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Abstract
The visions of the primary protagonists of the development of outer space diverge in terms of both their motives for and means of extending life into the cosmos. The present article analyses the implications for sustainability associated with the visions of three prominent entities – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the ‘space entrepreneurs’ who lead the private spaceflight industry (such as Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos), and transhumanists. This latter category aims to accelerate evolutionary processes to transform humans into a new ‘posthuman’ species which will be imbued with a greatly extended lifespan and other capabilities that enhance survivability in outer space. Due to the inchoate nature of safer and more affordable spaceflight, it is currently unclear which vision of space development will come to fruition. As explored in this article, the proposals advocated by NASA, space entrepreneurs, and transhumanists are associated with divergent implications for sustainability. Trade-off decisions must be made in terms of whether to minimise impacts on Earth, other celestial bodies, or the human form. While it is currently unclear which vision will eventuate, the process of space exploration and settlement is poised to considerably alter current conceptualisations of sustainability.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Erik Cohen
Erik Cohen is the George S. Wise Professor of Sociology (emeritus) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He has conducted research in Israel, Peru, the Pacific Islands and, since 1977, in Thailand. He is the author of more than 200 publications and of several books. He is a founding member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, was awarded the UN World Tourism Organization's Ulysses Prize for 2012. He presently lives and does research in Thailand.Sam Spector is a Lecturer in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. His research focuses on the intersections between tourism, transport, sustainability, and resilience.