Is Space for Everyone? Ethics from Earth to Space and Back
Saturday, March 4, 11:00am – 12:00pm ET
In-person and virtual
Synopsis
Humans are inching closer to exploring space in person, encouraged to dream about settling on the Moon, or to imagine Mars as a backup planet. But space exploration isn’t just a dream anymore, and it raises very real, practical questions, not just about what space can give humans, but about how to explore space ethically. People need to grapple with questions like: Who gets to go into space to begin with? Should we treat space and other planets like we treat Earth? What rights do explorers and settlers get? Who has the right to decide these questions anyway? In this session, attendees will hear how planning for asteroid impacts causes reflection about ethics here on Earth; about post-colonial exploration ethics and expansion without exploitation; and about how Indigenous methodologies should be incorporated when forming approaches to space exploration. The session hopes to increase understanding about creating an ethical future as humanity spreads out into space, and recognizing that planning for that future affects the present, too.
Speakers
- Pamela Conrad, Carnegie Institution of Science
- Alissa Haddaji, The Space Consortium
- Hilding Neilson, Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador
- (Moderator): Jennifer Wiseman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- (Organizer): Rachel Kline, AAAS DoSER