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MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The commercial space industry has expanded rapidly over the past decade. Hostile nations are vying for a dominant military and economic position beyond Earth. Public and private entities Crying for Mining the Moon,as well as The growing halo of space junk yes Pollution of low Earth orbit.
In a 2023 white paper, a group of concerned astronomers warned against repeating Earth’s “Colonial behavior” in outer space. But if there was nothing in the first place, what’s wrong with colonizing space?
I am a Philosopher of science and religion He has been writing about the space industry for many years. As government agencies and private companies set their sights on the stars, I notice that many of the factors that drove European Christian imperialism from the 15th to the 19th centuries are reappearing in high-speed, high-tech form.
These colonial practices may include Enclosurethe exploitation of environmental resources and the destruction of landscapes – in the name of ideals such as destiny, civilization and human salvation.
Many aerospace industry leaders, such as Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars SocietyHe argues that, while European-style colonialism may have had adverse consequences for Earth, it is the only way to advance in outer space. In fact, he warns that any attempt to slow down or regulate the space industry will Make it impossible for humans to enter the Martian frontierleaving us trapped in an increasingly dull and decadent planet.
Zubrin objects Concerns about space colonialismUnlike Earth, he claimed, outer space is empty. Why should anyone care about the rights of rocks and some hypothetical microbes? But it turns out not everyone agrees that outer space is empty. As the astronomers involved say, abandoning the colonization strategy would benefit both insiders and outsiders.
Is space really empty?
People in the rural village of Bawaka in northern Australia Tell the aerospace community Their ancestors guided human life in their homeland of the Milky Way, This relationship is increasingly under threat Through a large network of orbiting satellites.
Likewise, Inuit elders say their ancestors Living on a celestial body. Navajo leaders have asked NASA Don’t send human remains to the moonThe Kanaka elders insisted that No more telescopes Built on Mauna Kea, it is considered an ancestral and sacred place by Native Hawaiians.
These indigenous positions contrast with the view held by many in the industry that space is empty and lifeless.
The key to reconciling these disparate positions is to seek agreement—not in beliefs or worldviews, but in behavior. Secular space enthusiasts do not need to agree that outer space is inhabited, alive, or sacred to treat it with the care and respect that Indigenous communities demand.
Be cautious about what outer space may involve Protecting noteworthy natural landscapeslimit mining, Cuts to satellite licensing and launches And find ways to clean up the trash on the tracks.
Environmental issues
Emerging fields Spatial Ecology examine The relationship between human creations and the natural environment in the context of the Earth’s orbit, the Moon, and other planets. As this discipline attempts to demonstrate, orbits and planetary bodies are A delicately balanced system.
Without consistent regulation, commercial space activities could render orbits unusable and Escaping the Moon’s Vacuum-Like Atmosphere.
In fact, light reflection Tilted space junk – Abandoned satellites, spacecraft debris, cell phones, nuts, bolts, metal and glass fragments – can hinder astronomers’ observation, photography and By navigation Star.
The Moon, Mars and asteroids help scientists understand how planets and solar systems formed, what conditions are needed for life and what planets might look like in the future. If the aerospace industry is hit by explosions, mines and – as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggests – Nuclear Planetscientists may not be able to obtain this knowledge.
The commercial space industry has already wreaked havoc on Earth and its surroundings.
SpaceX continues to test and launch rockets Destroyed the wetlands Boca Chica, Texas. To SpaceX Starship to explode in April 2023 Damaged one Estimated 385 acres land, waterways, turtles and birds – not to mention cars, homes and human lungs.
The surge in the number of private and public launches has led to the deposition of kerosene, carbon and sulphur Entering the upper atmospherethese materials stay in the stratosphere longer than in the atmosphere.
Research shows The accumulation of these substances could exponentially increase climate change. It is estimated that rocket emissions can warm the atmosphere by 500 times faster For example, aviation emissions.
Even if Musk never makes it to Mars, SpaceX and a host of competitors are creating Low Earth Orbit Satellite Traffic Can Threatening the lives of astronauts and It is possible to make these tracks unusable.
Human consequences
Many aerospace industry leaders viewed space as the new world or the final frontier. But the early modern sugar, tobacco, and gold economies Empire Building Profits Europe and early America acquired knowledge through slavery and indentured servitude.
Space industry leaders must consider labor arrangements as they send workers to staff hotels, build shelters and assist in asteroid mining. After all, space workers depend on their employers not only for paychecks and health care, but also for food, water, air and transportation back to Earth.
In 1967, many countries including the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union signed Outer Space TreatyThe treaty stipulated, among other things, that no nation could own a planet or part of it.
The Outer Space Treaty was negotiated and signed in the aftermath of two world wars, a product of 20th-century European conflict. If colonialism on Earth peaked during those two wars, then the nations that signed the Outer Space Treaty were effectively saying, “Let’s stop fighting over territory and resources. Let’s treat outer space differently.”
Currently, the Outer Space Treaty Outdated and almost unenforceableBut any future legislation should retain the anti-colonial spirit of the original treaty.
So from a policy perspective, it doesn’t matter whether space is actually inhabited or whether rocks have rights. Preventing outer space colonialism doesn’t require the space industry to agree on these metaphysical questions.
Instead, it will require actors inside and outside the industry to agree on a common set of standards for caring about planets and their orbits—whether their motivations are scientific, environmental, humanistic, or religious.
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