No nasa space launches now- partisan fighting and controversies prevent all funding Handberg 7-25
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- Space debris poses an equal if not greater threat than any weaponization of space Hsu 10
Impact Calc- MagnitudeSpace Debris should be weighed at the top of all security risks William 08 (Master of Laws at London University, Doctor of Law and Social Sciences University of Buenos Aires, Senrior Career Scientist at National Council for Scientific Research of Argentina, President of International Space Law Committee of the International Law Association, Professor of Public International Law at University of Buenos Aires, Professor of International Relations at University of Buenos Aires, Advisor to CONAE on international Space Law) Maureen Williams Security in Space- The Next Generation April 2008 “Safeguarding Outer Space: On the Road to Debris Mitigation” http://www.unidir.org/pdf/articles/pdf-art2818.pdf The military use of outer space is not a topic specifically addressed by COPUOS, but no doubt the delegations are sensing that weapon deployment may affect the safety of outer space activities. A common denominator to be drawn from the doctrine today concurs that space debris should be on the top of the list, followed by weaponization and natural near-Earth objects, such as asteroids and meteorites, and the risk of collisions with Earth. Space debris is an increasing threat to security in outer space. In addition to active satellites—as well as abandoned or inactive satellites—orbiting the Earth, small particles originating from collisions between these objects, known as “second generation debris” imply an extremely serious risk of collision with active satellites, sometimes with untold consequences. These small particles because of their size cannot be detected from Earth at the present state of the art. They travel at very high speeds (roughly 8km per second) and there are currently tens of thousands of those pieces in outer space. As to weaponization, it may be true to say that weapons of mass destruction have not, so far, been deployed in the space environment. Nevertheless, reconnaissance satellites and early warning satellites are constantly transmitting processed information which is then taken into account for decision-making . Article IV of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty6 contains somewhat obscure provisions concerning the demilitarization and denuclearization of outer space, the Moon and other celestial bodies. In fact this article has been the target of sharp criticism over the years. Moreover, this situation opens the door for interpretation with all the dangers and uncertainties involved thereby and which may run counter to the object and purpose of the treaty. Reminiscent of the wording of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the lack of clarity of Article IV becomes much more dangerous in the field of outer space: unlike the Antarctic Treaty, the Outer Space Treaty is unlimited both in time and scope. Voices have been raised advocating the amendment of Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty. Other views consider that the treaty should remain untouched and any changes be introduced by means of a separate instrument, be it a protocol, code of behaviour, UN resolution or the like. The recent Draft Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects, based on a working document on possible elements for a future treaty, submitted by the delegations of Russia and China to the Conference on Disarmament in 2002,7 embodies some interesting provisions in spite of excluding anti- satellite weapons which are today a most serious risk to space security. According to Victor Vasiliev (see his presentation in this volume), even though weapons that are not weapons of mass destruction may be lawfully deployed in outer space, they constitute a potential danger for other space objects and may affect the infrastructure on Earth. It is therefore surprising that anti-satellite weapons are excluded from that draft treaty having in mind that they are real stumbling blocks toward the strengthening of international cooperation, let alone transparency and confidence-building measures. Near-Earth objects, for their part, pose a real challenge from the legal standpoint. This question has been discussed for some time now at the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS. The information stemming therefrom will indeed prove useful to start thinking of a more precise legal framework to this growing risk to space security. Indeed the topic seems to be gaining momentum and a place on the agenda of academic institutions dealing with international space law.8 Space debris poses an equal if not greater threat than any weaponization of space Hsu 10 (Masters in Scientific Journalism from NYU, Writer for Popular Science, Writer for Scientific American Mind, Writer for Space.com) Jeremy Hsu December 23, 2010 Space.com, “Space Junk Rivals Weapons as Major Threat” http://www.space.com/10537-space-junk-rivals-weapons-major-threat.html What began as a minor trash problem in space has now developed into a full-blown threat. A recent space security report put the problem of debris on equal footing with weapons as a threat to the future use of space. Hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk — including broken satellites, discarded rocket stages and lost spacewalker tools — now crowd the corridors of Earth orbit. These objects could do serious damage to working spacecraft if they were to hit them, and might even pose a risk to people and property on the ground if they fall back to Earth and are large enough to survive re-entering the atmosphere. The new Space Security 2010 report released by the Space Security Index, an international research consortium, represented space debris as a primary issue. Similar recognition of the orbital trash threat also emerged in the U.S. national space policy unveiled by President Obama in June 2010. Such growing awareness of the space debris problem builds on stark warnings issued in past years by scientists and military commanders, experts said. It could also pave the way for U.S. agencies and others to better figure out how to clean up Earth orbit. Consideration of space debris as a major threat may cause the United States to take a more global view on the threat of space weapons, said Brian Weeden, a former U.S. Air Force orbital analyst and now technical adviser for the Secure World Foundation, an organization dedicated to the sustainable use of space. "This is an important realization, because before that much of the security focus was on threats from hostile actors in space," Weeden explained. "This is the first [national policy] recognition that threats can come from the space environment and nonhostile events." All those bits of garbage in space could eventually create a floating artificial barrier that endangers spaceflight for any nation, experts said. 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