Outer Space and the Future of Humanity

Author(s):  
Federico Yaniz
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Jacques Arnould

This chapter introduces the ethical questioning in the field of space activities, especially space commerce. If the 1967 Outer Space Treaty defines space as the “property of all” and its exploration as the “province of all mankind”, the future utilization of near-Earth (and tomorrow Greater Earth) space needs probably a new ethics (if ethics means not only legal applications but also and for example the application of the “rule of three Ps”: protection, promotion and preparation). Orbital debris mitigation, the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters or, in the future, the safety of private astronauts crews offer lessons in realism and sources of prospective reflections. Space ethics is still in its infancy.


Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Jon Bialecki

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is an intense interest in creating “speculative fiction”, including speculative fiction about outer space. This article ties this interest to a broader tradition of “speculative religion” by discussing the Mormon Transhumanist Association. An interest in outer space is linked to nineteenth and twentieth-century speculation by Mormon intellectuals and Church leaders regarding “Abrahamic Astronomy”. The article suggests that there is a Mormon view of the future as informed by a fractal or recursive past that social science in general, and anthropology in particular, could use in “thinking the future”.


2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bounama ◽  
S. Franck ◽  
W. von Bloh

Abstract. Questions of how water arrived on the Earth’s surface, how much water is contained in the Earth system as a whole, and how much water will be available in the future in the surface reservoirs are of central importance to our understanding of the Earth. To answer the question about the fate of the Earth’s ocean, one has to study the global water cycle under conditions of internal and external forcing processes. Modern estimates suggest that the transport of water to the surface is five times smaller than water movement to the mantle, so that the Earth will lose all its sea-water in one billion years from now. This straightforward extrapolation of subduction-zone fluxes into the future seems doubtful. Using a geophysical modelling approach it was found that only 27% of the modern ocean will be subducted in one billion years. Internal feedbacks will not be the cause of the ocean drying out. Instead, the drying up of surface reservoirs in the future will be due to the increase in temperature caused by a maturing Sun connected to hydrogen escape to outer space. Keywords: Surface water reservoir, water fluxes, regassing, degassing, global water cycle


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego De Blasi

<p>Outer space activities are increasingly bringing the international (scientific) community to upper stages of knowledge and awareness. With particular reference to <strong>Lunar exploration</strong>, general involvement of all States (also within a context of public-private partnerships initiatives) towards <strong>the principle of sustainable utilization of lunar resources</strong> shall represent an important requirement for the future of all Mankind</p><p><br>Thus, the <strong>safeguarding of lunar environment</strong> (the equitable/intragenerational utilization of its resources) shall represent a critical issue for the whole evolutionary framework of the <em>Corpus Iuris Spatialis</em></p><p>Firstly, the principle herein shall be taken into examination under the provisions laid down in the A<em>greement governing the Activities of States on the Moon and other Celestial Bodies.</em> Accordingly, article 11 states <em>“the moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of mankind”[..]; as well, “The moon is not subject to national appropriation by any claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means..” (paragraph 2)</em></p><p><em> </em><br>Secondly, other concerns may also take into account: a)<strong> the perspective of ISRU (in situ resources utilization) processes</strong>, which shall take place towards sustainability means b) the undertaking of well balanced measures in exploring and using natural resources <em>vis-à-vis</em> adverse changes in lunar environment <em>(article 7, par. 1, Moon Treaty)</em>. In addition, besides the terms pursuant to the establishment of peaceful use of (space) lunar activities, an adequate <em>consensus</em> shall be called upon States beyond the <em>status quo</em></p><p>  <br>In conclusion, the aferomentioned background shall also consider the adoption of a comprehensive <em><strong>Additional Protocol to the Moon Treaty</strong></em> concerning <em>the sustainable utilization of lunar resources</em>. Arguably, this progressive framework may also be welcomed as milestones towards <em>further legal developments in international space law </em></p><p> </p><p> </p>


ILUMINURAS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (53) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Hernando Guarín Martínez ◽  
Marta Jimena Cabrera Ardila

