Consider ethics in the rush to a new space age, WSU professor urges
As Wichita steps up its presence in the space industry, Wichita State University philosophy professor James Schwartz wants people to consider the ethics of space commercialization and militarization.
In his 2020 book “The Value of Science in Space Exploration,” Schwartz makes the case that scientific research and exploration of the solar system shouldn’t take a back seat in the new space age.
He said he worries the uber-rich are wresting control of the space agenda away from national space agencies.
“Any time you’ve got a small number of people that don’t understand what it’s like to be an ordinary citizen calling the shots for the rest of us, you are not going to see the kind of space flight objectives that might actually bring benefits to the people,” Schwartz said.
He said billionaires’ proposed Martian settlements and lucrative asteroid-mining operations would do little to further scientific study and help us better understand our place in the universe.
“If you think growing our knowledge and understanding is what’s truly important about space exploration, you’re more likely to be in favor of science missions as opposed to mining missions or settlement operations,” Schwartz said.
“There are a lot of different ways to be pro-space. You can disagree with the proposals for space settlement from billionaires and still be a supporter of space exploration.”
Schwartz also expressed concern that military conflicts aimed at knocking enemy satellites out of orbit could have serious long-term consequences.
“If there’s any kind of conflict in orbit that might involve using anti-satellite weapons to knock out defense or telecommunications satellites to cripple your communications infrastructure, that’s going to create debris,” he said. “Beyond the consequences for your military operations, that debris in orbit could end up ruining other satellites in orbit.”
If we can’t avoid active military conflict in space, certain satellite orbits could be rendered unusable for hundreds if not thousands of years, he said.
Earlier this month, a Russian anti-satellite missile test obliterated one of their own satellites, creating an orbiting debris cloud that forced astronauts at the International Space Station to take cover for hours.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a statement that the anti-satellite test generated more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris.
Blinken said “debris will remain in orbit for years and potentially for decades, posing a significant risk to the crew on the International Space Station and other human spaceflight activities.”
Managing military tension between world powers in space, Schwartz said, will be incredibly important in the years and decades to come.
