Call for papers
Astronautics as an Etical Imperative
Are space missions a new kind of colonialism? Asked a Call for Papers. But: What is colonialism? What are space missions? Do space activities consist of exploration? Why would people wish to explore space?
- Name: Dr Marco C Bernasconi
- E-mail: mcb@ieee.org
Abstract: Fifty years of state-controlled space exploration seem to have actually restricted the operational arena for human activities.Worse,they have led to a generation of Òspace community people who --in their vaste majority --do believe that space efforts by their nature involve enormous costs,large risks, and only intangible returns.Accordingly,they hold that space needs more state control,that only the best scientific research deserves access to space --and that extraterrestrial space holds economic relevance only for a few communications services.Yet,the multiple tragedies of the 20th century suggest that a set of deeper considerations may serve us all well.The permanent failure to address the development of space also points to the need for new,more comprehensive strategic approaches --and the frequent asking of such post-modernist questions seems to show the intent of not exploring them.
It has been argued that the movement into extraterrestrial space simply continues the tendency of all
life forms to expand into new environments --an analogy that has much to sustain it,unless one fall
into the error of inventing an anthropomorphic ÒLife Ó .A greater urgency derives from the fact that Earth-centered strategies for coping with this century's global issues will lead to the negation of
freedom,and will disenfranchise billions of people.We suggest injecting a quantum of sanity in this
discussion,beginning by presenting a summary of a comprehensive rationale for Astronautics,and
moving to a discussion of a rationale framework for ethics and the formation of rules,with suggestions
about the way anchored these may be anchored in universal values.It then addresses the discussion and
the creation of the future,looking at the Òspecial case Ó of the present century.It compares the potential
good that may be expected from Astronautics with some of the major issues before the human species
and attempt to give guidelines for uniting space activities and the ethical striving characteristic of the
terrestrial sophonts.
References:
Arthur R.Woods Marco C.Bernasconi (1992).Space and Humanity -Paper presented at the 1992 European Space
Congress/ISY Space Show ,Munich,Germany.March 31.
Marco C Bernasconi (1995).Ethical Considerations in the Astronautical Endeavour --Introductory Remarks.Paper
IAA-95-IAA.8.1.01 presented at the 46th International Astronautical Congress ,Oslo (Norway),October 2-6.
Marco C.Bernasconi Cristina Bernasconi (1997).Why Implementing the Space Option Is Necessary for Society.
Paper IAA-97-IAA.8.1.02 presented at the 48th International Astronautical Congress ,Turin (Italy),October 6-10;also:
Acta Astronautica 54 [05 ] (2004),371-384.
Marco C Bernasconi (2002).Is Technology the Limiting Factor for Implementing the Space Option?Invited
presentation at the ASI 1 st International Workshop on Futuristic Space Technologies ,Trieste (Italy),5-7 May.
Marco C Bernasconi (2005).Astronautics an Ethics for the 21st Century.Presentation at the 9th Space the Arts
Workshop ÒSpace:Planetary Consciousness and the Arts Ó ,Yverdon-les-Bains (Switzerland),May 19-21.
PPH-06-063
Astronautics as an Ethical Imperative --Marco C Bernasconi
