An Australian Space Agency At Last?

Dante_J writes "In the Australian Federal budget presented last night, as well as big national infrastructure spending, an amount of $48.6 million over four years was allocated for an 'Australian Space Science Program.' Normally a space program is managed by a space agency. Does this now mean that Australia will follow the recommendations of the Senate Space Science report and give up its rather inadequate title of the only top-20 GDP nation not to have one? With nations like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Bulgaria forming or maintaining space agencies, this government infrastructure is obviously not limited to G-20 nations. Discussions to combine Australian and New Zealand airspace have been undertaken; should that translate to aerospace too, and both nations form an ANZAC space agency together?"

Comments

Not enough

[QuantumG]

Funding of $40.0 million over four years will be available for the establishment of the Australian Space Research Program, which will support space research, innovation and skills development.

Funding of $8.6 million over four years will help establish a Space Policy Unit in the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research to coordinate Australia's national and international civil space activities, including partnerships with international space agencies.

Umm.. yeah. $10 million a year, until the next government gets in and cancels it. That should, umm, do a lot!

Re:Not enough

[flyingsquid]

The $10 million per year funds development of an advanced, lightweight carbon-fiber device, the Primitive Orbital UNit Cargo Holder, or POUCH. This device is attached to the side of US and Russian launch vehicles, and the Australians can then place tiny rockets and satellites in the POUCH to launch them into orbit. Launch vehicles are recovered using a novel mechanism. Giant steel springs are attached to the bottom of the launch vehicles; after reentering the atmosphere, the vehicles hit the ground, compressing the springs, and the energy is then dissipated as the vehicle bounces across the Australian outback using a hopping motion.

Possible NZ Contribution

[IntentionalStance]

I live in NZ and was about to make a disparaging comment about his little nation but instead decided to do a bit of googling and found:

• Bill Pickering was responsible for Explorer 1 - the first US satellite
• NZ is participating in the Square Kilometer Array
• and there's RocketLabs

Just a quick google so I am sure there's lot's more

Re:g'day mate

[InfiniteLoopCounter]

Well drag me to hell...what does an island nation, sitting well below the equator, need with a space program anyhow.

Because future technology may come out of space science and astrophysics. Things like GPS and satellite communications are already here now. But to really benefit from advancements, you have to be properly in it.

And then there's the 'prestige' of not having to send people overseas. It's a good thing that space science is getting funded in Australia along side other scientific disciplines and hospitals.

Spaaaaaaaaace

[JudgeSlash]

In space, no-one can hear the dingo taking your baby...

Re:Yeah, but -

[Anonymous Coward]

We just unbolt them from the ground and they fall into space.

Ten Million a Year!

[paulkoan]

Just enough to fund the committee that will take four years to discuss whether an Agency is necessary.

Re:Australian Labor Governments

[Anonymous Coward]

Unlike the Liberal government, which just pulls existing public spending, sells national assets to their crony mates, burns the cash on useless services and calls it "privatization".

Hello Telstra sale. What did the public get for their money there? A short term tax cut. What did that tax cut cost us? A royal ass fucking from a now unleashed national monopoly.

Thanks Howard, you bushy eyebrowed hobbit.

ANZAC?

[grim-one]

"form an ANZAC Space Agency together" So that'd be an Australia and New Zealand Army Corps Space Agency then?

Re:g'day mate

[mjwx]

Well drag me to hell...what does an island nation, sitting well below the equator, need with a space program anyhow.

I know the parent is a troll but...

Using " to indicate degrees as I haven't figured out how to get ./ to render a proper degrees symbol.

Australia's most northern point is 10"41 S (cape york, QLD), the US's most southern point is 18"56 N in Hawaii or 24"33 N on the US mainland (Key West, Fl)

Australia's most northern capital city Darwin, NT is 12"29 S whislt the US's most southern capital city is Florida, FL is 25:46 N

Australia's biggest problem is that it's fairly low lying country but really so is Florida, where Cape Canaveral is located. As I pulled all of this out of Google Earth fairly quickly I don't have avg elevations for NT, QLD and FL.