From news on drunk astronauts to the severity of shuttle damage, GW's Space Policy Institute is always available for knowledgeable comments on seminal debates in the world of space policy.
Founded in 1987 as a scholarly reaction to the absence of think tanks dedicated to space policy, the institute has become a cornerstone to advancing globally effective space strategies in the United States and abroad and is working to become one of the leading international think tanks and graduate programs in the field.
"(In 1987) there was a huge need for an individual think tank to discuss space policy," said John M. Logsdon, principal founder and director of the Space Policy Institute. The following year, Logsdon pursued what he called the "market opportunity" to create a program within GW dedicated solely to the study and advancement of global space policies.
Today, the institute focuses on issues such as space security, international space relations and interplanetary expeditions.
As a part of its 2006 "Space Security" initiative, the institute held several workshops overseas to facilitate international discussions about the necessary steps to create a "collective space security" among nations, Logsdon said.
In May of 2006, a workshop took place in Paris, and featured leading space analysts and officials from all over Europe, he said. This past April, the workshop was in Tokyo, where the institute worked with the Monterey Institute of International Studies and the Tokyo-based Research Institute for Peace and Security.
The institute brought forth many new international ideas about a collective space security system, ranging from increased space situational awareness to a multilateral space code of conduct. Logsdon, who supervised the initiative, said the workshops served as an effort to "make space secure for all space users."
The students within the program are constantly surrounded by such real-world initiatives in the classroom.
Founded in 1987 as a scholarly reaction to the absence of think tanks dedicated to space policy, the institute has become a cornerstone to advancing globally effective space strategies in the United States and abroad and is working to become one of the leading international think tanks and graduate programs in the field.
"(In 1987) there was a huge need for an individual think tank to discuss space policy," said John M. Logsdon, principal founder and director of the Space Policy Institute. The following year, Logsdon pursued what he called the "market opportunity" to create a program within GW dedicated solely to the study and advancement of global space policies.
Today, the institute focuses on issues such as space security, international space relations and interplanetary expeditions.
As a part of its 2006 "Space Security" initiative, the institute held several workshops overseas to facilitate international discussions about the necessary steps to create a "collective space security" among nations, Logsdon said.
In May of 2006, a workshop took place in Paris, and featured leading space analysts and officials from all over Europe, he said. This past April, the workshop was in Tokyo, where the institute worked with the Monterey Institute of International Studies and the Tokyo-based Research Institute for Peace and Security.
The institute brought forth many new international ideas about a collective space security system, ranging from increased space situational awareness to a multilateral space code of conduct. Logsdon, who supervised the initiative, said the workshops served as an effort to "make space secure for all space users."
The students within the program are constantly surrounded by such real-world initiatives in the classroom.
