Australia, U.S. Laud Euro Initiative on Space Junk Resolution
The initiative pitched by Europe on resolving the threats of space junks that litter over Earth's atmosphere gained conditional nod from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week.
Australia, at the same time, signaled its intention to support the snowballing international efforts to curb the dangers of the leftover debris that man had created over decades of activities in space.
According to Space.com, Ms Clinton affirmed that the space junks, which now comprise some half-a-million floating debris, bring with them realistic dangers that in the future could potentially disrupt man's beyond Earth.
The likely threats from the floating garbage, the U.S. official conceded, would be best addressed through coordinated efforts coming from the international community.
Ms Clinton also blamed what she called as 'irresponsible actors' who contributed to the rising numbers of space junks without admitting that America could be one of the guilty parties.
However, Ms Clinton noted that while the United Sates praised the proposed European measures against apace junks, their current form has convinced her government to reserve its full participation until necessary adjustments have been adopted.
"As we begin this work, the United States has made clear to our partners that we will not enter into a code of conduct that in any way constrains our national security-related activities in space or our ability to protect the United States and our allies," Space.com reported Ms Clinton as saying in a statement on Wednesday.
With emphasis on national security concerns, Ms Clinton stressed that U.S. role in developing an international code of conduct to address the problem would hinge greatly on how other participants would accommodate America's issues.
On its part, Australia has expressed eagerness to be part of the initiative that hopefully would reduce the hazards posed by space junks.
In a statement, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said that his country is supportive of measures that would minimise threats to man's activities above Earth.
Prime concern of those wanting to address the issue soon is the danger faced by the International Space Station and the numerous satellites circling above that many countries rely on for their everyday normal activities.
"Everything from aircraft and ship navigation, to electronic commerce, communications, climate monitoring and disaster management, not to mention many of our defence systems, all rely on satellites," Mr Rudd was quoted by The Register as saying on Thursday.
Nations developing space weapon systems are also contributing to the problem, the senior Australian minister added.