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The influence of culture on space developments
Author(s) -
Harris Philip R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830310103
Subject(s) - space (punctuation) , outer space , mars exploration program , frontier , space exploration , software deployment , process (computing) , architectural engineering , sociology , political science , computer science , astrobiology , engineering , aerospace engineering , law , physics , operating system
Future space cultures may develop in living systems which could be at the level of the organization, the community, the society, or the supranational system. This article concerns all subsystem processes of such entities. For more than a quarter‐century, humankind has been extending its presence successfully into outer space. The Moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969 is changing our image of the species‐we are no longer earthbound. The explorations in outer space have already begun to alter human culture on Earth, as demonstrated by the artifacts originating from space technologies. With the establishment of a more permanent presence in the higher frontier, as will happen around 1992 with the Space Station, and around 2010 with the first lunar base, humans will begin to create a new space culture as we cope with the zero‐gravity environment and other aspects of living on the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and in planetary systems. To create cultural synergy in this process of human migration into space, planners should place more emphasis on the human factors involved and make greater use of the behavioral sciences, especially cultural anthropology and cross‐cultural psychology, as well as a systems approach and macromanagement expertise. In our transition to a space‐based culture, we should consider the development of a space deployment system for the selection and recruitment, training and orientation of those who will live for long periods in space, as well as the support services and reentry assistance to be provided the spacefarers. Systematic studies are needed on the desired characteristics to be cultivated.