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P 301550Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
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TAGS: TSPA TSPL ECPS KSCA BR
SUBJECT: BRAZILIAN MEDIA REACTION TO U.S. SPACE POLICY 
 
 
¶1. The following are excerpts from two recent media articles. 
Neither indicate that the Brazilians are contemplating a closer 
relationship with the United States in issues relating to space. 
 
"The Masters of Space", Correio Brasiliense, October 22, 2006 
 
The United States made public its first space policy reform in ten 
years this month...The changes not only limit space access to the 
nations that are allies to the North American government, but also 
sets guidelines so that no international treaty imposes any limits 
on Washington's actions on the sector.... 
 
The details of the new policy...are still confidential, but the 
document points out the growing importance to the U.S. of 
maintaining its dominance in space...its armies depend more and more 
on navigation and communication systems by satellite, cell phones, 
service companies such as GPS and even technology for data 
transmission.... 
 
The ... United States has been losing its influence (in space 
exploration)... since 2003, when the Columbia accident ...delayed 
NASA's work. Russia took over the top position for space 
transportation.  For example, the Brazilian astronaut Marcos Cesar 
Pontes, trained for eight years in the American Agency, but went to 
space on a Russian rocket.... 
 
The document ...practically confirms that the country will ... 
develop and put weapons in space,...and rekindle ...hostility in the 
aerospace sector, interrupting a cooperation phase that built the 
International Space Station, but could lead back to the Cold War. 
 
¶2. A second article indicated that AEB, the Brazilian Space Agency, 
wants Brazil to partner in Europe's Galileo program and that 
official negotiations are scheduled soon to begin.  The article 
indicated that the final decision would be made by the new Brazilian 
president 
 
"Country initiates official negotiations to participate in the 
Galileo positioning system", Folha de Sao Paulo, October 19, 2006 
 
Raimundo Mussi, manager of the Galileo Program in Brazil and the 
Technical Scientific Coordinator of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) 
said that Brazil "has three main objectives,...one is linked to the 
program's universe of applications, another to scientific 
development and the third to industrial issues.  We are talking of 
using data from Galileo for everything from our transport systems up 
to putting Brazilian industries on an international circuit." he 
said.   INPE Director Gilberto Camara is quoted as saying "the 
participation of Brazil in Galileo is extremely important.  I see 
this as extremely positive...It is always important, in terms of 
strategy, to have access to a system that could function, in the 
future, as a type of alternative to GPS, which was originally 
created by the North Americans for military uses." In the first 
phase, Brazil will not have any costs for participating in Galileo. 
 
SOBEL