space archaeology

Last Contact, by Stephen Baxter

Steve — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:19:00 +0000

“Another super-civilization discovered, off in space. We live in strange times, Mum.”

“That’s the fifteenth this year."

Full text here.

Mac Tonnies on space archaeology

Steve — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Mac Tonnies has a new gig blogging about SETI. He's begun posting about lunar and martian archaeology. Cool!

Prelude to space archaeology, by Alice Gorman

Steve — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:47:00 +0000

The abstract for her WAC-6 paper:

The archaeology of space exploration has been defined as a separate field, based on a chronological period – 1936 until the present - and a set of places, sites and artefacts associated with the contemporary era of military and globalising technologies. In this paper I want to explore the theoretical terrain of space archaeology. It could be regarded as historical archaeology, dealing with capitalist-driven colonial expansion and cross-cultural encounters; the archaeology of the contemporary past, where memory meets technology; industrial archaeology; or as an area of cultural heritage management. Other possible frameworks include cosmopolitanism and the consideration of large-scale evolutionary trajectories of the human species. Each of these approaches suggests research questions and future directions for analysing the material culture of the space age, which will assume greater importance as more nations coopt the heritage of space to support their claims to celestial resources.

NSS Space Settlement Art Contest

Steve — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:28:00 +0000

One with a space heritage theme: Tranquility Base Memorial Center, by Bill Wright. Check out the rest of the entries.

The Recognition of Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Are Humans up to it?

Steve — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:12:00 +0000

A JBIS paper by Derek Pugsley.

SETI strategies tend to overlook the uncertain nature of intelligence. How can we search for intelligence when we do not really know what it is? This paper explores the nature of intelligence and tries to identify its essence. It questions the validity of the human model of intelligence that is used to measure intelligence in terrestrial animals and underpins SETI projects. It concludes that we may only be able to recognise intelligence in an extraterrestrial animal from its behaviour and proposes several patterns of behaviour that could be used.

Terraformed Exoplanets and SETI

Steve — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:30:00 +0000

A new paper by Martin Beech in the JBIS.

A brief review is made of the 6 presently known exoplanetary systems with parent stars having ages within 1 percent of their main sequence life time limit. The exoplanets discussed range in mass from 0.05 to 7.4 times that of Jupiter and they move along moderately circular orbits - although 2 have relatively high eccentricities of order 0.4. Three of the systems are known to allow stable orbits within their habitable zone. It is argued that should these, and similar such systems yet to be discovered, support advanced civilizations then their existence might be betrayed through the presence of terraformed (that is engineered) habitable planets situated outside of the canonical habitable region.

Nostalgia for Infinity: exploring the archaeology of the final frontier

Steve — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:10:00 +0000

Alice Gorman (Flinders University of South Australia) Alice.Gorman (at) flinders.edu.au
Beth O'Leary (New Mexico State University) boleary (at) nmsu.edu

Outer space has been called the final frontier: after the Earths surface, the depths of the sea and the upper reaches of the atmosphere, it is the last environment that modern technology has enabled humans to explore. In the 21st century, humans stand physically upon the threshold of outer space; and yet it is a place that human cultures have always known. Since the Palaeolithic, the sun, moon and other celestial bodies have been included in the construction of cosmologies, creation stories and accounts of the moral and physical nature of the world.

The conquest of space required astronomical and engineering technologies: rockets, launch pads, tracking stations, electronics, energy sources, and life-sustaining environments. The material culture of the space age is present both on earth and in space. It is curated in museums, located in historic facilities, in orbit around numerous celestial bodies in the solar system, and on lunar and planetary surfaces. Its impacts are evident in the communities sustained by space industry and in the ubiquitous domestic satellite dishes, indicating participation in an increasingly globalised economy.

As space material culture begins to be accepted as heritage, the challenge for the archaeologist is to understand how people interact with the places and objects of space, not just as the province of a scientific elite, but as part of the fabric of every day life, permeating popular culture, politics and information exchange.

We invite papers addressing any aspect of the diverse material culture of space, such as terrestrial, orbital and planetary space sites, collection policies and procedures, military and civil space programmes, space tourism, and cultural heritage management and preservation.

Archaeological Anomalies

Steve — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:36:00 +0000

Worth 1000 is running a new Archaeological Anomalies photoshop contest.

In this contest you will create a hoax archaeological discovery, maybe Atlantis, a 2,000 year-old Coca-Cola can or a giant's skull. Be open minded, there are many mysteries buried beneath the earth.

The rules of this game are thus:
You are to create an archaeological hoax. Your job is to show a picture of an archaeological discovery that looks so real, had it not appeared at Worth1000, people might have done a double take.

Zoo Hypothesis / Prime Directive

Steve — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:30:00 +0000

I found an early reference to something much like the zoo hypothesis (or Star Trek's Prime Directive) in Olaf Stapledon's 1937 novel Star Maker:

Their little island universe, their outlying cluster of stars, had come wholly under their control. It contained many natural planetary systems. Several of these included worlds which, when the early Arachnoid explorers visited them telepathically, were found to be inhabited by native races of pre-utopian rank. These were left to work out their own destiny, save that in certain crises of their history the Symbionts secretly brought to bear on them from afar a telepathic influence that might help them to meet their difficulties with increased vigour. Thus when one of these worlds reached the crisis in which Homo Sapiens now stands, it passed with seemingly natural ease straight on to the phase of world-unity and the building of utopia. Great care was taken by the Symbiotic race to keep its existence hidden from the primitives, lest they should lose their independence of mind. Thus, even while the Symbiotics were voyaging among these worlds in rocket vessels and using the mineral resources of neighbouring uninhabited planets, the intelligent worlds of pre-utopian rank were left unvisited. Not till these worlds had themselves entered the full utopian phase and were exploring their neighbour planets were they allowed to discover the truth. By then they were ready to receive it with exultation, rather than disheartenment and fear.
Thenceforth, by physical and telepathic intercourse the young utopia would be speedily brought up to the spiritual rank of the Symbiotics themselves, and would co-operate on an equal footing in a symbiosis of worlds.
Some of these pre-utopian worlds, not malignant but incapable of further advance, were left in peace, and preserved, as we preserve wild animals in national parks, for scientific interest. Aeon after aeon, these beings, tethered by their own futility, struggle in vain to cope with the crisis which modern Europe knows so well. In cycle after cycle civilization would emerge from barbarism, mechanization would bring the peoples into uneasy contact, national wars and class wars would breed the longing for a better world-order, but breed it in vain. Disaster after disaster would undermine the fabric of civilization. Gradually barbarism would return. Aeon after aeon, the process would repeat itself under the calm telepathic observation of the Symbiotics, whose existence was never suspected by the primitive creatures under their gaze. So might we ourselves look down into some rock-pool where lowly creatures repeat with naive zest dramas learned by their ancestors aeons ago.
The Symbiotics could well afford to leave these museum pieces intact, for they had at their disposal scores of planetary systems. (pp. 154-5).

Kim Stanley Robinson on space archaeology

Steve — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:01:00 +0000

From BLDGBLOG:

BLDGBLOG: Speaking of archaeology, one of the most interesting things I’ve read recently was that some archaeologists are now speculating that sites like the Apollo moon landing, or the final resting spot of the Mars rovers, will someday be like Egypt’s Valley of the Kings: they’ll be excavated and studied and preserved and mapped.

Robinson: Yes, and places like Baikonur, in Kazakhstan, will be quite beautiful. They’ll work as great statuary – like megaliths. They’ll have that charismatic quality and, in their ruin, they should be quite beautiful. As you know, that was one great attraction of the Romantic era – to ruins, to the suggestion of age – and there will be something nicely contradictory about something as futuristic as space artifacts suggesting ruins and the ancient past. That’s sure to come.

"Flash Gorman" discussed on Unidroit

Steve — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 12:12:00 +0000

Alice Gorman's controversial astronaut poop interview has surfaced on a Yahoo! discussion group for collectors called Unidroit:

This really is intended as a serious proposal, however that might strike the non-archaeologist. It may become something of a tough sell though, since expanding the current academic perspective that archaeology has first claim upon all artifacts in the world, to also include everything in the entire universe, is rather a breathtaking leap - especially when the term "artifact" is applied so broadly as to include things like human waste.

Here's another follow up thread: Collectable space debris is or is not cultural property?.

1) Is "space junk" something that should be considered "cultural property?"

2) Every discipline must have some recognized limits. What should humanity recognize as being the limits of archaeology - spatial, cultural, legal and temporal?

"Is it true that radical archaeologists want to control the universe?"

Interview with Richard Paul Russo

Steve — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:22:00 +0000

Here's an interview with Richard Paul Russo, an author I've enjoyed because his works seem to be rather xenoarchaeological.

Xenogarbology

Steve — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 06:53:00 +0000

One of the privileges of running one's own encyclopedia is that you can lend give your neologisms some credibility by creating articles for them. Thus I present: xenogarbology.

