Scientists say there is a need to end colonial approach to space exploration: Report

Scientists have stressed there is a need to end a colonial approach to space exploration. They have said that human beings boldly going into space should echo the guiding principle of Captain James Kirk’s Star Trek crew by resisting the urge to interfere. According to a report by The Guardian on Saturday (March 4), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has made no secret of the desire to mine the moon for metals and China is also keen to extract lunar resources.

NASA has sped up its quest to beat China with regard to mining metals on the moon, in what is being seen as a space race between Washington and Beijing.

Dr Pamela Conrad of the Carnegie Institution of Science said that the focus should shift away from seeking to exploit discoveries. “If we were willing to seize that as not just a possibility, but an imperative then oddly enough, the Star Trek series and culture becomes a prime directive for how we could explore space: seeking not to interfere," Dr Conrad said on Saturday ahead of a panel event in Washington DC.

Dr Conrad said that rather than setting out to own or take resources from space, human beings should endeavour to be “gentle explorers”. “Regardless of who or what is out there, that attitude of exploration being almost synonymous with exploitation gives one a different perspective as you approach to the task,” she said, The Guardian reported.

She added that if something that is not here on Earth is seen as a resource, just ripe to be exploited, then that perpetuates colonialism.

Another scientist Dr Hilding Neilson said that in Canada, Indigenous people had rights and responsibilities to unceded and treaty land, with the absence of a height limit.

Dr Nielson said that such people had deep connections with bodies such as the moon. “Part of that connection is inherent to the culture and the way of living and way of knowing,” the scientist said, adding any damage to these bodies was a concern.

Those working on space missions, such as NASA's ''Artemis Program", should engage with Indigenous people in advance, the scientist added. He also stressed the need to move away from the rhetoric around building colonies on the moon or other planets.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE