Ever since the first satellite launched into orbit over 60 years ago, space exploration has meant more than traveling among the cosmos just to say it's been done.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In our current age, it means chasing a deeper understanding of the many unknowns. But the mystery of space comes with the challenge of ethically exploring it.
As our scientific capabilities progress, space ethics considers two important debates: First, can we justify the allocation of resources for space exploration? And second, what values should we bear in mind when exploring space?
"Questioning our presence in space facilitates ethical reflection, which is extremely important," Dr. Zachary Goldberg, ethics innovation manager at Trilateral Research, told i24NEWS.
Several ethicists over the years have brought up the challenge of balancing our fascination with the sky and our attention to the rock that we live on.
With the heavy burden of social, economic, and humanitarian problems on Earth, why not direct more resources to better help our planet?
Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the leading Jewish philosophers of the 20th century, challenged the importance placed on cosmic discovery over "the conquest" of Earth-bound issues.
How is @NASA_Technology making life better on Earth?
🌧: Improved weather forecasting
🌱: Sustainably growing food
🧤: Robotic gloves to help workers on the job
Read about each of these and more in the latest edition of @NASASpinoff: https://t.co/mUjS95qVvE pic.twitter.com/l9QrSVj8Ta
— NASA Spinoff (@NASAspinoff) January 24, 2022
"The conflict we face is between the exploration of space and the more basic needs of the human race."
Environmental needs, in particular, are gaining increased attention, both in light of our current situation on Earth and our activity in space.
It is a compelling argument that global issues on our own planet need more attention, maybe at the expense of resources meant for space activities - or maybe not.
"It's not a zero-sum game of Earth vs. space," urged (ret.) Gen. Istik Ben-Israel, director of the Israel Space Agency. "You don't have to stop one for the other."
Many actors involved in the space industry believe that space exploration is essential in addressing terrestrial issues, including environmental ones.
"It's systems thinking - everything is affected by the other," said NASA Datanaut Laura Anne Edwards.
Edwards, an expert speaker in space tech and a member of the Oxford Space Initiative, explained to i24NEWS that space and Earth are together in the "upheaval of climate change realignment."
"They need to be looked at together to make hard decisions about what we can afford to do and what we must do."
While it may not be immediately apparent how resources allocated for space relate to issues on Earth, many firmly advocate the relationship.
"We are using space to make a better Earth," (ret.) Brig. Gen. Shimon Sarid, CEO of SpaceIL, told i24NEWS.
"Space is embedded in our daily lives. Exploration helps us better understand the phenomena that endanger Earth."
NASA's NOAA-N satellite collects information about Earth's atmosphere and environment to improve weather prediction and climate research.
The VenµS microsatellite, a joint French-Israeli mission, observes trends in climate change as well as water and food security.
"The activities we do far away from Earth will help us understand the importance of not destroying it," Sarid said.
Further than addressing issues like climate change, space activities could also ease more humanitarian pressures.
Satellites, for example, are not limited by geographical boundaries, which allows them the possibility of providing worldwide access to services, like the internet.
The latest initiative to provide worldwide internet access is Starlink, a satellite internet constellation - operated by SpaceX - that provides internet to people and areas that wouldn't otherwise have it.
It is available so far in 29 countries, including Tonga after the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami that hampered communications; Ukraine in response to Russia's invasion of the eastern European country where access has been hit; and it is planning to debut in Africa later this year.
"I see the two intertwined, space and Earth," said Dr. Goldberg.
"Space activities are still human activities. We could direct them in improving nature and human well-being."
As humans, we make an impact wherever we go, in whatever we do.
"We are an exploring creature," Ben-Israel said. "It is our human nature. Otherwise, we would still be in the caves."
However, that might not justify exploration without the guidance of values.
Consider philosopher Hannah Ardent's "banality of evil" thesis: When describing the collective characteristics of Adolf Eichmann, a German high official who was a major organizer of the Holocaust, she dubbed him as not inherently evil, but merely shallow and clueless.
"It is possible to do a great deal of harm and wrong simply by not thinking," said Goldberg.
When considering ethical questions – in the Western world – we ordinarily appeal to the three most prominent theories:
Consequentialism - The end justifies the means.
Deontology - The means justify the end.
Virtue ethics - Moral character (honesty, generosity, etc.)
"Scientific progress always raises ethical questions that hadn't before been considered," said Dr. Benjamin Sachs, a philosophy professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
However, we can compare new challenges with experiences we have already faced. For example, contemplating the dualities of space and Earth.
As our space presence increases, the idea of territorial claim comes more to fruition.
Some scholars view space as we view the ocean in terms of how little we know about it and how subjective territorial claims are.
"My guess is that space belongs to nobody," Goldberg told i24NEWS.
"If the bottom of the ocean is space, then we can use that decision-making process to see if it applies," Goldberg explained.
Ethicists also often talk about unsullied, pristine areas of the cosmos. The fact that an area is untouched could make it valuable enough to protect, such as national parks on Earth.
"Nature on Earth has been engineered in terms of its constraints," Goldberg noted, who wondered if the same should be done for space environments we have yet to explore.
Some of the ethics come before we even reach space.
Many people involved in the space industry believe that the first astronauts to be sent to another planet - most likely Mars - will be on a "one-way ticket."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
"Who makes those decisions? Even if the astronauts are willing to do so, is it ethical to send them?" Sarid asked.
A way to address this issue could be our observation of sending soldiers to war, in that we limit the voyage of astronauts in the same way we limit military activities for troops.
"Do soldiers really understand the risks involved when they decide to go to war?" Goldberg considered.
"These are exactly the questions we must ask. Otherwise, what will happen is what we've seen happen on Earth - conflicts and wars over property rights and access to resources."
Historically, humans have failed in "checking ourselves before we headlong [rush] into new territories," Edwards noted. "We can't sleepwalk into space. We have a moral, existential opportunity and responsibility to explore space as holistically and humanely as possible."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
