(1) Some themes
>> I have identified ten commonly cited motives for human space exploration
>> “Space Ethics: Look Before Taking Another Leap for Mankind” by Patrick Lin, published in Astropolitics journal, Winter 2006
>>Report of a lecture given in October 2013 by Christopher Impey, a UA distinguished astronomy professor, on the social and ethical implications involved with exploring the universe associated with astrobiology.
>>Encountering Life in the Universe: Ethical Foundations and Social Implications of Astrobiology, edited by Chris Impey, Anna H. Spitz, William Stoeger. University of Arizona, 2013
>>"To Boldly Go: Ethical Considerations for Space Exploration" by Margaret R. McLean, Santa Clara Jesuit University, February 2006. The stewardship model of space exploration
>> Freelance science writer Philip Ball argues against human space flight
>> “The Ethical Dimensions Of Space Settlement” by Martyn J. Fogg.
In this paper Fogg examines the moral questions implicit in space settlement from the standpoints of various theories of environmental ethics. In the absence of extraterrestrial life, only one such theory, preservationism, concludes that space settlement would be immoral, even if it was seen to be to the benefit of terrestrial life.
Distinguishes intrinsic from instrumental grounds for valuing Mars (or the universe as a whole). Protection for martian life can be justified either on intrinsic or instrumental grounds, that is:-
Intrinsic: martian life has its own value and therefore should be preserved
Instrumental: it’s better for humans that martian life should be preserved (reasons might be scientific, or even spiritual)
Fogg argues that a strict preservationist ethic is untenable as it assumes that human consciousness, creativity, culture and technology stand outside nature; whilst he thinks space settlement would not involve us acting “outside nature,” but legitimately “within our nature.”
>> Robert Zubrin – two links. A 1996 piece by him called “The Promise of Mars” in which he sets out his vision of Mars as a much needed new frontier, and a 2007 review of Zubrin’s 1997 book The Case for Mars. Both from National Space Society website.
(2) Humans are under an imperative to colonise the universe
>> Colonising space is not merely a looming option but a moral necessity
>> Space colonisation and manifest destiny
>> Dr Cameron Smith and Exoanthropology. The link is to my notes and to a couple of audio files. Cameron Smith, an archaeologist at Portland State University, takes an evolutionary approach to space colonisation. He believes it will be a natural continuation of 4m years of adaptation. He proposes a new science of exoanthropology to help plan for success in human space colonization. Worth a look.
(3) Three papers for the US Augustine Commission, 2009
>>“HERRO: A Science - Oriented Strategy for Crewed Missions Beyond LEO” argues for a hybrid programme of human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, using real-time robotic operations (HERRO) . NASA paper by George R. Schmidt, Steven J. Oleson, Stanley K. Borowski and Geoffry A. Landis
>>"Humans to Mars: Logical Step or Dangerous Distraction?" James A. Vedda
>>"The moon as a stepping stone for a spacefaring civilization", K. Multhaup
(4) Some diverse links on colonisation
>>
Elon-Musk The Man for Mars. A review of Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance. In The New York Review of Books, August 13, 2015
>> The case for a Mars colony. Will better equip us for Earth. The argument is thin but some of the comments are worth reading.
>> The purpose of the Mars Society - to further the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. From the website of The Mars Society.
>> Astrophysicist Dr Christine Corbett Moran explores some of the arguments against space exploration and says why it's worth the cost. Huffington Post 23/02/2015
>> Will we eventually be able to colonize other stars? Notes from a preliminary review, by Nick Beckstead, Oxford University Future of Humanity Institute, June 22, 2014.
He is concerned with feasibility rather than desirability. He says he investigated this question because of its potential relevance to existential risk to humanity, but he doesn't here investigate whether existential risk is in fact important
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