Resumen: Este artículo aborda los modos como las imágenes prefiguran el tiempo por venir, el futuro. En otras palabras, lo que entendemos por el futuro, un tiempo sin historicidad, es articulado en el tiempo presente y corresponde a un paradójico movimiento entre tiempo de nostalgia y tiempo de deseo. Para explorar el tema, abordamos las nociones de profecía y predicción y posteriormente ahondamos en las imágenes técnicas, que son centrales en la producción de la era geológica conocida como Antropoceno. El Antropoceno, en tanto escenario planetario inminente, significa un particular encuentro entre las profecías apocalípticas de las religiones y el pensamiento mítico, y las predicciones catastróficas de las ciencias, derivando en una singular imagen de futuro que pareciera ser un fin y un comienzo a la vez: la conquista del Espacio y la terraformación de otros mundos, donde Marte es una suerte de espejo de la Tierra que proyecta imágenes que son simultáneamente del pasado y del futuro.Palabras Clave: Antropoceno. antropología de la imagen. historicidad. Marte. terraformación ¿Existe una imagen del futuro? Sobre tiempos, imágenes, mundos otros y Antropoceno Abstract: This article explores the ways in which images prefigure times to come, the future. In other words, what we understand as future, a time devoid of historicity, is articulated in the present and corresponds to a paradoxical movement between nostalgia and desire. To delve into the matter, we explore the notions of prophecy and prediction, then we examine technical images, which are key to the production of the geological era known as the Anthropocene. The Anthropoce, seen as an imminent planetary scenario, implies a remarkable encounter between apocalyptic prophecies, mythical thinking, and scientific catastrophic predictions which condensate in a singular image of the future that speaks of beginnings and ends: the conquest of outer space and the terraforming of other worlds where Mars mirrors the Earth and projects images that belong simultaneously to the past and the future.Keywords: Anthopocene. anthropology of the image. historicity. Mars. terraforming EXISTE UMA IMAGEM DO FUTURO? SOBRE TEMPOS, IMAGENS, OUTROS MUNDOS E O ANTROPOCENO Resumo: O artigo aborda os modos como as imagens provém o tempo por vir, o futuro. Em outras palavras, aquilo que entendemos por futuro, um tempo sem historicidade, é articulado no tempo presente e faz parte de um movimento paradoxal entre o tempo da saudade e o tempo do desejo. Para fazer essa abordagem, partimos das noções de profecia e predição, para compreender as imagens técnicas como elementos centrais da visualidade da era geológica conhecida como Antropoceno. Essa era geológica, em quanto cenário planetario iminente, significa um particular encontro entre as profecias apocalípticas das religões e o pensamiento mítico, e as predições catastróficas das ciências, dando lugar a uma singular imagem do futuro que se propõe como um final e um começão ao mesmo tempo: a conquista do Espaço e a terraformação de outros mundos, onde Marte é um tipo de espelho da Terra, que projeta imagens que são do pasado e do futuro ao mesmo tempo.Palavras-chave: Antropoceno. antropologia das imagens. historicidade. Marte. terraformação


Author(s):  
David Punter

This chapter focuses on Lessing’s The Memoirs of a Survivor (1974), with the science-fiction novels Shikasta (1979) and The Marriages between Zones Three, Four and Five (1980), in order to assess her involvement with the future, which underlies all her work. Lessing is constantly involved with thinking the future – with, we might say, how the future presents itself, how it irrupts into the present, destabilising our assumptions, always making the present different from how we might expect it to be. We see something of this in Lessing’s remarks on science fiction, or ‘space fiction’ as she also terms it, exploiting a productive ambiguity in the word ‘space’ – as she considers not only the ‘outer’ space of both realism and conventional science-fiction, but what might happen to our understanding of space, spatiality, as we extend ourselves into the imagined, predicted, unpredictable, preordained future. What shall we remember? Or, what shall we ‘re-member’, in the sense of putting back together the shards and fragments of history? The chapter concludes by questioning whether this notion of accommodating the future, which we might refer to as a variant of time travel, has to do with telepathy, a concept to which Lessing was greatly attracted.


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