Abstract
Space safety is necessary for the sustainable development and performance of space missions. Space safety best practices are important in almost any kind of space mission, manned or unmanned, commercial, scientific, exploratory, and even military. Space safety aims to protect human lives relevant infrastructures in space and on ground, and affected Earth, orbital, and planetary environments. As the pace of space exploration and commercial exploitation increases, without improved space safety practices and standards, billions of dollars (US) of space assets, many astronaut lives, and even people here on Earth could all be increasingly in peril.
This chapter introduces the many facets of safety that must be addressed by spacefaring nations around the world. This chapter assesses a wide range of space safety risks in relation to the various flight phases, from launch, to on-orbit operations, to reentry while stressing the importance of new forms of international agreement to coordinate areas such as space traffic management.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ailor W, Wilde P (2008) Requirements for warning aircraft of re-entering debris. In: Proceedings of IAASS conference on space safety (2010) Huntsville, Alabama
Cucinotta F, Kim M-HY, Chappell LJ (2011) Space radiation cancer risk projections and uncertainties – 2010. National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Washington, DC. (publisher)/TP-2011-216155
Helton-Ingram S et al. (2005) Federal Aviation Administration report to the space and air traffic executive board on the plan to mitigate air traffic hazards posed by the space shuttle return to flight re-entry. FAA, Washington, DC. (publisher)
Hobbs A, Adelstein B, O’hara J, Null C (2008) Three principles of human-system integration. In: Proceedings of the 8th Australian aviation psychology symposium, Melbourne
Jakhu R, Sgobba T, Trujillo M (2010) An international civil aviation and space organization. In: Proceedings of IAASS conference, 2010, Huntsville, Alabama
Leveson N (2003) White paper on approaches to safety engineering. MIT
Liou LC, Johnson NL (2006) Instability of the present LEO satellite populations. COSPAR
Logsdon M, Launius R (2008) Human spaceflight: projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. NASA Smithsonian Press, Washington, DC, pp 2008–4407
NRC – Committee for Evaluation of Space Radiation Cancer Risk Model (2012) Technical evaluation of the NASA model for cancer risk to astronauts due to space radiation. National Academies Press, Washington, DC
Olsen JA (2010) A History of Air Warfare. Potomac Books, Washington
Ray HA, Burns FT (1976) Development and qualification of Gemini Escape System. NASA TN D-4031
Safety Review Process (2009) International space station program, NASA SSP 30599, Rev. E. Resource document. http://kscsma.ksc.nasa.gov/GSRP/Document/ssp%2030599%20reve.pdf. Accessed 1 June 2012
“Titanic” Inquiry project. Resource Document (1912). http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTReport/BOTRep01.php. Accessed 1 June 2012
Trujillo M, Sgobba T (2011) ESA human rating requirements: status. In: Proceedings of the IAASS Conference on Space Safety, Versailles
Vetter R, Baker ES, Bartlett DT, Borak TB, Langhorst SM, McKeever SWS, Miller J (2002) Operational radiation safety program for astronauts in low-earth orbit: a basic framework, Report No. 142
Zupp G (1995) A perspective on the human-rating process of U.S. spacecraft: both past and present. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC. (publisher)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pelton, J., Sgobba, T., Trujillo, M. (2020). Space Safety. In: Schrogl, KU. (eds) Handbook of Space Security. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23210-8_50
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23210-8_50
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23209-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23210-8
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics