"Only look, don't touch" was an old marketing
slogan, which perfectly describes one of the key advantages of "Remote
Sensing". We only observe, without cahnging the objetc's properties.
Objects are too far away to investigate them in person. But we have
photos of them: taken from aboard satellites/telescopes in space. The
cameras and other instruments look back onto our planet (or to other
celestial bodies) and observe them from a bird's eye perspective... The
human influence is obvious, and so is the immense benefit of having
"Eyes in the Sky".
But what happens, when the eyes in the orbit are
too many? Starlink (Elon Musk) and Project Kuiper (Jeff Bezos) are
gigantic programs designed to save the world in their own way. But who
regulates satellites/telescopes in space? The amount of space junk is
already dangerously high ("The spirits I called"). So, how many more
satellites can the orbit take? How does society profit from their data
and are the profits distributed equally?
We want to have a closer look at the legal situation, who oversees the access to space and what power staces vs. individuals hold. Discussions will tackle questions of ethics/philosophy, of sustainability, of discrimination and political participation.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Tobia Lakes
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Joana Wokittel