Off-Earth

January 2, 2023
“What kind of world do we want our descendants in space to inhabit?” asks astrophysicist Nesvold in her thought-provoking debut. Expanding on her podcast, Making New Worlds, she ponders the ethics of space settlement, including how to handle property rights, whether there is a moral way to determine if people can safely reproduce in space (where gravity and radiation levels may affect development), and how to select crews to populate settlements without succumbing to eugenics. Nesvold aims to spark discussion, and her knack for identifying thorny quandaries will undoubtedly do so, as when she addresses the difficulties new settlements will face in responding to crime when a community might be so small that the accused might be the “only person who knows how to fix the water recyclers.” She draws smart historical parallels, warning that the failures of Jamestown’s original colonists, who were mostly upper class and lacking practical skills, could repeat if space exploration becomes the sole province of the wealthy (though she’s quick to note the limits of analogizing the settling of uninhabited planets with European theft of Indigenous land). Nesvold’s timely warning is bolstered by nuanced ethics and her careful attention to how colonization has historically been accompanied by injustice and violence. This raises hard questions that deserve serious consideration.

February 1, 2023

Astrophysicist Nesvold (host of the podcast Making New Worlds) addresses a variety of questions about the ethical and social aspects of living and working in space. Many issues should be considered and defined before humans build settlements in space or attempt long-term Star Trek--type missions, where citizens of a near-utopian society work peaceably together and boldly venture into space to explore the galaxy. Expanding upon the information presented on her podcast, the author considers questions such as making outer space accessible to all and prioritizing human rights and ethics. She emphasizes the need for including humanities perspectives in the discussion, not just STEM-oriented ideas. Philosophers, anthropologists, and sociologists can provide insights into the "why" of space travel, whereas scientists and engineers tend to focus on the "how." As Nesvold suggests, government agencies and private companies need to spend more time thinking about how to build communities in space based on ethical considerations and cultural values. VERDICT This well-researched and accessible book is for general readers or those interested in the philosophy of science or the ethics of space travel.--Donna Marie Smith

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