Date:05/01/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/05/stories/2003010504800100.htm

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Kalam calls for global space force to protect satellites

By P. Sunderarajan

The President, A.P.J Abdul Kalam, addressing the 90th session of the Indian Science Congress in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Bangalore Jan. 4. History was made today at the Indian Science Congress, which is under way here, with the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, not only participating in the proceedings, but also presenting a paper. This is the first time in the 90-year old history of the ISC that a President has attended it.

Titled ``Vision for the Global Space Community,'' Dr. Kalam's 15-page document sought to provide a roadmap on how the global community of space scientists could work towards removing poverty, illiteracy and unemployment and bring about a "prosperous, happy and secure planet earth.''

The moment he ascended the podium, the scientist in Dr. Kalam came to the fore, and he delivered a 30-minute passionate speech on a subject close to his heart. Addressing himself to a galaxy of top administrators of several space agencies from across the world, who were participating in a special `space summit' organised as part of the Science Congress, he urged the world space community to put together a system whereby terrestrial geo-politics were not drawn into outer space.

A special international space force could be set up with the participation of all nations to protect satellites and other space assets with a basic understanding that they belonged to the entire humanity. The space force should be made up of all nations willing to participate and contribute to the protection of world space assets in a manner which would enable the peaceful use of space on a global cooperative basis without the looming threat of conflict on earth. ``I am sure India would contribute its best to the creation and sustenance of such an international space force,'' he said.

Dr. Kalam emphasised the ``tremendous role" space technology could play in not only adding value to the way humanity practised agriculture, conducted its industrial activity and provided and accessed education and health care, but also in providing solutions to global concerns such as energy crisis, water scarcity and mineral exploitation, leading man-nature conflicts.

Dr. Kalam said that in the next 25 years, even as the world population could touch eight billion, as many as seven billion could be living under conditions of moderate, if not extreme, water scarcity.Space science and technology could help meet the problem squarely by enabling identification of new sources and also redistribution of the existing avenues.

Already, space technology had begun to provide solutions to the fundamental problems of humanity in a limited way such as through the use of satellite imagery for land and water management and through satellite-based e-education and connectivity activities. But, this was just a beginning and the tip of the iceberg, Dr. Kalam said. To tap its full potential, there was need for greater international collaboration.