Marissa E. Yingling
Wherever Humans Go, There They Are
“Leave the Moon to be the Moon”
Public Perceptions of Lunar Ambitions in the Age of Artemis
It's Time to Take Responsibility for
Human Activities in Space
NASA's Artemis Program, Lunar Mining, Megaconstellations, Launch Pad Construction
We are living in a new age with profound implications.
Welcome to the
Age of Starwashing
From launchpads to low Earth orbit and beyond, space companies and their affiliates are deploying a familiar marketing tactic – with a new twist. In a space economy projected to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, they sell space exploration narratives by appealing to a desire to expand humankind beyond Earth – while downplaying or omitting the negative repercussions for Earth and the space environment. Welcome to the age of starwashing.
“The study of astrobiology and society is a subject whose time has come. As we discover habitable exoplanets through biosignatures and other methods, it is incumbent on practitioners in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and philosophy to study the impact of such a discovery on society.”
- Steven Dick, NASA Chief Historian, 2003-2009