discussions - now that it would be in the national landscape
- Likewise it has a beneficial effect on general morale - eg a source of pride - even despite the prevalent difficult qlty of life issues
- Participation can occur in cooperation with other regional space bodies, by contributing experiments, research, software, components, materials (ranging from insulation to optical surfaces) trainees, or whatever a given budget allows.
- In terms of the modern history of actual astronautics we have forfeited the leading position and so far have also foregone the position of contributors to the advances being made. But being merely on the consuming end - as we have been in so many other technological areas - is patently unacceptable - and no longer affordable.
- Being on the consuming end of spacefaring technology ,rather than the producing end has negative cultural and economic reprecussions on what is almost certainly the direction of future industry and world trade - extra terrestrial mineral exploitation and trade.
Not to mention that the mastery of spacefaring technology is imperative for a strong position in the long term future economy.
To clarify, the less contributing a region is, the less room it will have to stake claims on spacefaring services, legislation and opportunities.
For instance just as happened in Antarctica, and happening in the Arctic, there will be a rush to lay national claims to large patches of the Moon.
Unlike the distance from Antarctica and the arctic which kept a lot of big nations from taking an important interest in staking claims there (though even India and Germany have stations teams or personnel there), the Moon is equally distant for everybody.
There are obvious strategic implications if a given region, like the arab world, or individually at the state level, is unable to expand its claims the way space faring nations will be doing.
This makes a close involvement with local regional and international space efforts an imperative for any sensible long term planning.
- Potential to create a local market for local labor, as well as clean and high-tech industries to fulfill foreign demand.
- Boost to scientific research and science enrollement
- On the generalized arab and Muslim levels, there have been Arab astronauts, contributors to space missions, researchers, and financiers of space technological advances. On the generalized Muslim level , as can be expected, there are a number of Muslim countries that contain active cosmodromes or are otherwise actively engaged in local or international space projects.
In fact one of the earliest known instances of the invention of the rocket is attributed to a Muslim sultan.
(check out a chronology or timeline of muslim (islamic) science and technology that i started at Wikipedia)
This is to say nothing of the existing military aerospace expertise and tech that exists in nearly every muslim and every arab country (or at least most of the bigger ones).
In brief, the historical foundation and "roots" is not as desolate or sparse as I'd have thought more than a decade ago.
- A local program is great. But a much better program can be fashioned at the regional level - perhaps extending beyond just Arab league membership to include other sister-nations in the region both in the near east and Africa.
- an active large scientific program at the regional level would also have the welcome effect of improving and intensifying (if not vivifying) inter-campus communication and collaboration among the many Arab universities and programs. If i'm not mistaken, I believe Egypt can stand to benefit from such exchanges, particularly with the gulf and with the Maghreb - as well as hopefully all the others too. The intellectual potential alone is gigantic, provided infrastructure and meaningful direction.
- In broad technical terms, a space program need NOT necessarily have to set a goal like putting a man on an asteroid next to Le Petit Prince - or on the moon.
On the contrary, participation in a "space program" can choose to focus on one of the myriad technologies involved, from suit and tiling material design and manufacture, to optic instruments, to development of software systems, fault tolerance , simulations and so on.
So in addition to the core fun stuff of aerospace engineering, propulsion advances, vehicle design, etc. , a country like Egypt can participate (if it doesn't already) in projects with JAXA or ESA.
It can also consist in scholarships and grants for smarty pants graduates to pursue higher studies and training abroad.
- [update 23.V.MMIX] A space transportation committee should be established - not unlike similarly named institutions in industrialized nations. Just like analogs exist for air transportation, such a committee should at the least monitor all space (orbital and suborbital) transit above its territorial jurisdictions - as well as those transport projects that involve member states;
for instance, it would be an aggregation point for all arab satellite and other orbital assets.
Its role should be to monitor and where possible regulate space transport and transit in line with a general set of goals and objectives as determined in a given "space program" - or bet yet, a regional civil and commercial space strategy.
Perhaps such institutions exist, at the civic or mil. levels, perhaps not. What is important is the shaping of their roles and scope of regional and international cooperation based on a unified strategy.
- On the cultural side an orientation toward high tech should involve the promotion of local cultural artifacts connected to science, such as obivously , home-grown sci-fi , quality mass media programming in the sciences and tech , and not just imported stuff.
Crucially, it makes a big difference when a kid grows up and takes in science and knowledge from local resource - hopefully in good quality - because it is as though the kid inherits it from his/her own culture , rather than precede every scientific endeavour with that figurative stepping into the Anglophile culture to peruse its academic texts, or educational media.
- These are just some quick notes from a proposal for an arab space program that is in need of rewriting and organization, not to mention a proper venue for it.
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