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PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE

The purpose of the ISY Mission to Planet Earth Conference was twofold:

1. Mission to Planet Earth The International Space Year will consist of coordinated activities carried out during the ISY time frame and coordinated planning for activities extending into the 21st century. Earth observation has emerged as a major (but not exclusive) theme of the ISY. It has particular potential for involving a wide range of participants, from non-launching as well as launching nations, using ground-based as well as space-based measurements. The ISY Mission to Planet Earth Conference permitted development of that theme by Earth scientists. It also allowed consideration of the ISY in the context of Earth science activities planned for the 1990's, including the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the Earth-observing platforms planned by space agencies. Together, those activities could develop into a Mission to Planet Earth that answers a genuine time-critical need amidst growing concern about global threats to the environment, such as the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion.

2. The Role of Space Agencies The ISY was conceived for the purpose of encouraging nations to cooperate in space in order to meet the unprecedented requirements of space exploration and development. National space activities are directed by space agencies or equivalent national bodies. This conference marked the first time that senior space agency officials with broad management responsibilities met to discuss overall space agency planning for the ISY. During planning for the IGY in the 1950's, space agencies were not involved because they did not yet exist in a meaningful sense. During the intervening three decades, space activities of unprecedented scope and complexity have developed under the aegis of NASA,ESA,IKI,NASDA,ISAS,CNES,ISRO, and other agencies wholly dedicated to space exploration and development. Those agencies have introduced a new dimension for international scientific cooperation. Traditional lines of communication among scientists through international bodies are now complemented by explicit collaboration between governments for the activities of their space agencies. Dramatic examples are the International Halley Mission of 1986 and a solar-terrestrial science program currently being planned. Thus, the agencies with operational responsibility for space missions must play a central role in ISY planning if the ISY is to realize its mission potential. The ISY Mission to Planet Earth Conference initiated that process.