We are entering an unprecedented era of space exploration. Commercial space travel, missions to Mars, and military space technology, among other things, are all growing at an incredible rate. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and others have made history by creating advances that make space vacations more plausible than ever. As we look forward to the wonders of space, it is important to remember the human impact of our space obsession and the effects it may have on our own planet.
In his new book Space Ethics, Brian Patrick Green, director of technology ethics at the Ethics Center, addresses the many ethical viewpoints on space exploration and travel, providing insight into both the future and the present of the human race to space. Space Ethics covers the dangers and the opportunities of space - both of which should be considered in today’s ethical conversations. From mining asteroids to human health to the growing number of satellites, Space Ethics is an overview of the current ethical landscape when it comes to space.
As Margaret McLean, senior fellow at the Ethics Center, says: “‘We always have to start now,’ Green reminds us, and Space Ethics is the perfect launching pad for consideration of what is at stake in exploration of the final frontier. Green provides a framework for considering responsible interactions between humans, the Earth, and the vastness of space. I have wanted to teach a course on space ethics for years—finally, I have the ideal text.”