SERC Seminar

Speaker: Justin Walsh , Chapman University

Talk Title: Human Heritage in Outer Space: Problems and Opportunities

Abstract: Humans have been sending all kinds of objects -“ from crewed spacecraft to nanosatellites to robotic rovers (and more) - into space for 66 years. Some of those objects have been imbued with significant meaning due to technological developments, historical events, and/or cultural associations, making it possible to include them among the items we consider to be HERITAGE. This lecture will consider the range of items in space that might be called heritage, their legal status (including the possibility of protecting them), and challenges and opportunities for documenting them. Can Tranquility Base be a National Park? How do we balance the preservation of satellites like the Hubble Space Telescope with the need to clean up space debris?

Biography: Justin Walsh is a professor of art, history, archaeology, and space studies at Chapman University and an Ad Astra Fellow in Space Habitats and Space Anthropology at SERC.

Host: ASTE Department

Location: Grace Ford Salvatori Hall Of Letters, Arts & Sciences (GFS) - 116

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Dell Cuason