Capital and the Cosmos: War, Society and the Quest for Profit

Description

This book offers a new understanding of society’s relations with the cosmos. Entrepreneurs such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk receive a great deal of publicity, but offer unlikely and implausible visions of space tourism for the general public.  Meanwhile, asteroids are seen as ‘rare materials’ which will be extracted and used to produce untold riches for earthbound citizens. The reality is rather different.  First, there is no evidence that owners of capital are attempting to extract ‘rare’ materials in the cosmos. The costs would be ‘out of this world’.  But capital, not governments, is determining how outer space should be used.  Capital’s investments in aerospace companies are actively determining forms of military interventions and the equipment used.  And satellite television pumps out forms of culture aimed at a global audience.  But these are being ignored and subverted by, for example, indigenous peoples. In short, this book sets out a new understanding of our relations with the cosmos. The forces of capital are certainly powerful but at the same time they are being challenged, subverted and even overturned. Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1: Understanding Cosmic Capitalism Towards an Alternative Understanding: Capital Accumulation and the Military Capital, Labour, Space and Marx References and Further Reading 2: Libertarianism and Cosmic Capitalism The Tyranny of the Majority Libertarianism and the Cosmos ‘Capitalism’: Some Misplaced Criticisms The Cosmos Incorporated into Capitalism Moon Science and Capital Accumulation The Artemis Project: Libertarianism Co-opted References and Further Reading 3: Narcissism, Fantasy and the Cosmos Narcissism and Phantasy: Accessing the Distant Cosmos? Outer Space Narcissism Today Narcissism and Cosmic Capitalism Society, the Cosmos and the Self Pro-Space Activism: Accessing the Cosmos to Save the World Cosmic Narcissism as Self-ownership References and Further Reading 4: Circuits of Earth, Circuits of Capital Satellites: Their Contradictory Purposes Capitalism, the Labour Processes and Satellites Cosmic ‘Satellisation’ and Circuits of Capital Circuits of Capital and Cosmic Fixes Circuits of Capital, Labour Processes and Surveillance Managing by Satellite: Some Contradictions Arising Satellites, Lifestyles and ‘New’ Forms of Consumption Satellites and Capital Flows Finance Capital and the Cosmos Capital, the Cosmos and ‘Satellite Farming’ References and Further Reading 5: Working in ‘The Silent Sphere of Production’ Making Spacecraft Today Making Landers: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Making Spacecraft: United Launch Alliance The Landers on Mars Making a Mars Buggy: A Skilled Labour Process in Action The Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Employees’ Comments Realising the Rover’s Potential Preparation and the ‘Science’ Question Making the United Launch Alliance Spacecraft Labour Processes: A Comparative Assessment Making a Mars Lander: Conclusions Financing Rocket Production: From Government to Private Capital References and Further Reading 6: Cosmic Capitalism and the Body Nazi Space Medicine: The Objectified Body Science and the Body After the Nazi Experiments The Soviets, the Animal’s Body and the Cosmos ‘Astronauts on Strike’: The Body and the Cosmos Today Skylab and Astronaut Resistance Management, Labour Relations and Power Controllers, Power and Authority Cyclical Rhythms, the Body and Control Threats to the Body in the Cosmos Risk and the Body Threats to the Body: Radiation Another Threat: Spacesuit Failure From Alienation to Autonomy? Days, Nights and Wars Another Problem: Returning to Earth Returning to Earth and Threats to Astronauts’ Well-Being References 7: Cosmic Risk Society Facts and Truths Ulrich Beck’s Critique of Scientific Method Risk and the Chernobyl Disaster Capitalism and Risk Risk and the Cosmos Nuclear Risk Space Junk as ‘Manufactured Risk’ Cosmic Capitalism and Health Risks Capitalism and Risk References and Further Reading 8: Satellites, War and Capital Accumulation The Military–Industrial–Space Complex History: Capital Accumulation and the Making of Empire Nearby Outer Space: A New Zone of Capitalist Imperialism The Military–Industrial–Space Complex Conclusion: Lessons from the Mysterious Space Plane References and Further Reading 9: Cosmic Capitalism and Space Law The Space Treaty in Historical Context The U.N. Outer Space Treaty Corporatism and the Cosmos Corporatism and ‘Success’ of the Cosmos The Outer Space Treaty The 1967 Outer Space Treaty: Recent Assessments A Serious Corrective Earth-Bound Resources, Fictions and the Cosmos Cosmic Capitalism: Nation States as Facilitators Conclusion References and Further Reading 10: Future Work: Cosmic Capitalism, Indigenous Peoples and Satellite Television Society, Nature and Aboriginal Peoples Indigenous Peoples in Australia Indigenous Peoples and Satellite Television Imparja Television: From Indigenous to ‘Remote’ Broadcasting From Indigenous to ‘Remote’ Television: Alienation Continued National Indigenous Television (NITV) Indigenous Peoples and Communications: A Continuing Struggle References and Further Reading 11: Prefigurative Politics: Towards a Cosmic Socialism? Prefigurative Politics Prefiguration: The Lucas Aerospace Example Prefiguring Alternatives Now: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory References and Further Reading Index