Artificial Intelligence, Ethical and Legal Issues on Manned Misson To Mars
- Paper number
IAC-13,A3,3A,10,x16738
- Author
Mr. KAYODE ADEPOJU, African Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E), Nigeria
- Year
2013
- Abstract
Many people have seen the proposed emigration of human astronauts to Mars with the possibility establishing new homes where they will live and work. This has been seen to offer an outstanding and exciting opportunity for cooperation among space actors to realize the dream of human exploration and settlement on planet mars. It represents a chance to establish a new home for humanity outside the cradle of the earth. If things work as planned, the mars mission would however raise so many legal and ethical questions because human settlement on another planet was not envisaged by the UN space treaties drafted in the post cold war era. A plethora of ethical and legal questions that bothers on the suitability of mars for habitation must however be raised. Ethical questions like is it healthy for humankind to live on Mars? How would astronauts survive on Mars? Would there be enough food to eat? Is this a sustainable mission? Would nations and governments around the globe allow private corporations to embark on such risky voyage by taking astronauts to Mars? And legal questions like what legal regime will govern life on another planet? On what conditions would states allow a private company to send humans to another planet? These and other questions need to be raised for this dream to eventually to come through. Advances in artificial intelligence especially in the areas of analytical problem solving and transhumanism presents the ultimate application of machines to help push the limits of human space exploration by expanding the limits of the mind and body. The big question that only comes to our mind is not if, but how soon will humans be ready for the manned mars mission. Right now things may not be very exciting or radical but figuring out how to put together a whole lot of these puzzles is just something that needs to be done before this mission can be accomplished. The challenge is that space lawyers, scientists, engineers; psychologists, government of nations around the globe have work to do as we follow closely the development of artificial intelligence for space exploration.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)