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Ethics of Space Pollution and Exploration - Coggle Diagram
Ethics of Space Pollution and Exploration
Commercialization of the Space Industry
Space exploration has gone from being purely governmental to consisting of many privately-owned companies such as SpaceX
"It used to be a space race between countries and now it's a space race between billionaires." -Anoop Menon
Commercialization specifically poses an issue because it may increase the amount of space debris present, as a result as more launches, which consequently increases the likelihood of spacecraft colliding with space debris
What role do commercial companies have in cleaning up space debris and should regulations based on ethics play into the regulation for their actions?
The Human Right to Space Exploration
as humans we have the right and the means to learn about our natural environment and universe
Should matter to others because as intelligent beings we should exercise the right to learning about ourselves and our environment, including space
most citizens support taxpayer money going to space exploration
establishment of human rights in space especially with international desire for colonization and exploration
potential for further politicization of space
How far does the ethical right to human exploration go until we clean up space debris? How does the risk for human harm contribute to this conversation?
Physical Danger of Space Debris
Most orbital debris comprises human-generated objects, such as pieces of space craft, tiny flecks of paint from a spacecraft, parts of rockets, satellites that are no longer working, or explosions of objects in orbit flying around in space at high speeds.
is it ethical to continue to send humans into space with the high risk of collision? Especially when resources exist for clean up?
Space organizations on Earth track space debris in order to help spacecraft avoid said debris, however, much of the debris is too small to track.
Even pieces of debris <1cm can pose a danger to spacecraft and those aboard.
There are no international space laws to clean up debris in our low Earth orbit
It is very expensive to remove debris from LEO because the problem of space junk is huge, there are close to 6,000 tons of materials in LEO.
Is it ethical to spend money on huge projects such as sending humans to mars instead of cleaning up space debris?
Human Colonization of Mars
environmental hazards of Mars such as freezing climate, thin atmosphere, and weak gravity
Is it ethical to use engineering techniques to create a more human friendly atmosphere on Mars?
Human difficulties living there include high levels of radiation exposure due to thin atmosphere can damage brain cells, increase cancer risk, and severely reduce sperm count.
Specific effect of microgravity on the human body which include dehydration, vision loss, accelerated muscle and bone deterioration, reduced heart rate, and weakened immune response
idea of engineering humans to be more fit for life on Mars using CRISPR -> is this ethical?