Space and economy

     1.I think the theme of our conference is very urgent nowadays and I will try to explain my point of view.

      Having entered the twenty-first century, we have unimaginable array of technology and a generation of young people schooled in these technologies.

     If we compare technologies of 1960s and 1970s, when major achievements in space exploration were made, we might be very surprised. 40 years of advancement have given us the ability to do even more in rocketry and computing and everywhere else.

     As the student of the World Economy faculty, I was especially interested in the economic side of the space exploration. Because I really believe that the nation investing much more money in space research and development than any other one will be more successful. In my work I tried to compare the scientific, financial and business experience of different countries. In my opinion, space achievements could provide a decision of various issues such as environmental protection, overpopulation, global warming, energy resource scarcity etc.  

     2.Nowadays Russia calls for more active involvement of private companies to implement space programs.  Manned space systems have become quite expensive, so it is desirable to attract private investments actively, as it is happening in the USA now. In Russia big business is not embedded in the space projects because the return on investments in this sphere takes a long time.

     3.In 2001 the Russian budget invested only the half of minimal level which was required to implement the Russian space program. Even India invested more than our country in the space development that year. Russia makes only two launches a year and it has not been engaged in the manned space program yet.

     Rosaviakosmos requested for 2001 3 billion roubles. Those measures were necessary to perform the minimum amount of the federal space program though the state budget provided only 1.4 billion roubles for that purpose.

     4.Compared with Russia Japanese companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI(ай) will design the construction of a large and powerful space power generators valued $ 21 billion. The companies plan over the next 30 years is to place on the orbit of the planet generator of 1 GW (gig watt) capacity, which will constantly produce electricity, transmitted to the Earth. The main task of the project is to establish by 2013 a new technology that will enable to transmit electricity wirelessly from space to the planet. Now it sounds like science fiction, but space generating on the basis of photoelectrical panels can be very important alternative source of energy.

     6.New leadership of the RSC “Energy” Vitaly Lopota has already tipped an ambitious mission “Space must become a tool for raising level of science, the prestige and also the economic potential of the country”.

     And here are some figures:

• ITAR-TASS reported that the new president Lopota plans to introduce anti-crisis financial management.
• In 2007, the Federal Space Agency and the U.S. Agency signed a contract valuing $ 760 million, according to which the RSC “Energy” will build for NASA several manned and cargo spacecraft.
• According to Russian accounting standards Rocket-Space Corporation (RSC) “Energy”, one of the leading in Russian aerospace industry, from January to March in 2010, earned a net profit 185.9 million roubles, compared with a loss 20.4 million roubles in the first quarter of last year. Corporation’s revenue for this period increased by 39,8%.

     7.At the present level of the development of space science and technology, there may be two objectives: the expedition to the Moon or to Mars. The moon is closer but presents only a geological interest. Mars can also give clues to understanding the origin of life on the Earth and in the future to become a subject of colonization.

     8.Technologically, Russia has already “overgrown” the Moon. It is obvious because RSC “Energy” has already developed the economically acceptable draft of the first stage of the expedition to Mars that is a nonstop orbital mission.

     In conclusion I would like to say that the main aim of our generation is to make space exploration the tool for recovery of Science and Technology of  Russia as well the credibility and prestige of our country.

     We need to explore Space, using a combination of automated probes and manned missions.

Humans need to explore Space, because by not doing so, we are denying our creative and curious nature.