Ethics and the Commercialization of Outer Space

by Sandra Schuh, Ph.D.

Key Concepts

o Distributive justice/Economic justice: a discussion of benefits and burdens within a society—who gets what part of the pie and why?
o Treating all person with dignity and respect
o The right to privacy. Is satellite spying legally justified and ethical?
o Rights and responsibilities: rights of the society and rights of individuals (rights and responsibilities are correlative –in most cases one does not have rights without corresponding responsibilities. This applies to governments as well as persons)
o Environmental ethics: what is a space based business’s responsibility to the environment
o Profit motive alone or profit plus social responsibility?
o Is business ethics an oxymoron?
o What are the ethical responsibilities of a scientist involved in pharmaceutical research in outer space?
o What are the ethical responsibilities in mining the moon?
o Right of ownership in space?
o What are the International ethical responsibilities regarding the use of outer space?
o The International legal responsibilities regarding the use of outer space.
o Can there be a global ethical approach toward space?

Vocabulary

Biospherical
Equitorial
Geosynchronous
Global
Magnetism
N.O.R. A. D. (North American Air Defense)
Oxygen
Satellite
Solar Energy
Space Shuttle
Sterility (in space)
Vacuum
Zero gravity