Shifting from Airports to Spaceports: An Astrosociological Model of Social Change toward Spacefaring Societies

Abstract

As contemporary post-industrial societies advance, a most interesting question arises: What will be the social structures and cultures of tomorrow? The changes that initiated and sustained the space age may provide the roots for our own future. We present a model of a spacefaring society in which all major social institutions, the larger culture, subcultures, and human values shift away from our planet of origin and re-center on space. Under this scenario, everything from the economy to everyday activities shifts from a terrestrial to an extraterrestrial orientation. Right now, when we have just begun to take our first steps beyond Earth, such a future would be difficult to predict. Still, within the framework of astrosociology -sociology focused on human activity in space -we can develop a theoretical model of a spacefaring society as an "ideal type," an abstraction that outlines in broad strokes how our society might eventually appear and a reference point for evaluating changes in our society over centuries to come. I. IntroductionN the early 1950s, when the V-2 and its variants were the only way to break the shackles of gravity, von Braun, Oberth, Kraft-Ehricke and other scientists teamed with artists, writers, and the media to present the public with awesome visions of our future in space. Lifelike, highly detailed renderings of magnificent interplanetary cruisers and space settlements adorned the cover of major popular magazines of the day, and television viewers were treated to enthralling animations of voyages in space. As Howard McCurdy 1 points out, these efforts did much to generate support for the U.S. space program, but achievements so far have never come close to the high hopes that public relations efforts aroused in the American imagination.The 20th century saw accelerating developments in many areas of technology -transportation (from biplanes to space shuttles), communication (spark coils to cell phones) and information processing (from mechanical calculators to supercomputers). All of this prepared and strengthened the infrastructure for human activity in space. Social change in these areas and others, along with the political pressures of the Cold War, pushed the United States and the Soviet Union toward the first social conditions that put them on track for spacefaring futures. Advancements in developing societies, such as China and India, mirror this development in the 21st century.Given that human communities date back tens of thousands of years and that even "modern societies" have been in existence for five hundred years, the mere half a century since Sputnik was launched is barely a blip on the radar of history. Still, extrapolating from such trends, one possible future for us is a society whose economy, culture and values center on space. Even as many of us have shifted from a local to a global perspective, some of us are starting to view ourselves as citizens of the universe. 2 If this continues, humanity may spread throughout our solar system and beyond, although these shifts would re...

Refining the Definition of Astrosociology Utilizing Three Perspectives

“…In my original essay on astrosociology, 16,17 I noted the importance of applying the sociological imagination to understanding the astrosocial world.…”

“…They can use this perspective, in the form of the "astrosociological imagination," to incorporate astrosocial phenomena into their perceptions and thereby better appreciate the interrelationships between ordinary social life and the impact of astrosocial phenomena. 16 Supra 9, Pass. 17 See Jim Pass, Inaugural Essay: The Definition and Relevance of Astrosociology in the Twenty-First Century (Part Two: Relevance of Astrosociology as a New Subfield of Sociology), unpublished proceedings of the California Sociological Association Annual Meeting 2004 (Riverside, CA).…”

Astrosociology and the Planning of Space Ecosystems

“…The trend over the long haul is arguably toward a spacefaring society in which space affects more and more aspects of people's social lives. 4 This prediction is based on the historical record that demonstrates progress unless setbacks or social disintegration occur, which are indeed certainly possible outcomes in the future.…”