A new genre of books about space is emerging: Despite a trailblazing commercial space race, led by entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, several books argue that human space colonies are a terrible idea.
“A City on Mars” by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith questions whether scientists have fully thought through the medical, ethical, and existential consequences of space travel, and whether it’s worth the enormous cost.
Ground Control by Savannah Mandel argues that the enormous cost of space exploration could be put to better use addressing pressing problems on Earth, such as climate change and inequality, noting space exploration’s benefits have been distributed unequally.
Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race by Mary-Jane Rubenstein, argues that the space race is fuelled by ideologies rooted in Genesis that allow humans to exploit new planets as they have done on Earth.
While these books question space travel, they also advocate for a more considered, egalitarian approach to space exploration.