I was trying to think of an appropriate term for Alexey Arkhipov's theories about the spread of artefactual debris through the galaxy.

Basically, Arkhipov argues that even without deliberate interstellar missions, particles of debris would be capable of leaving their star system of origin, either through pressure from the stellar wind, gravitational "slingshot" or what have you.

From there it would diffuse through the galaxy, and over the course of 4.5 Gyr, with repeated orbits of the galaxy, our Solar system would have encountered at least some debris, if there are indeed nonhuman civilisations.

Ian Crawford has most recently proposed a search for such flotsam and jetsam on the moon.

"Astronaut poop"

Steve — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:17:00 +0000

Alice Gorman gets a mention over at the National Review Online's The Corner.

Critical Technologies: the Making of the Modern World

Steve — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:52:00 +0000

This is Alice Gorman's theme for the World Archaeological Congress in Dublin next year.

Critical Technologies: the Making of the Modern World
Call for session proposals and papers

Organisers:
Dr Alice Gorman (Flinders University; Alice.Gorman@flinders.edu.au)
Dr Beth O’Leary (New Mexico State University; boleary@nmsu.edu)
Mr Wayne Cocroft (English Heritage; Wayne.Cocroft@english-heritage.org.uk)

Please direct all correspondence to Alice Gorman in the first instance.

Abstract

Everyday life in modern industrial nations has been shaped by technologies that have radically altered the nature of travel (cars, trains, aeroplanes, submarines, spacecraft), communication (telephones, television, telegraphs, radio, computers and satellites), and warfare (rockets, missiles, aeroplanes, nuclear weapons), among others. These technologies have recreated human geographies through their capacity to transcend distance and time, allowing the traffic of information and material culture across vast spaces, sometimes almost instantaneously. They are the foundation of the globalising world, and yet the material culture of globalisation is rarely examined critically from an archaeological perspective. Given WAC’s aim to redress global inequities, it is timely to focus an archaeological gaze on the technologies that support the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” of the 21st century.

Sessions are invited to examine the sites, places and artefacts created by critical technologies, including but not limited to such topics as:

• The Cold War and nuclear confrontation
• Telecommunications
• Aerospace
• Outer space
• Robotics
• Technological landscapes
• Heritage management and conservation challenges
• Defence and warfare
• Indigenous engagement with critical technologies
• Theoretical issues in contemporary archaeology
• Capitalism and critical technologies
• The archaeology of the future

Critical technologies are not confined to the 20th century and after; we also encourage papers and session proposals that investigate 17th -19th century antecedents of modern technologies, and their impacts.

DEADLINE for session proposals is 1 November 2007
Sessions must be have organisers representing at least two different countries. Session abstracts should be no longer than 250 words, and can be submitted online at http://www.ucd.ie/wac-6/. Please also send details to Alice Gorman at Alice.Gorman@flinders.edu.au. Feel free to discuss your proposed session before submitting.

Plurality of Worlds, by Steven J. Dick

Steve — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:14:00 +0000

Acquired a copy of this today. It should be a good source to check my theory that Kepler was the first xenoarchaeologist/exoarchaeologist/planetary SETI researcher.

Extreme cultural tourism from Antarctica to the Moon

Steve — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:02:00 +0000

Dirk Spennemann's new paper on space heritage is now available.

Humanity has an affinity for adventure and discovery. History has shown that in places previously deemed out of reach, intrepid pioneers first visit, followed by an audacious few, and then finally by the segment of general tourist population that can afford it. Thus, increasingly remote heritage places have come under threat from visitation, and it is time to consider the implications for future heritage sites on the lunar surface. While ecotourism principles can be implemented on planet earth, merely visiting lunar landing sites of the Apollo program can diminish their heritage value.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Recent Developments

Steve — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:08:00 +0000

I've finally got my hands on a copy of this important volume! Now I can update myself on recent developments (to 1985)!

Rendezvous with Rama

Steve — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:56:00 +0000

Space archaeology events 2008

Steve — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:12:00 +0000

I still hope that the British Interplanetary Society will host its Archaeology for Space symposium in 2008, but if it doesn't, there's a chance that the World Archaeological Congress will have a related session.

Space Archaeology Forum

Steve — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:07:00 +0000

I've added a space archaeology forum here. Feel free to register to discuss anything related to archaeology and space.

Welcome!

Steve — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 22:21:00 +0000

I've turned this splash page for www.spacearchaeology.org into a blog, where I'll be posting space archaeology news. The space archaeology wiki is here.