This leads me to what seems morally most troubling about the Billionaire’s Space Race. Why is the experience of seeing Earth from space so valued? What is so moving about it? It is the beauty and preciousness of the earth. It’s strange to spend so much money getting this experience when the money could have been used to protect the earth, and especially when you are part of the reasons it’s so endangered.
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Bezos has said that one of his reasons for starting his Blue Origin company is because “We are now big compared to the size of the planet“. Like Musk, he thinks we must look beyond Earth to survive our current crises. But that is far too premature. We can still save the earth. But to save it, we have to reshape our consumer culture and economy. This, and not space tourism, is the great technical challenge of the 21st century. I would love to see these billionaires use their brilliant minds to save the earth instead of leaving it. If this means smaller growth for your own company, so be it.
The joys of seeing Earth from space are indeed special. But for now they should be reserved for those who have flown into space on missions for humanity, such as astronauts and scientists. Only if we can save the planet will space tourism become something we can all enjoy with a clear conscience.
Ben Bramble is a lecturer in philosophy at the Australian National University.
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