Chapter6. Preparations for the Promotion of Space Activities 6- I Public Understanding It is the responsibility of those who take charge of space development to gain public understanding and support for space activities. In that context, public relations activities informing persons in every walk of life, particularly young people, about the significance of space development and its expected results are indispensable. Those activities will also provide people with an opportunity to see the development of space through various media, exhibitions, and meetings. It is, therefore, important to reinforce our public relations activities by taking the following measures: (1) Provide information on space development widely through TV, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. (2) Support science museums across the nation, and other aero-space related centers by providing space exhibits, video films, pictures, and other material and by sending experts. (3) Send more scientists and experts to symposiums, workshops, and other gatherings on space public relations. (4) Use " Space Day " and other events to conduct various space-related activities for school children, open space agency facilities to the public, and conduct public experiments. (5) Further strengthen cooperative PR activity between the public and the private sectors, and between Japan and other countries. 6- 2 Manpower Training Future space development will require more and better trained pesonnel in the space field. For this reason, special measures will be introduced to find and train the researchers and engineers who will be the main promoters of space development, and young people who will be responsible for this field in the future. These include: (1) Placing more emphasis on the under graduate and post graduate educational systems, to improve research and engineering staff training. Following the expected expansion of space activities in the 2lst century, efforts will be made to train researchers and engineers, not only in space science, astronomy, earth science, space medicine, but also in material science and life science using the space environment. Moreover, additional efforts will be made to train personnel in the fields of humanities and the social sciences, such as space law and space psychology. (2) Improve training for researchers and engineers in space development agencies. (3) Improve training and foreign study systems in relevant agencies, including personnel exchange programs with other research institutes and foreign countries. (4) Expand support for programs run for junior researchers, including university students. Such programs include summer seminars, space experiments using the space station, meeting with foreign researchers, and the use of laboratory facilities. There is another program, the satellite design contest, which publicly invites good design ideas. The possibility of using the winner's idea will be considered. (5) Young people's interest in space development is increasing, because they will be responsible for it in the next generation. Schools and other educational institutes are therefore expected to allow more time for space activities, including explanations of the significance of the development of space. More opportunities will be provided for young people to have on-site experience in space activities, such as participating in space camps and other space related social events. These opportunities will create incentives for them to join future space activities. Additional efforts will also be made to foster their instructors by providing training opportunities. (6) To expand our cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific regions, we will accept researchers and engineers from the region in our space development agencies, through exchange programs . 6-3 Facilitation of Information Flow Since space activities are connected with a number of scientific and technological disciplines and are subject to a rapid change, it is important to ensure the efficient use of research results, technical information, and observational data. To achieve that aim, an effort will be made to restructure the information flow system, such as relevant data bases and information networks . Moreover, we will also encourage the connection of our networks with foreign information networks, to provide domestic and foreign data on Earth observation and on space environment utilization to users. We will also ensure more effective distribution of development results over those networks. 6-4 Indirect Measures of Space Development (1) It is important to secure launch options to satisfy the likely increase in launch demands. Therefore, we will endeavor to obtain the full understanding of all persons concerned, and introduce proper measures. (2) As we receive cooperative support in the form of satellite tracking and control services from the U.S. and other countries, we will continue this kind of international cooperation. 6-5 Securing Financial Resources In order to implement the items proposed in the Fundamental Policy of Japan's Space Activities, we will try to share the financial burden with the private sector. Specifically, we will try to secure a steady increase in the national budget, and make use of other resources, including private ones. 6-6 Orderly Space Activities (1) For proper implementation of space activities at the international level, we will promote further advances in international areas like space treaties. (2) Taking into consideration our responsibilities as a result of changes in the international situation, we will take appropriate measures to secure safe maintenance and to prevent intervention. (3) In implementing our space activities, we must pay due attention to risk management. Space insurance is a useful means to this end. We will use such insurance appropriately, according to the characteristics of each satellite.