HAT Forum

The Humanist Association of Toronto
http://www.humanisttoronto.ca/

Every Saturday we meet on Zoom to discuss a topic decided upon the previous week. These are topics of humanist interest, from a humanist perspective.

The topic of the discussion will be decided in a prior meeting, usually two weeks in advance. This week’s topic is: The Pros and Cons of Space Exploration, Introduced by Tanya Long

At 8:07pm on Friday, April 10, the Orion space capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Part of the Artemis 2 mission, the capsule and its crew, including Canadian Jeremy Hansen, had completed its 10-day mission into deep space, circling to the dark side of the moon. This was the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. Its purpose was to test the capacity of the Orion to withstand an actual moon landing, as part of Artemis 3, and pave the way for human exploration of Mars in the future.
The Artemis mission has been followed with rapt attention by scientsts, media and the general public. Space travel has been a source of wonder particularly since Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon in 1969.
With Jeremy Hansen being the first non-American (and a Canadian) to participate in a NASA mission, this mission has brought Canadians together, inspired us, strengthened our leadership in the global space sector, and highlighted Canada's essential role in the future of space exploration.
More generally, space exploration has given us GPS, improved understanding of weather patterns, satellite communications, water purification systems, solar panels, scratch-resistant lenses, memory foam, medical imaging techniques, the ability to monitor potential threats to the earth such as asteroids, and probably many other developments.
However, there are naysayers who believe that there are more negatives to space exploration than positives. Launches require thousands of pounds of fuel per second, thereby releasing pollutants into the atmosphere. Our atmosphere is also filled with dangerous space debris such as dead satellites. It is said that space travel furthers international cooperation but if one of the goals of being able to inhabit the moon is to mine critical minerals, then we will experience the same colonial wars that we have had on earth. As for going to Mars, why? Mars is hostile to human life. It is cold and dry, the atmosphere too thin to provide any protection from solar radiation.
But probably the biggest concern is that space exploration is hugely expensive. The total Artemis program investment was projected to exceed $90-$100 billion by 2025/26. This money could be much better spent solving the problems of the planet we live on: environmental impact of climate change, war, poverty, disease. Space travel diverts money and attention from issues that are far more pressing.
Questions to discuss:
1. Were you caught up in the excitement of the Artemis mission? If not, why not?
2. What do you think are the main benefits of space exploration?
3. Conversely, what do you think are the main negatives?
4. Are there ethical concerns regarding the safety of astronauts or our colonizing of the moon or other planets?
5. Are there legal implications regarding who owns what in space?
Please join us for a lively discussion.

Meet our diverse group, trade perspectives in a free and open forum and learn from others as they learn from you!

BTW: don't be concerned if there are not many RSVP’s. Many HAT members attend regularly but don’t sign up on Meetup. Our online meetings have been very popular with 20-30 attendees.

NOTE: The HAT Forum adheres strictly to the City of Toronto Policy on Non-Discrimination (http://www.the519.org/public/content/policy-files/The519SpaceUsePolicy.pdf)

Our Website (http://www.humanisttoronto.ca/)