In Space Civilization: An Inquiry into the Social Questions for Humans Living in Space, political science professor James Gilley provides an ambitious interdisciplinary overview of the social factors, from the interpersonal to the international levels, that will affect humanity’s ability to become a truly interplanetary species. In its relatively short format, the book moves briskly through many of the broad technological and biological, legal, economic, psychological, sociological, and political issues that will shape the future human exploration and potential settlement of outer space. Each chapter concludes with a series of discussion questions for further exploration.
Gilley believes that “humanity can and should become multi-planetary.”[1] To support this thesis, he cites evidence for the likely existence of valuable mineral and life-sustaining resources in space that could make it both valuable and feasible to live on other celestial bodies. He also anticipates that technological advances will result from efforts to populate other planets. He notes that some people desire to form other instances of human civilization in the solar system as a “backup” to preserve life in case Earth becomes uninhabitable. However, at the most fundamental level, he argues that the desire to explore and settle new frontiers is ingrained in human nature, and that we should carry that quest to other celestial bodies because it is in our nature to do so. After establishing the rationale for colonizing celestial bodies, he analyzes the practical requirements for doing so throughout the rest of the book, drawing from several different academic disciplines in turn.
Although the book’s greatest weight of effort concerns the social sciences, Gilley provides an early overview of the “hard science” and engineering that underpins any attempt to return to the Moon or settle celestial bodies beyond it.
Although the book’s greatest weight of effort concerns the social sciences, Gilley provides an early overview of the “hard science” and engineering that underpins any attempt to return to the Moon or settle celestial bodies beyond it. He analyzes what has been done already, identifies breakthroughs that will be needed in the near future, and makes a persuasive case that on current trends, solutions to many current obstacles (e.g., using lunar regolith as a construction material) are within reach. However, even if technology makes it possible to sustain life in space over the long term, it will remain a difficult and dangerous undertaking. Access to scarce resources as basic as water and breathable air, and the habitable vessels, vehicles, spacesuits, or facilities in which to consume and reprocess them, will be of paramount value. In turn, the vital importance of these limited natural and technological resources is likely to drive new developments in patterns of human interaction beyond the Earth’s gravity well.
Among other factors, Gilley recognizes that the current international space law regime, if not clarified or amended, may complicate long-term human habitation of the Moon and other celestial bodies. In particular, the Outer Space Treaty’s ban on national appropriation of space territory could make it difficult for a country or private entity to secure long-term access to a desirable area without being contested by a rival power.[2] Additionally, there will be practical challenges in extending extraterritorial jurisdiction of domestic law to a commercial or international space colony. While the Outer Space Treaty holds States Parties responsible for their national activities in outer space and expects them to exercise continuing supervision over these activities, in the case of other planetary settlements this may be easier said than done.[3] The U.S. national space policy already foresees that commercial and perhaps international enterprise, rather than NASA, will lead the way to settling Mars. When a commercial settlement begins there, how will it govern itself? Will it bring along police, judges, regulators, and politicians from the home country, or will these roles be performed by corporate officials? How will disputes be settled and people held accountable for wrongdoing? As the reach of terrestrial legal systems attenuates, it will become necessary to develop one or more legal, political, and economic systems to suit the new frontier. This could become more complicated if countries with contrary values and incompatible governance systems seed competing colonies on a new moon or planet.
The book does contain some unfortunate factual errors and gaps in legal analysis. For example, it claims that the Outer Space Treaty promotes “a general principle of no military activities in space,” despite very limited treaty language to that effect, and several decades of state practice to the contrary.[4] The book also fails to recognize that U.S. law already authorizes celestial resource extraction and distinguishes it from national appropriation of outer space.[5] Furthermore, while offering a novel proposal to bring back indentured service as a way to fund travel for Martian laborers, it does not examine how the 13th Amendment’s ban on involuntary servitude[6]–or the Slavery Convention’s restrictions on compulsory or forced labor that could become equivalent to slavery[7]–would affect such a plan. Finally, while the book provides a useful synthesis of social-scientific approaches to understanding and guiding human behavior when establishing a celestial civilization, it could have benefited from another chapter on the role of religion. Whether as a source of values, goals, and meaning, or as a source of tension and conflict, religion is another common human attribute that may influence the long-term sustainability of civilization in space.
As exemplified by the discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this book raises more questions than it answers.
Despite these shortcomings, the book ultimately succeeds in its mission. As Gilley seeks “to bridge the gap between science fiction and the social sciences,” he acknowledges that no single work, including his, will be able to definitively answer the question, “What is necessary for humans to build civilization in space?”[8] As exemplified by the discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this book raises more questions than it answers. Nevertheless, asking these questions is the necessary first step before we can find the answers.
