The future of humanity in space is not guaranteed.
It must be deliberately crafted — with ethics, foresight, and the
voices of all of humanity.
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The future of humanity in space is not guaranteed.
It must be deliberately crafted — with ethics, foresight, and the
voices of all of humanity.
Project Lodestar is a community of academics, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders working to address the challenges in pushing the frontiers of outer space.
The efforts of humanity to transition from casual and incremental access to space to a more intentional interaction with what has been called the last "common heritage of humankind" requires a considered and careful approach to how we beings should engage with this relatively unknown environment.
The entirety of humanity needs to be engaged in preparing for these future issues, including underrepresented and marginalized communities, indigenous peoples, and ethnic and national groups from current non-space-faring nations.
To build a stable future in space activities, all parties should be willing to take responsibility, including developing reasonable policies and procedures, for their actions and footprints.
Space and its benefits should be accessible for all, regardless of wealth, ability, culture, or education, according to their interest.
Participants in space activities should constructively engage with other actors in the spirit of the stewardship of outer space as a global commons.
Even as we reach for the stars, we should continue building a better Earth and ensure we do not repeat environmental degradation in future space activities.
Space-related activities should weigh the various kinds of risks and their corresponding benefits for the entire community, and seek to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks.
To mindfully pursue a kinder, more ethical path as we anticipate the promise and peril in moving humanity into its next era.
Our glowing screens have lied to us. The future of humanity amongst the stars is not guaranteed. We are not promised a world in zero-g, moving between the planets of our solar system, let alone moving in large generation ships from star to star. Star Trek is fiction. So is the Expanse. As of this moment, so is any other dream of humans in space beyond the moon.
As the last year and the tensions between the nations involved in the International Space Station have boiled, even today's space exploration efforts are not guaranteed to be permanent. The future is not written.
Yet, we are writing about that future right now. If humanity does have a future in deep space, that structure is being written now. Every decision, every meeting, every story, every policy, and every law writes our future in space. The trajectory of that future is before us.
It is no exaggeration to say that the very future of our species is in our hands at this moment. Moreso, it's possible that the very future of our galaxy is also in our hands.
The urgency of how we craft that future compels the efforts of Project Lodestar. We see six critical areas to be carefully considered and crafted as humanity leaps to the stars: accountability, equal access, cooperation, sustainability, risk and benefit, and foresight. Each of the issues of the Project Lodestar Zine will deep dive into one of these six critical areas.
This issue launches with an interview with Ken Liu, one of the brightest voices in speculative fiction today. The issue also gives detailed insight into our team members. We begin with an interview with Jaym Gates. This issue is a peek into what drives Project Lodestar and where we are headed.