Ethical Quandaries for Living in Outer Space

Celestial Citizen

On today's episode, we’ll be discussing the fascinating, multi-layered, and complex topic of space settlement and the myriad of things we’ll need to figure out if we want to build an ethical and sustainable future society in outer space. We’ll be speaking with Dr. Erika Nesvold, author of Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space, which is set to release on March 7th, and explores the “potential ethical pitfalls of becoming a multi-planet species.”
Erika earned her Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and has conducted astrophysics research at the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, the Carnegie Institute’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, and the NASA Frontier Development Laboratory. She currently works as an Astrophysicist & Developer on the Universe Sandbox astronomy simulator game, and has written articles on astronomy, history, and other topics for Astronomy Magazine, The Planetary Society, and DamnInteresting.com. More information on her research and writing can be found on her website.
Erika produced and hosted the 13-episode Making New Worlds podcast, which explored the ethical issues involved in settling space. In 2018, Erika co-founded The JustSpace Alliance in partnership with Lucianne Walkowicz.
Erika has two upcoming books: Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space (MIT Press), coming out March 7, 2023, and is an update and expansion of Making New Worlds podcast, exploring the ethical challenges we’ll face during space settlement. She also co-edited an anthology called Reclaiming Space: Progressive and Multicultural Visions of Space Exploration (Oxford University Press), which is also coming out in 2023.
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Learn more about our Gold Sponsor Multiverse Media, an integrated media company focusing on space exploration, science, and technology, and check out the Cislunar Market Opportunities report produced by NewSpace Global, a Multiverse Media property, for a snapshot and user guide to the players and opportunities ahead for the cislunar economy. To get your own copy please go to cislunar.report and use coupon code citizen10 for 10% off a single user license.
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