The Future of Human Space Exploration [electronic resource] /
Bignami, Giovanni.author.
Sommariva, Andrea.author.
For several decades it has been widely accepted that human space exploration is the exclusive domain of government agencies. The cost of performing such missions, estimated in multiple reports to amount to hundreds of billions dollars over decades, was far beyond what private entities could afford. That arrangement seems to be changing. Buoyed by the success of its program to develop commercial cargo capabilities to support the International Space Station, NASA is becoming increasingly open to working with the private sector in its human space exploration plans. The new private-public partnership will make 'planet hopping' feasible. This book analyses the move towards planet hopping, which sees human outposts moving across the planetary dimensions, from the Moon to Near-Earth Asteroids and Mars. It critically assesses the intention to exploit space resources and how successful these missions will be for humanity. This insightful and accessible book will be of great interest to scholars and students of space policy and politics, international studies, and science and technology studies.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Chapter 1. Stepping Out of the Cradle: The Exploration of the Solar System from the 1950s to Today -- Chapter 2. Human Space Exploration in the 'Deep Space Proving Grounds' -- Chapter 3. The Great Leap out of the Cradle: The Human Exploration of Our Solar System -- Chapter 4. The Ultimate Challenge: The Exploration and Colonization of Extrasolar Planets -- Chapter 5. The Uncertainties.
For several decades it has been widely accepted that human space exploration is the exclusive domain of government agencies. The cost of performing such missions, estimated in multiple reports to amount to hundreds of billions dollars over decades, was far beyond what private entities could afford. That arrangement seems to be changing. Buoyed by the success of its program to develop commercial cargo capabilities to support the International Space Station, NASA is becoming increasingly open to working with the private sector in its human space exploration plans. The new private-public partnership will make 'planet hopping' feasible. This book analyses the move towards planet hopping, which sees human outposts moving across the planetary dimensions, from the Moon to Near-Earth Asteroids and Mars. It critically assesses the intention to exploit space resources and how successful these missions will be for humanity. This insightful and accessible book will be of great interest to scholars and students of space policy and politics, international studies, and science and technology studies.
Sociology.
Astronomy.
Astrophysics.
Physics.
Private international law.
Conflict of laws.
Aerospace engineering.
Astronautics.
Sociology, general.
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology.
Physics, general.
Private International Law, International & Foreign Law, Comparative Law .
Aerospace Technology and Astronautics.
Popular Science in Astronomy.