Virtual Event Series: The Place of Space

Outer space has come to serve an increasingly essential role to Earth societies since its initial exploration in the mid-20th century. For what purposes have historical and contemporary actors used the space of Earth's orbit? What is the work that will be necessary for people to (peacefully) act together on the moon? What are the benefits of human spaceflight and are they worth it? These are just a few of the questions explored in this series, curated and moderated by Nick Travaglini (Liberal Studies - The New School), Co-Chair of New School Policy and Design for Outer Space (NSPDOS) of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.

Past Events

Earth's Orbit: Threshold to the Stars

February 7, 2022

Accessing outer space is no mean feat. Still, simply reaching low-earth orbit, 160 km (100 mi) above sea level, takes a tremendous amount of energy and engineering work. But despite these challenges, space has come to serve an increasingly essential role to Earth societies since its initial exploration in the mid-20th century. How did this come to be the case? Featuring experts Fred Scharmen, Morgan State University School of Architecture and Planning; Cristian van Eijk, University of Cambridge; and Anuradha Damale, incoming Policy Fellow and Programme Manager at BASIC.

Selenian Communion: Cooperating on the Moon

February 10, 2022

Humanity is set to return to the Moon and this time plans to stick around. Or at least, that's the goal of several nations. But humans haven't traveled even close to that distance since the 1970s, and much has changed in the geopolitical context since then. New political concepts, legal institutions, and technologies are poised to make living and working together on the Moon a great challenge and opportunity. This panel explored the making of the Moon as a site for human endeavors. Featuring experts Mclee Kerolle, Deputy Executive Director, The Space Court Foundation Inc.; Britt Adkins, founder of Celestial Citizen; and Tamara Alvarez, Assistant Professor of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at Jagiellonian University.

Another Leap?

August 17, 2022

Should people go into outer space? What about returning to the moon, or perhaps going even further to other celestial bodies? These questions regained a sense of urgency in the mainstream with the so-called “Billionaire Space Race” of 2021 and the steady drumbeat of space-related news throughout the year. With the Mir and ISS space stations, humans have maintained a continual presence in low earth orbit for over 35 years now. So perhaps the question should be: What are the benefits of human spaceflight and are they worth it? If so, for whom? To consider these questions, we brought together researcher and designer Angeliki Kapoglou, scientist and musician Divya Persaud, and engineer and writer Joalda Morancy. Their deep knowledge of humanity’s endeavors in space and in relation to contemporary society will make this a fascinating conversation about a topic of global importance.

“Star Light, Star Bright”

August 31, 2022

In this panel, featuring Elizabeth Hamilton of Fort Valley State University, Lukas Feireiss of Berlin University of the Arts, and Damon Bradley of DeepSpace Technologies, speakers examined and discussed several works of space art and their import to human society at various times and places. What can these works tell us about those who produced them, their contemporary times, and now our own? Curated and moderated by Nick Travaglini (Liberal Studies - The New School), Co-Chair of New School Policy and Design for Outer Space (NSPDOS) of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.