Transplanetary Ecologies Reading Group

Continuous human presence in Low Earth Orbit, increasing expansion of techno-scientific infrastructures beyond Earth, and the extractivist ambitions of the commercial 'New Space' sector call for a reconsideration of the conventional analytical frameworks used to describe emergent (extra)terrestrial political, ecological, and social processes. The Transplanetary Ecologies reading group will interrogate this emerging paradigm, asking questions such as: how do the various infrastructures of space science exact their own ecological tolls? How do contemporary configurations of (neo)colonial power, engendered by progress-oriented visions of contemporary space industries, shape our understanding of extraterrestrial environments? What forms of (trans)planetary ecologies are needed to account for the imaginaries, materialities and entanglements brought about by space science? What do increasing calls for space sustainability mean in practice? 

Over the academic year 2022/2023 we will gather to discuss these questions and more. Our reading group is open to all, irrespective of your level of space related knowledge.

Our third session will take place on zoom on Wednesday, January 25th at 4pm GMT/UTC. After feedback from our last discussion in December we have decided to do something slightly different. For our third session we will read an article and a short science fiction story. These will be: 

1. Toxic splash: Russian rocket stages dropped in Arctic waters raise health, environmental and legal concerns by Byers & Byers.
2. The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet by Vandana Singh.

To get the Zoom link, or if you have any questions, please email the reading group conveners Makar: makar.tereshin.21@ucl.ac.uk and Rachel: rachel.hill.21@ucl.ac.uk for assistance.

Reading suggestions welcome!