An Adaptive Paradigm for Human Space Settlement

Authors

Cameron Smith, Portland State UniversityFollow

Published In

Acta Astronautica

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

3-1-2016

Subjects

Space law, Exploration of outer space

Abstract

Because permanent space settlement will be multigenerational it will have to be viable on ecological timescales so far unfamiliar to those planning space exploration. Long-term viability will require evolutionary and adaptive planning. Adaptations in the natural world provide many lessons for such planning, but implementing these lessons will require a new, evolutionary paradigm for envisioning and carrying out Earth-independent space settlement. I describe some of these adaptive lessons and propose some cognitive shifts required to implement them in a genuinely evolutionary approach to human space settlement.

Description

Copyright 2015 IAA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

DOI

10.1016/j.actaastro.2015.11.017

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/23244

Citation Details

Smith, C. M. (2016). An adaptive paradigm for human space settlement. Acta Astronautica, 119, 207–217. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2015.11.017