Alexandra Witze, Nature; Ethics in outer space: can we make interplanetary exploration just?
"Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space Erika Nesvold MIT Press (2023)
Reclaiming Space: Progressive and Multicultural Visions of Space Exploration James S. J. Schwartz, Linda Billings and Erika Nesvold (eds) Oxford Univ. Press (2023)
From Star Trek to Apollo 17, space exploration is often framed as humanity pushing collectively towards a better future. But those utopian visions probably won’t mesh with reality. The book Off-Earth explores the ethical implications of humans moving into outer space — and whether those who do can avoid bringing along Earthly problems such as environmental destruction and social injustice. Nature spoke to its author, Erika Nesvold.
Nesvold is a computational astrophysicist, game developer and a member of the team behind Universe Sandbox, a physics-based space simulator. Based in Severn, Maryland, she is also co-founder of the JustSpace Alliance, a non-profit organization that works for a more inclusive and ethical future in space, and co-editor of Reclaiming Space, a collection of essays that explores similar themes...
What can researchers do to ensure the ethical exploration of space?
One thing I encourage astronomers to do is to learn from scientists in other disciplines, such as genetics, who have had to think about the ethical implications of their research and how they balance, on a personal level, the work and the potential harm it could cause. Having conversations involving different disciplines would be useful.
More broadly, scientists who want to help to build a better future in space but don’t work in policymaking or philosophy can do a couple of things. They can have conversations with their friends and colleagues about what a better future in space would look like, what kind of world in space they would want to live in, and also just focus on making a better society here on Earth today, whatever corner of the globe they live in. If we do manage to make Earth a better place and a nicer society to live in, within our lifetimes, then we’re helping our future in space."
