International Space Year
Encyclopedia
The International Space Year was 1992, the five-hundredth anniversary of 1492, the year of Christopher Columbus
's voyage to the New World
. First proposed by US Senator Spark Matsunaga
, the designation of 1992 as International Space Year was endorsed by 18 national and international space agencies, who also proposed the year's theme, "Mission to Planet Earth". Eventually 29 national space agencies and 10 international organizations took part in coordinated activities to promote space exploration and also the use of sustainable technology on Earth.
, addressing the World Space Congress in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1992 said, "One of the central goals of International Space year is to highlight the importance of understanding the Earth as a single, complex, interdependent system and to stress the unique role that space science and technology can play in promoting that understanding."
celebrate the ISY in their 1992 album Apollo 18
and were designated by NASA as the official band of the International Space Year. However according to They Might Be Giants singer/songwriter John Linnell
, "I don't think that most people have heard that this is International Space Year".
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
's voyage to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. First proposed by US Senator Spark Matsunaga
Spark Matsunaga
Spark Masayuki Matsunaga was a United States Senator from Hawaii. He was an American Democrat whose legislation in the United States Senate led to the creation of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.-Career:Matsunaga became a United States Army Reservist in 1941,...
, the designation of 1992 as International Space Year was endorsed by 18 national and international space agencies, who also proposed the year's theme, "Mission to Planet Earth". Eventually 29 national space agencies and 10 international organizations took part in coordinated activities to promote space exploration and also the use of sustainable technology on Earth.
United Nations activities
United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-GhaliBoutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996...
, addressing the World Space Congress in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1992 said, "One of the central goals of International Space year is to highlight the importance of understanding the Earth as a single, complex, interdependent system and to stress the unique role that space science and technology can play in promoting that understanding."
They Might Be Giants
Alternative rock band They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
celebrate the ISY in their 1992 album Apollo 18
Apollo 18 (album)
Apollo 18 is They Might Be Giants' fourth studio album. It was released in 1992 and named after the Apollo missions, the last of which was Apollo 17....
and were designated by NASA as the official band of the International Space Year. However according to They Might Be Giants singer/songwriter John Linnell
John Linnell
John Sidney Linnell is an American musician, is known primarily as one half of Brooklyn, New York alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants...
, "I don't think that most people have heard that this is International Space Year".