Frontiers of Space Risk: Natural Cosmic Hazards & Societal Challenges

by Richard J. Wilman (Editor), Christopher J. Newman (Editor)

Overview

CHOICE Recommended Title, March 2019

This book brings together diverse new perspectives on current and emerging themes in space risk, covering both the threats to Earth-based activities arising from space events (natural and man-made), and those inherent in space activity itself. Drawing on the latest research, the opening chapters explore the dangers from asteroids and comets; the impact of space weather on critical technological infrastructure on the ground and in space; and the more uncertain threats posed by rare hazards further afield in the Milky Way.

Contributors from a wide range of disciplines explore the nature of these risks and the appropriate engineering, financial, legal, and policy solutions to mitigate them. The coverage also includes an overview of the space insurance market; engineering and policy perspectives on space debris and the sustainability of the space environment. The discussion then examines the emerging threats from terrorist activity in space, a recognition that space is a domain of war, and the challenges to international cooperation in space governance from the nascent asteroid mining industry.

Features:

• Discusses developments and risks relevant to the public and private sectors as access to the space environment expands
• Offers an interdisciplinary approach blending science, technology, and policy
• Presents a high-level international focus, with contributions from academics, policy makers, and commercial space consultants

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367571436
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Richard J. Wilman is Assistant Professor (Teaching) at Durham University, UK. He obtained a PhD in astrophysics from Cambridge University, followed by research posts in the UK, The Netherlands, and Australia.

Christopher J. Newman is Professor of Space Law and Policy at Northumbria University, UK. He has a PhD in cross-comparative constitutional law and has been active in the teaching and research of Space Law for several years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Editors ix

Contributors xi

Chapter 1 Introduction Christopher J. Newman Richard J. Wilman 1

Chapter 2 Asteroid and Cometary impact Hazards Mark E. Bailey 15

Chapter 3 Space Weather: The Sun as a Natural Hazard Mike Hapgood 37

Chapter 4 Hazards and Habitability: Galactic Perspectives Richard J. Wilman Pratika Dayal Martin J. Ward 77

Chapter 5 Space Debris: Risk and Mitigation Camilla Colombo Francesca Letizia Mirko Trisolini Hugh Lewis 105

Chapter 6 Commercial Space Risks, Spacecraft Insurance, and the Fragile Frontier Mark Williamson 143

Chapter 7 Space Sustainability Christopher D. Johnson 165

Chapter 8 Space Activity and the Nascent Risk of Terrorism Ben Middleton 189

Chapter 9 Reconciling the Past, Present, and Future of National Security. Military Activity, and Space Law Michael J. Listner 207

Chapter 10 Managing the Resource Revolution: Space Law in the New Space Age Thomas Cheney Christopher J. Newman 245

Index 271

Editorial Reviews

"Space has been called the final frontier. This assumption has driven science fiction into reality. In fact, the real frontier is the changes we as a society will face as the space frontier is further broached. Frontiers of Space Risk is a collection of essays that examines risks related to space, including both cosmic hazards to the Earth arising from natural causes—meteor and asteroid impacts or impact-caused tsunamis, for example—and man-made ones, such as space debris; included is a discussion of space as a domain for war. Even hypothetical risks are covered, such as the perceived threat arising from the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
Wilman (astrophysics, Durham Univ., UK) and Newman (space law, Northumbria Univ., UK) bring together contributors from multiple disciplines to examine interdisciplinary approaches to mitigating these risks with a fascinating blend of engineering, science, and policy. Through 10 chapters and a manageable 285 pages, this work is replete with intrigue, footnotes, and a useable index. This is a practical addition to current discussions for the beginner, novice, and professional alike.
Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels."
—R. I. Saltz, Independent scholar, in CHOICE, March 2019

From the Publisher