Humans in Outer Space

Abstract

Space age has reached its 50th anniversary. Development of robotic exploration to distant planets and bodies across the solar system, as well as pioneering human space exploration in Earth orbit and the Moon, paved the way for ambitious longterm space exploration. Europe has always played a significant role in the endeavours of humankind to explore other worlds and to understand the Universe in which we live. Today, space exploration goes far beyond a merely technological endeavour, as its further development will have a tremendous social, cultural and economic impact. Space activities are now entering an era where the contribution of the humanities — history, philosophy, anthropology, the arts as well as the social sciences — political science, economics and law — will become crucial for the future of space exploration. Now that the awareness for the societal complexity of activities in space is growing internationally, it is vital that Europe, with a stronghold in natural sciences as well as its identity firmly rooted in the humanities and the social sciences, grasps the opportunity to involve their specific knowledge(s) in the long-term planning of exploration undertakings.