World Space Week (04/10)

The week of 4 to 10 October was proclaimed World Space Week by the UN General Assembly on 6 December 1999 (resolution 54/68) to celebrate the contribution that space science and technology makes to improving human well-being.

These dates bring to mind such events as the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in the USSR on October 4, 1957 and the entry into force on October 10, 1967 of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space.

The idea to establish World Space Week first arose at the 3rd UN World Space Conference. At this forum, the Moroccan delegation put forward a proposal to proclaim July 20 as World Space Day, coinciding with the day of the landing of the US expedition to the Moon.

The proposal of the Moroccan delegation was received very ambiguously. Most delegations expressed support for the idea of proclaiming a special World Space Day. However, the date itself caused widespread discussion. The Russian delegation, while supporting the idea itself in principle, nevertheless could not agree with the date of July 20, since it is not entirely correct and fair from a historical point of view. According to the Russian delegation, the space era in human history began on October 4, 1957, when the USSR launched the first artificial Earth satellite for the first time in the world.

Taking into account this argument, the Russian delegation introduced an amendment to the Moroccan proposal proposing October 4 as the date of World Space Day. Russia was actively supported by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, India, Cuba, South Africa and a number of other countries. Some other countries have made a counter-proposal to — to celebrate this date on October 10, when the Outer Space Treaty came into force. And the representative of Germany even proposed transferring this issue for consideration to the UN Space Committee.

At the height of the discussion, the Iranian delegate made his proposal. He proposed celebrating not World Space Day, but World Space Week, which could begin on October 4 and end on October 10. Such an unexpected proposal found support among most countries, including Russia, since it was based on two important dates for it. The proposal for World Space Week was supported unanimously by the conference participants.

Today, World Space Week is the largest annual event on a global scale dedicated to space exploration. The idea of this event, by inspiring students, contributes to the formation of a class of future specialists, solves issues of public education in the field of space activities, and also promotes the development of international cooperation in space propaganda and educational work.

Thus, over the past few years, about 90 countries have already taken part in Space Week events. Moreover, every year events are held under a specific theme, which is selected by the Association of the Board of Directors in close cooperation with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs.

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