Guest: Dr. Kai-Uwe Schrogl. Topics: European space policy. We welcomed Dr. Kai-Uwe Schrogl, Director of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) to the show. Please visit their website for more information at www.espi.or.at. In our first segment, Dr. Schrogl told us what ESPI was and what they do. Note that he stressed they were a think tank, not an academic research center or educational institution. During this discussion, we compared and contrasted many aspects of European space policy with policy here in the States. Our guest also stressed public private partnerships and space cooperation. Later in this segment, I asked the question about the impact of European and Euro economic problems on space spending and planning in Europe. You might be surprised with his response to that question. In the second segment, we talked about a Transatlantic space policy perspective. Here, our guest explained European space policy goals and plans and opportunities. We also inquired about the European general population and its concern for spending on space versus other issues here on the ground. As you will hear, this type of concern and question is diminishing in Europe so you don't want to miss the discussion and explanation. It seems Europeans have far more of a space awareness level than we do here in the United States. Another issue that came up was the focus we in the States have on going to Mars. Dr. Schrogl talked about the importance to Europe of the ISS and even returning to the Moon, not so much Mars. STEM education in Europe came up and we compared that to the U.S. too. Don't miss this analysis! We learned that space tourism was a big and important issue along with space debris management. Dr. Schrogl then told us about the Draft Rules of the Road Code of Conduct paper his organization produced. You can find it at www.espi.or.at/images/stories/dokumente/Perspectives/espi%20perspective…. In our third and final segment, we continued discussing the Code of Conduct and added in the issue of space traffic management. We then switched to ITAR, both its impact in the U.S. and throughout Europe. Dr. Schrogl also explained that there was no European wide ITAR equivalent but that each member state had its own type of ITAR which resulted in some overlapping of important issues. Operationally Responsive Space came up and we learned that there is both a military and a civilian approach to this subject in Europe. If you have a question or comment for our guest, Dr. Kai-Uwe Schrogl, please email him at kai-uwe.schrogl@espi.or.at.
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The Space Show
