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Since time immemorial, man has looked up at the stars with wonder and amazement. The ever-present questions surrounding this mystical realm have driven man to find ever more innovative ways to find relevant answers. In this quest, with the advancement of science and technology, humanity has taken giant leaps in space exploration. Here, the International Space Station is widely regarded as one of the greatest examples of international cooperation, though it has its roots in global conflicts. This was right after World War II, when tensions between the United States and then Soviet Union were high and the threat of nuclear war was an ominous possibility. However, the discovery of a new frontier for humankind was made when the Soviet Union, on October 4, 1957, launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, thus kicking off the space race. This had the effect of channelling a great deal of resources away from military preparation and towards research, and possibly saved the human race from another war. In this paper, we shall explore the opportunities that space holds for humankind, what threats it may bring, and how a balance between the two can be brought through well-designed laws and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samuil Kaplan (1921-1978) was a productive and famous astrophysicist. He was affiliated with a number of scientific centers in different cities of the former Soviet Union. During the earliest 13 years of his career, namely in 1948-1961, he worked at the Lviv University in Ukraine. In the present paper, the Lviv period of his life and scientific activity is described on the basis of archival materials and his published studies. Kaplan arrived in Lviv in June 1948, the same month when he obtained the degree of the Candidate of Science. He was a head of the astrophysics sector at the Astronomical Observatory of the University, a professor of the department for theoretical physics, as well as the founder and head of a station for optical observations of artificial satellites of the Earth. He was active in the organization of an astronomical observatory outside the city. During the years in Lviv, Kaplan wrote more than 80 articles and 3 monographs in 9 areas. At that time, his focus was on the stability of circular orbits in the Schwarzschild field, on the white dwarf theory, on space gas dynamics, on cosmic plasma physics and turbulence, on the acceleration of cosmic rays, on the physics of interstellar medium, on the physics and evolution of stars, on cosmology and gravitation, and on the optical observations of the Earth's artificial satellites. Some of his findings are fundamental to the development of theory in those fields as well as of observational techniques. The paper presents a complete bibliography of Kaplan's works published during the Lviv period and reviews his respective scientific achievements in the light of the current state of research in those areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]