Humans have been fascinated by outer space for millennia. This is evident in various studies that have come from the archaeological field known as archaeoastronomy, the study of past people’s understanding of the universe. Several of these topics have been explored previously on this blog, including the celestial observatory at Nabta Playa, studies of cultural events and understandings of eclipses, and King Tut’s cosmic blade. There is a wealth of information that has not yet been explored that falls within the subject matter of archaeoastronomy, but today’s blog post seeks to introduce you to new frontiers in this area of study: the archaeology of outer space.
Alice Gorman, an archaeologist out of Flinders University in Australia, has been pioneering archaeological studies as they relate to outer space. She believes that “space junk” holds a great potential for study that can provide greater insights into human cultures, beliefs, ideas, norms, values, and more. She defines “space junk” as man-made materials (artifacts), which includes but is not limited to satellites, remnants of rockets, probes, landers, and various other orbital debris, and organic human remains (e.g., urine and feces expelled into space by astronauts). Since the 1940s, when the “Space Race” first began, these materials have been deposited directly and indirectly by humans involved in various space exploration missions. While many believe that these materials are culturally neutral, meaning they can provide little to no information about the humans who created them, Gorman believes otherwise. She claims there is a great potential to study scientific advancements and the cultural values that drove these innovations, particularly when one considers the different citizens and nations that were involved in the creation of these objects. While the dominant narratives of the Space Race focus on White American and Russian men there were several other nations that were involved in the Space Race from the beginning and contributed to the deposition of early “space junk”. Furthermore, more nations as well as private corporations have joined space exploration, providing additional materials that have been left behind in space. Taken together there is a great deal of cultural elements that can be assessed from the “space junk” that remains in the atmosphere and will most likely be deposited in the future.
This, however, is an area of future study, which does not help current scholars interested in understanding contemporary issues concerning culture and outer space. Gorman has a solution to this problem. Drawing upon the historical record and her own culture history (as an Australian) she points out that it was not just Americans and Russians who initially entered the Space Race. Various European nations, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, also developed space exploration technology. While they were not as successful as either the Americans or Russians their contributions to space exploration are important areas of study, particularly as they pertain to how cultural values drove the Space Race in those nations and affected other groups. Gorman notes that the United Kingdom and France, both of which were colonial powers in the 1940s, used their colonial territories as landscapes to build their space exploration launch sites. These were deliberate decisions that framed colonial territories, specifically Algeria and Australia, as uninhabited areas that were prime for development and construction of space launch sites. The colonial powers’ rationale was that if something went wrong with a shuttle launch no one would be harmed, but the reality was that there were Indigenous populations who existed in those territories who were willfully ignored. When both the United Kingdom and France sent scientists, engineers, and military personnel to those regions they began to interact with the local Indigenous populations, resulting in cross cultural exchanges between both groups. Much of the material cultural remains from these interactions remain as the sites were eventually abandoned, but they have not been widely studied. The cultural impacts of these interactions are also ripe for ethnohistorical study, which has not been previously done.
Ultimately, Gorman makes compelling arguments for how and why archaeological studies should evolve and focus on contemporary outer space matters. From understanding the cultural impacts of the Space Race to how continued space exploration and use is changing contemporary cultures there is a wealth of cultural information that can be learned and interpreted. This is a new area of study for interested contemporary archaeologists and anthropologists, as well as a definitive one for future archaeologists and anthropologists.
Bibliography
Gorman, A. (2005). The Archaeology of Orbital Space. Australian Space Science Conference , 338-357.
Gorman, A. (2005). The cultural landscape of interplanetary space. Journal of Social Archaeology, 85-107.
Gorman, A. (2009). The Archaeology of Space Exploration. The Sociological Review, 132-145.
Oman-Reagan, M. P. (2016, February 8). Anthropologists in Outer Space. Retrieved from Sapiens: https://www.sapiens.org/culture/anthropologists-in-outer-space/?fbclid=IwAR05GJosWCCipr8I-aZbmhRhoa2jE7u28-RM6aBKSaAGxK_m3LhW66cTZY0
5 comments:
The field of archaeoastronomy is new to me. I would assume that most of the artifacts in space are culturally neutral too, but it is crucial to remain open-minded in the science fields. There are several rules and regulations when preparing to go to outer space, so one would think that it wouldn’t be any allowance for variation (i.e. diet, building materials, clothes). The surroundings of the launch sites in Algeria and Australia that were inhabited by Indigenous people should reveal a lot about their culture during that time. -Tala Caples
I understand the concept of Alice Gorman as she's trying to express that studying and analyzing "space junk" as it could lead to findings that'll be beneficial for humans. I agree with her logical, yet Im still trying to understand what exactly the what has been found, whether it was from the United States, Russia, or other countries that has proven her theory. Like stated in the article, some people may fid this topic and unimportant, but like most people are thinking I want to read about the actual studies found, what they are being used for, the end results, and if it was a success or not and what they'll do different from the next time.
Deona Mckinley
Alice Gorman's theory that studying and analyzing "space junk" could lead to beneficial findings for humans is supported by many people. However, it is important to understand the actual studies found, what they are being used for, the end results, and what they'll do differently from the next time. The surroundings of launch sites in Algeria and Australia that were inhabited by Indigenous people should reveal a lot about their culture during that time. This going to be an interesting new field of study for anthropologists in the future.
-Jada Johnson (ANT 310)
I never knew this field was called archeoastronomy and it was interesting to learn about it because there is much to learn about outer space. The idea fact that "space junk" can be used for human insight is really neat and it is good that there are people out their like Gorman who are wanting to study that. It was also interesting to read how these materials and other things have been deposited into out atmosphere and the study's conducted for them.
-Keira Robinson
Before this article I came in knowing that archaeology is the study of human history. Meaning we find things through interesting artifacts and excavations. But I never once thought about possibly searching space for artifacts. Gorman really opened my eyes up about how valuable artifacts in outer space could be I'm very interested in seeing how this will possibly take off in the future. This was a very different but informative blog.
Jasmine Hill
Post a Comment