At both the forefront of climate science and ego-centric technological obsession, space exploration exemplifies the tension inherent in the anthropocene: on one hand, we need the technology to navigate our existing anthropogenic impacts; on the other, further development seems to only perpetuate the root of the problem.

I began this post with rocket emissions and resource footprint in mind, yet the more I dug into it, the more I found that the key problem is not in the direct ecological footprint, but rather the nature of the field itself. It's astounding how most articles I found online were about space research being 'vital' to sustainability, yet in reality none of the reasons justify it as a true solution. It's a long list of high budget carbon decoupling fantasies that for now, seem to put a band-aid over our problems.

This is more just my personal viewpoint than an infographic or educational post, and I wish I had the time to put more nuance around this specific post. I do hope to dig deeper into this issue for a future blog...before then, feel free to change my mind.