Reclaiming Space
Schwartz, James S.J., Billings, Linda, Nesvold, Erika
Abstract
Abstract This volume aims to incubate, illuminate, and illustrate a more diverse and inclusive conservation about space exploration, at a time when Western, free-market capitalist values are dominant in spaceflight culture (and in human societies more generally). What would space exploration be like if we prioritized—or even simply acknowledged—the perspectives or value systems of individuals who are disabled, or aren’t white, or aren’t male, or aren’t characteristically Western in their values? What can these perspectives teach us all about space exploration and its value (or even its potential for harm) that cannot be easily recognized or appreciated under the NewSpace status quo? The twenty-seven original essays of this volume provide perspectives from a wide range of home countries, backgrounds, and lived experiences, including academics who research space exploration, spaceflight culture, space ethics, and space policy, as well as space artists and authors of award-winning science and speculative fiction. Reclaiming Space offers perspectives on the history and development of spaceflight culture, both within and outside the United States; on the impact of science fiction and space art on how we conceptualize space; on the diverse cultural narratives and responses to space; on the ways space exploration might be leveraged in support of repairing injustices; and on what our responsibilities might be as a spacefaring species in the more distant future.