We’re thrilled to be featured in this article by Duke’s Sanford School! Covering the inaugural Duke Space Symposium, it highlights our team’s research on future space settlements—exploring governance, sustainability, and beyond. Big thanks to Matt LoJacono for spotlighting our work!
Author: Lawrence Wu Page 1 of 3
What does the East India Company have to do with Mars? How can the failures of Soviet mining towns inform the design of self-governing space habitats? Throughout the semester, students explored historical case studies and drew surprising connections between Earth’s past and the governance, labor systems, and social structures of imagined space settlements. These research stories highlight specific insights that stood out—some strange, some sobering, some even hopeful—and reflect on how history might guide the futures we build beyond our planet.
Check out this amazing spotlight on our team’s work! Simran Pandey’s annotated space constitution, designed as part of our settlement planning, lays out a visionary yet practical framework for governance beyond Earth. Dive into her thought-provoking design and see how we’re reimagining justice, rights, and responsibility in space!






