The moon is interesting because it has valuable resources that people want, like ice in Antarctica. However, the moon has not yet been mined, and although it appears to be a large amount of resources that we can get our hands on, they are limited and finite resources. Most everything you need for the moon is in one place. Ice is at the poles. If you need uninterrupted sunshine, you’re in the ‘eternal pinnacle of light’ with 24/7 sunshine. For example, if you want to place your radio telescope in a very cold region, you need to be at the bottom of a crater. That means going to the same places and fighting over the same things.
The Outer Space Treaty has some guidance. It states that any activity that causes harmful interference should be consulted. For example, maybe I put a radio telescope on the far side of the moon and someone wants to put a launch pad next to it. talk to me about something But that’s a very vague term at the moment, and we haven’t really seen what it looks like.
What are some issues of space ethics that people haven’t given enough thought to yet?
Crime in space is a good example. Before, I never gave it much thought. But now I’m talking to a criminologist who is writing a book about the concept of crime in space and how to deal with it. We just need to connect the people working on these issues with the decision makers, policy makers and people working in the space industry.
Some want to start building an Orbital Hotel to get paying customers. This is part of the common civilian spaceflight concern. For decades we have spent time with space travelers who have been placed in a heavily monitored and regulated environment because they are employees of governments. Now there are a lot of civilians who just pay their customers and don’t follow the same rules.
People use a variety of religious, cultural and political frameworks when it comes to ethical debates on Earth. How do you find a code of ethics that represents the planet as a whole?
I don’t know if I have an answer for that. If we all knew how to come together to resolve our differences, compromise and come to terms, we wouldn’t be facing the big climate change problems we’re facing today. But I think we can learn from climate change and nuclear disarmament. You can see what works and what doesn’t. Part of the problem, I think, is that this isn’t really about space, it’s about humans, and how can we solve big problems.
We often look decades and centuries into the future.what should we do today How to strive to build a just, equitable, and sustainable existence in space?
It’s important to have these conversations and learn more from people who are already working on these issues. Hope it helps. Thinking about these issues in space, I think it’s helpful because it allows us to learn more about the injustices that are happening on Earth today.
It also helps us imagine more radical solutions to these problems in the context of science fiction in space. There will be days when everything seems impossible on earth. I think this is an exercise that really helps you imagine. If you were to start from scratch, what would you do? And is there a way to get there from here, even on Earth?
