What if, instead of escaping Earth to the Moon and beyond in rockets, we focus on making Earth worthy of a visit by other beings?

Please don’t “why not both?” me. Truly. Now is the time to think about what justice and ethics in science truly means.

I teach about the space program- yes obviously it has been invaluable for life on earth, and my career would not be possible without satellites. I’m not saying cancel NASA. I’m saying we have a LOT of hard rethinking to do about the optics around space travel.

Yesterday’s timing was awful. I mean, anything that celebrates a truly shitty pro-colonialism human sucks. All y’all congratulating him have work to do. Serious work.

Am I saying stop the space program? Nope. Am I saying defund NASA? Dear god no- NASA does amazing work. My research depends on it. ALL of us who benefit from space research need to think longer and harder about the ethics of what we do about what we do and why.

White men blasting off in a rocket that cost billions to make/test/create while children here starve in the throes of a global pandemic and black men and women are assassinated by police makes me wonder a lot about why and how science is done.

I have a bunch of friends who work at NASA. Please don’t @ me about the space program or NASA. This thread is NOT denigrating NASA or anyone doing space research. They are among the best humans I know. Many of them are asking similar questions.

If we aren’t deconstructing the racism, colonialism, and misogyny in science- the roots of so many fields (hi archaeology and anthropology!)- and thinking about how to build a more inclusive future, then what are we doing? Now is a time to think, plan, and discuss.

As ever: