Some late commentary on the claim that we (the U.S.) need to send a nuclear reactor to “claim” a spot on the Moon before China does: NASA needs a better argument to convince me it’s worth it. And I would have thought I’d be easy to convince! open.substack.com/pub/makingne...

Some late commentary on the claim that we (the U.S.) need to send a nuclear reactor to “claim” a spot on the Moon before China does: NASA needs a better argument to convince me it’s worth it. And I would have thought I’d be easy to convince! open.substack.com/pub/makingne...

There's a middle ground between using tech with no regard to ethics and outright rejecting that technology. Those are the cheap, easy options. The hard work is in the middle, but we can do hard things. Don't take the easy way out.

And don't steal from artists.
open.substack.com/pub/makingne...

I reject this argument, and the broader attitude that technology advancement is inevitable and thus any ethical concerns must simply be sadly shrugged away. This is not true in AI ethics nor in space ethics. "Use new technology unethically or get left behind" is a false dichotomy.

In his op-ed, the filmmaker lists the ethical and practical issues with AI art, acknowledging that it "outright steals" the intellectual property of his "colleagues in the visual effects and graphics arts businesses." Then he shrugs and tells those same colleagues that they need to "adapt or die."

After the documentary premiered, the filmmaker even published an op-ed defending his decision to use AI art rather than commission or create other footage: Maybe it was a "Faustian bargain," he suggests, but it was the only way to afford his "much preferred workflow." www.space.com/entertainmen...

The filmmaker-- who I very much enjoyed working with-- chose to use AI-generated art as B-roll for much of the runtime. When I asked him about this after seeing an early clip, he framed this not as a choice but as an unfortunate consequence of budget limitations.

I was interviewed some time ago for a documentary exploring how humans will raise children in space. It was a great experience and a fascinating topic. But I cannot in good conscience recommend the final film.
open.substack.com/pub/makingne...

If somehow you've not yet read this excellent book do so ASAP

Check out the Outer Space Treaty if 1967! It’s very readable even for non-lawyers (like me), and explains how space travelers are subject to international law and must be supervised and authorized by their national governments (which is why SpaceX has to get FAA launch licenses).

Ooh, my book is now available in paperback! (Also in hardcover, audio, and… Mandarin Chinese!)

I’ll be at Massachusetts Space Week on April 21, watching the excellent Moon (2009) and then leading a follow-up discussion on space ethics. If you’ll be in the neighborhood, consider registering and joining us! brattlefilm.org/film-series/...

The abstract deadline for JustSpace's Environmental Justice in Space Workshop is Jan 31! We're looking for 10-minute, prerecorded talks about your concerns for the future of the space environment, and/or what we can learn from environmental activists on Earth: bit.ly/ejis-workshop

My book, Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space, is now available as an audiobook! Narrated by April Doty, Off-Earth is available everywhere audiobooks are sold.

My latest newsletter post digs into the recent Reuters piece on workplace injuries at SpaceX to ask: What extra risks do space industry workers face due to the pervasive belief that companies pursuing space colonization are "saving humanity"? makingnewworlds.substack.com/p/worker-saf...

My new podcast conversation with the extraordinary @erikanesvold.bsky.social about the ethics of governing space settlements, and how these issues have been explored across generations of science fiction, is peak Chatter.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

What?! I had no idea that was happening. Glad there was someone in the audience who could recognize it!

Hi new followers! I have a newsletter where I write about building a better future in space and on Earth.

Today, the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission inspired me to explore exciting upcoming missions from non-NASA space agencies around the world: makingnewworlds.substack.com/p/space-agen...

Finally made a Bluesky account last night, and an hour later, lightning struck the building I was in and the ceiling exploded.

Not sure exactly how to interpret that…