One of the most interesting stories I came across in my research this year for the Bass Connections project, “Future of Space Settlements: Lessons from History,” was the story of the computer that flew with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin aboard the Apollo 11 lunar lander. That first Moon landing, which became so immortalized in our collective social and cultural memory, very nearly ended in tragedy. After the lunar module carrying the two astronauts separated from the Apollo command module to descend to the Moon’s surface, the descent was suddenly interrupted by a program alarm flashing on the computer screen in the module. It was a 1202, an alarm code which indicated an overload to the computer and a potential system failure. This was important because many of the most critical guidance tasks in both the Apollo shuttle and the lunar lander were performed by the automated systems on board. A failure in the computing system was not just a programming error; it indicated an immediate and potentially catastrophic problem in the most essential functions of the system on which the astronauts depended to survive. The alarm sounded not just once, but five times in a matter of minutes.
Author: Lawrence Wu
My research for the Bass Connections group Future Space Settlements: Lessons from History focuses on environmental legal parallels between historical colonial sites and potential space settlements. A current common interest between the two is resource extraction. The Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea serves as a particularly interesting historical corollary. The Mine began operations in 1984 when a consortium led by BHP Billiton started extracting copper and gold from the Star Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Initially, the construction of a tailings dam was planned to contain mining waste. However, after a landslide destroyed the partially built dam, the company—with government approval—continued operations without constructing a new one. Consequently, the mines discharged approximately 80,000 tons of mining waste daily into the Ok Tedi and Fly Rivers, causing extensive ecological damage and affecting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people living along these waterways.
In examining historical settlements in extreme environments for my research, I found Longyear City which began as an early 20th-century mining town in the Arctic. This example stood out to me because it is a valuable case study in understanding the social and structural components necessary for long-term settlement. It was established by the Arctic Coal Company (ACC) to support its mining operations in Svalbard. Similarly to many other mining towns, Longyear City provided basic infrastructure such as shelter, food, and transportation. However, despite meeting the physical requirements for survival, the settlement ultimately failed to meet its profit targets because the workforce was unstable and did not choose to live in the settlement long term. I discovered the central issue was the company’s limited investment in community development.
The most interesting finding I discovered through Future Space Settlements: Lessons in History is that the future of interstellar law might depend on astronauts’ daily food choices. As a member of the Legal Systems Team, I conducted research centered on developing a legal framework for Mars space settlements through analyzing the findings of space analogs and historical legal precedents. The purpose of a legal system is to provide a clear set of rules for a community based on established societal norms. However, the uncertain conditions of space effectively challenge such norms during long-term space missions. Sending a research team to establish a civilization on Mars requires astronauts to navigate interpersonal relationships in an unfamiliar and stressful environment. For a long-term legal system to be implemented at a settlement, the initial crew of astronauts must survive the journey. Since group cooperation is critical during this interim, I turned to the field of Organizational Psychology to understand what group rules, conditions, and behaviors contribute to positive social dynamics in space. Interestingly, NASA specialists discovered that food systems play a significant role in the physical, psychological, and social health of astronauts.
As we prepare for the possibility of future space settlements—whether on the Moon, Mars, or in massive orbital habitats—we face an essential question: how do we protect the health of those we send beyond Earth? My research in the Bass Connections project, Future Space Settlements: Lessons from History, has focused on space health systems, particularly the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to support astronaut well-being in environments where traditional healthcare models simply don’t apply.
While conducting my research on company towns in Latin America, I came across the Guiana Space Centre located in Kourou, French Guiana. This space center is unique as it transitioned from a French cruel penal colony to a spaceport, now known as “Europe’s spaceport”. This development is important in thinking about the ethical, social, and environmental challenges that might occur in a space settlement.
As a member of the Future Space Settlements: Lessons from History Bass Connections, I conducted research into the legal implications of humanity’s long-term presence in space. My research focused on how immigration and citizenship regulations may develop in this domain.
One compelling historical corollary I found was Antarctica’s so-called “baby race”- a geopolitical contest between Argentina and Chile aimed at reinforcing territorial claims by ensuring their nationals were born on the continent.
Within the Technology & Innovation Sub-Team of the Bass Connections Project, I leveraged my background in policy analysis and archival research to survey the innovation patterns in technology and policy of various isolated, extreme, and constrained human settlements across history. In particular, I explored how healthcare practice and management—at the cellular, individual, and human collective levels—have been successfully employed throughout time, and which generalizable patterns and lessons are worth emulating for a future populated human space settlement.
