Space science education and training in Brazil

With the beginning of space research in Brazil in the early 60's a national commission for space activities was created. This commission took important steps, in parallel, to create a program of education and training activities that was forseen as of critical importance for the maintainance of a desirable to ambitious degree of space activity in the country. Early efforts were, as a first step, in favour of training of Brazilian students in foreign centers of excellence (mostly in the US and Europe), as a means for achieving the potential human resource necessary for eventual development of a national program. Today a large percentage of the needs in the area is met by programs developed inside the country at different institutions, the most notable being the "Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais" - INPE (National Institute for Space Research) at Sao Jose dos Campos, where post graduate courses and training programs are well established. Under-graduate courses in selected areas are provided at some Universities, notably at the University of SBo Paulo. A brief description of the existing programs and an evaluation of the results being achieved are presented in this paper. (C) 1997 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.