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Invest in human capital Key recommendations ➢ Treat the public as space stakeholders and end users. ➢ Invest in education at all levels, offering remote study options to increase equality of opportunity. ➢ Ensure key local employers identify skill gaps and validate qualifications. ➢ Build tacit knowledge through international exchanges. ➢ Encourage the return of experts through incentives and start-up investments. uman capital requires extensive investment to ensure successful space programs. Investing in education and training is essential towards developing high-tech and niche capabilities that appeal to international markets. Steady research funding and a range of educational programs at all levels can also help reduce brain drain among highly trained specialists, who otherwise may pursue opportunities in other countries.330
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Raising public awareness of the uses of space and its importance to the economy, society and national security is a key aspect of human capital investment. This can be achieved by treating the public as end users and stakeholders for space activity.331 The European Space Agency (ESA)
implemented this approach in 2016, when it organized a citizens’ debate on space for Europe, in which 2,000 citizens discussed the use of space and the role of ESA.332 Such initiatives can help guide priorities, while generating support among the public. It Is important to enable discourse at the local, national and international levels. There are many existing open-source resources that can be freely used to engage with communities at all levels. In Brazil, the Mars Society at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte uses scientific NASA and ESA public tools to promote learning about Space. The group uses social media platforms, such as Facebook, as well as messaging service WhatsApp to generate a sense of community, promote public outreach and support international space collaboration.333 Support for initiatives such as these may contribute to knowledge sharing and greater support for national space initiatives and international collaboration. Art and culture is central to developing public awareness of space. Art installations, writing competitions, visual media and music performance are just some of the ways in which space can be brought to the forefront of the public imagination. Before citizens pursue education or careers in space, they need to be able to visualize their role in space. Artists, musicians and storytellers are not expensive, and a little funding can go a
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International Space University (2017). Ibid. 332 Ibid. 333 Rezende, Julio, Alvara Oliveira, Davi Souza and Dalmo Santos (2020) Motivating for Space in Brazil. ICES. https://ttuir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2346/86489/ICES-2020-444.pdf?sequence=1 331
EQUITABLE ACCESS TO SPACE
INTERPLANETARY INITIATIVE
