The discussion about mining the Moon resembles that of previous conquests: the division of territory; the grabbing of resources; language of theft and plunder. All of this is given the gloss of manifest destiny and human experiment. Such language is also self-perpetuating: the plunderer is only as good as the […]
Tag: Space
US Begins Active Militarisation Of Space
On 19 June, the unclassified section of the Pentagon’s new space defence strategy was released, and it clearly states that the US views the environment as a field of operations. The publicly available document is short in length, but it clearly shows the position and intentions of the US military […]
SpaceX, NASA And Space Privatisation
It would be too simple to regard the latest space venture, funded by Elon Musk, as entirely a matter of vast ego and deeply-pocked adventurism. But it would be close. The successful delivery of astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken of NASA as part of the joint mission with SpaceX […]
Cosmic Gangster Capitalism: Elon Musk Crowds the Heavens
“I don’t trust glib reassurances from satellite operators without precise details.” Alice Gorman, space archaeologist, May 26, 2019 Astronomers tend to have their eyes, and minds, not merely in the clouds but beyond them. The dream of unimpaired vision tends to come with the territory; the better the uninterrupted line, […]
Lunar Narratives: Landing On The Moon, Politics And The Cold War
The Moon landing anniversary this weekend was given a vigorous clean-up, with the Cold War finding a back seat when it was, in fact, the main driver. The Moon project was a fundamental political poke, soaked by competitive drives. The science was the instrumental ballast and has come to provide the heavy cosmetics to romanticise what is, at best, an effigy.
Anti-Gagarin: Hollywood The Dream-Killer
“LET’S GO!” – Yuri Gagarin’s famous cry at the start of the first manned spaceflight (1961) “DON’T LET GO” – the official tagline for the movie Gravity (2013) Watching Academy Award-winning movies is often more thought-provoking than entertaining. In addition to their responsibility for much of the visual indoctrination of […]
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