US Democracy as the Model for the Next New World: Forming an Even 'More Perfect Union' in Outer Space

摘要

Discourse on developing outer space for human habitation fails to look beyond the initial technological, legal and political obstacles. Once humankind is able to establish a viable settlement, beyond the International Space Station (ISS), there are bound to be conflicts and tensions in a new society comprised of peoy le from diverse nations, and ethno cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds. The core spacefaring community is already highly diverse. Considering major past conflicts, it is naive to ignore the possibility of future conflict and tensions in a newer, "new world". This paper uses an interdisciplinary approach blending political science, sociology, discursive psychology and critical discourse analysis, arguing that to look nto "the future of human spaceflight" necessitates that we peep beyond the internatitional legal framework, and capture a glimpse of how social, political and economic hierarchies of power might arise, once we ' get there".