Developments in the outer space arena post the erstwhile USSR launching the first man-made satellite Sputnik in space on 4 October 1957 have transformed the world significantly. In order to ensure the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was set up by the United Nations General Assembly in 1959. Subsequently, this committee led to the foundation of the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”. This treaty is commonly known as the Outer Space Treaty (OST). This treaty was opened for signature on January 27, 1967 as a binding legal instrument. On January 27, 2017, this treaty competes 50 years. Over the years this treaty has largely ensured responsible conduct of space activities. This book attempts to examine and contextualize the treaty and its relevance in the 21stcentury while tracing its journey over the last fifty years.

Disaster Management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding or reducing the aftermath of an emergency situation. It is a discipline that involves disaster response such as emergency evcuation, quarantine, mass decontamination, etc. and also supporting, and rebuilding society after natural or human-made disasters have occurred. In general, any disaster management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or ameliorate the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards. Actions taken depend in part on perceptions or risk of those exposed. Effective disaster management relies on thorough integration of emergency plans at all levels of government and non-government involvement. Activities at each level (individual, group, community) affect the other levels. It is common to place the responsibility for governmental emergency management with the institutions for civil defense or within the conventional structure of the disaster services. The nature of management depends on local economic and social conditions. Experts have noted that the cycle of disaster management must include long-term work on infrastructure, public awareness, and even human justice issues. The process of disaster management involves four phases, namely mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. This Manual is an assimilation of a lot of public domain material in a structured format so as to be useful to students as well as practitioners of the science of Disaster Management.