Responsible Space Exploration and Use: Balancing Stakeholder Interests

Ehrenfreund, P.; Race, Margaret S.; Labdon, David

doi:10.1089/space.2013.0007

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…A consortium has recently been formed with the purpose of taking on a mining project on an asteroid [13,14]. Mining is probably also the form of commercial space exploration that will create most conflicts with indigenous life.…”

Section: Commercial Exploitation Of Other Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

Persson

2014

Challenges

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Abstract:If we find life on another world, it will be an extremely important discovery and we will have to take great care not to do anything that might endanger that life. If the life we find is sentient we will have moral obligations to that life. Whether it is sentient or not, we have a duty to ourselves to preserve it as a study object, and also because it would be commonly seen as valuable in its own right. In addition to this we would also have a duty to our fellow humans and other earthly life forms not to expose them to danger by advertently or inadvertently exposing them to potentially harmful space organisms. When space exploration turns into exploitation it will therefore be important to be able to show that a world that is up for exploitation is uninhabited before the exploitation starts. Showing that a world is uninhabited is, however, a different kind of task than showing that it is inhabited. The latter task can be accomplished through one positive finding but it is not clear how to go about the former task. In this paper I suggest that it is a gradual process asymptotically approaching certainty rather than a discovery in the traditional sense of the word. It has to be handled in two steps. The first is to connect degree of certainty with research setup. The second is to decide how certain we need to be. The first step is about the number, diversity and quality of observations. The second step is a decision we have to make based on the purpose of the investigation. The purpose and therefore the degree of certainty needed to establish that a world is uninhabited will be different for a world that is up for exploitation than for a world that is not. In the latter case it is only a matter of epistemic values. In the former case also ethical values have to be considered.

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Section: Commercial Exploitation Of Other Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These are just some examples of how space is becoming an arena for commercial activities, and the number of commercial space projects is rapidly increasing (see [1,[3][4][5]9,10,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] for more examples).…”

Section: Commercial Exploitation Of Other Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

Persson

2014

Challenges

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“…Alternatively, establishing baseline ecologies on Mars as described here takes a fresh approach that engenders no explicit or implicit property, sovereignty, or jurisdictional claims, thus remaining in line with the OST. As I explore again in Section 8.3, in this proposal, no nation or finite collection of nations will claim ownership of Martian ecosphere reserves, just as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) manages an international reality that lacks state real estate property [27]. The cooperative yet propertyless environment of the ATS not just contributes to its decades-long success, according to the SETI Institute's Margaret S. Race; also, for space environmental protection, the ATS "provides a workable model that may be emulated with some confidence as the exploration of outer space moves ahead" [28].…”

Section: Parks On Our Moonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preserving Mars Today Using Baseline Ecologies

Capper

2019

Space Policy

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Current calls to protect the Martian environment with "Planetary Parks" maintain environmental merit. However, they lack a sufficiently urgent timeframe for initiating protection and a robust scientific method for the establishment of noteworthy Martian natural landmarks as natural reserves. In response, if we return to the seminal environmental preservation teachings of Aldo Leopold and John Muir, we encounter the importance of grounding Martian preservation efforts on the fundamental environmental science method of a base-datum of normality, or baseline ecology. This method establishes natural reserves that feature both minimal human interference and known origination dates, thereby providing longitudinal environmental control samples for scientific use. Applied before humans appear on Mars, preserved baseline ecologies thereby aid our scientific understanding of human environmental impacts, both now and well into the future, while they enhance a variety of other outcomes in terms of Martian protection. However, the baseline ecology method requires that, through international agreements, we establish these reserves as quickly as possible and certainly before humans arrive on the planet.

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“…Such claims to ownership of a celestial body are explicitly forbidden by the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which states that, "Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means". The treaty establishes space as "the province of all mankind" that should be "free for exploration and use by all states without discrimination of any kind, on a basis of equality" with "free access to all areas of celestial bodies", indicating that no nation can claim exclusive access to Mars or any other celestial bodies 12,13 . This creates a similar provision as in the Antarctic Treaty System that prohibits national claims to land; however, the language of the Outer Space Treaty is sufficiently vague that it does not necessarily discuss implications for individuals or corporations who venture into space.…”

Section: Mars As the Next Frontiermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Transformative Value of Liberating Mars

Haqq-MisraJacob

2016

New Space

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Humanity has the knowledge to solve its problems but lacks the moral insight to implement these ideas on a global scale. New moral insight can be obtained through transformative experiences that allow us to examine and refine our underlying preferences, and the eventual landing of humans on Mars will be of tremendous transformative value. Before such an event, I propose that we liberate Mars from any controlling interests of Earth and allow Martian settlements to develop into a second independent instance of human civilization. Such a designation is consistent with the Outer Space Treaty and allows Mars to serve as a test bed and point of comparison by which to learn new information about the phenomenon of civilization. Rather than develop Mars through a series of government and corporate colonies, let us steer the future by liberating Mars and embracing the concept of planetary citizenship.Keywords: space policy, Mars exploration and settlement, space colonization, transformative value, planetary citizenship EXTENDING OUR MORALITY Technological solutions to humanity's major problems are known. Climate change can be addressed through a strategy of mitigation, adaptation, and (if needed) geoengineering in order to reduce our emissions and find cleaner sources of energy 1,2 . The "tragedy of the commons" that arises from an overpopulated planet can be alleviated through voluntary restrictions on breeding and changes in personal lifestyle 3 . Humanity can even survive longterm changes in the sun by first engaging in geoengineering 4 and eventually migrating to space settlements [5][6][7] . But if we already possess the knowledge to overcome these challenges, then why do such problems persist?Ecologist Garrett Hardin noted that solving the population problem "requires a fundamental extension in morality" 3 , and similar claims can be made about our failed efforts to address climate change, poverty, economic injustice, and other global challenges. One resolution to this dilemma is Plato's "philosopher king" or a similar "benevolent dictator" who enacts fair and consistent solutions to global problems. Barring such a non-reality, humans must find a way to develop new moral tools that will help to reduce the environmental impact of our civilization. There is no shortage of suggestions for how humanity should extend its morality, and the problem is often reduced to choosing among competitors. Contemporary political, religious, economic, or philosophical discourse is

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Responsible Space Exploration and Use: Balancing Stakeholder Interests

Cited by 20 publications

References 15 publications

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

What Does It Take to Establish that a World Is Uninhabited Prior to Exploitation? A Question of Ethics as well as Science

Preserving Mars Today Using Baseline Ecologies

The Transformative Value of Liberating Mars

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