A New Argument For Preserving ‘Space Junk’ Left On Mars
4:14 minutes
Over the past 60 years or so of space exploration, humans have left some things behind: bits of satellites, moon buggies, Mars rovers, even human excrement. It’s all part of the countless bits of human-made material that some people have dubbed “space junk.”
But what if, many, many years from now, archeologists wanted to trace the chronology of space exploration by examining the items we left in our wake? A new paper in the journal Nature Astronomy argues just this, that artifacts should be considered heritage, rather than trash.
Lead author Dr. Justin Holcomb, assistant research professor at the University of Kansas, joins Ira to discuss shifting our mindset on “space junk.”
Further Reading
- Reas about archaeologists’ first ‘space excavation’ on International Space Station via The Conversation.
- Check out this space archeology activity for kids via NASA.
Segment Guests
Justin Holcomb
Dr. Justin Holcomb is an assistant research professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
Segment Transcript
IRA FLATOW: To finish out the hour, let’s shift our focus upwards to space. Over the past 60 years or so of space exploration, we humans have left some– well, we’ve left some things behind. I’ll put it that way. Be it bits of satellites, moon buggies, Mars rovers, even human excrement, all among the countless pieces of evidence of our presence that some people have dubbed “space junk.”
But what if many, many years from now, future archeologists want to trace the chronology of space exploration by examining these items we have left in our wake? Shouldn’t they be preserved? Well, my next guest argues just that in a new paper in the journal Nature Astronomy. Dr. Justin Holcomb is an assistant research professor at the University of Kansas and the Kansas Geological Survey in Lawrence. Welcome to Science Friday.
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: Thanks for having me.
IRA FLATOW: Talk me through your argument here. Why should we be preserving all these artifacts from space exploration?
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: Yeah, so the general kind of lens through which we see all this material preserved across various celestial bodies in our solar system is not really as space trash or galactic litter but actually as space heritage or cultural resources. And so we see this material as just the extension of our species’ kind of long history of migration, first out of Africa and then out of our atmosphere and into off-Earth environments.
And so we just see this long context of our species’ history of migration. And the material left behind is essentially the material footprint of that movement.
IRA FLATOW: And how do we go about preserving them? What do you mean by that?
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: Well, I think that there are simple ways that we’re talking about in the sense of just mitigating disturbances to various areas, like not landing exactly on Tranquility Base or where Curiosity Rover has driven around on Mars. But when it comes to legislation, that’s something that is being worked on and is a much thornier problem.
IRA FLATOW: Are we talking at all about how these items might be useful for future humans? Maybe they could take these parts and use them later?
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: That’s a crucial point because it’s not just the fact that the material left behind is important from a historical context but that they also become data archives of recording surface conditions on various celestial bodies once they’re left behind.
IRA FLATOW: I know that some people are going to be listening to this and thinking, aliens will find these things and learn about humans. A good possibility perhaps?
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean, why not? I think the idea of keeping things free from disturbance or destruction is for future generations. It could be a thousand years from now or a hundred years from now. Or say it was aliens visiting in a million years from now. Who knows? But I do think that the idea that these material objects represent more than just trash, they represent a reflection of us, of our presence, is important.
IRA FLATOW: Yeah. As an archaeologist, this is how we dig up fossils or other things on Earth, right?
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: Exactly. Exactly. I don’t see a difference between finding a, say, arrowhead or what we would call a projectile point in East Africa versus the Curiosity’s helicopter broken blade that is now discarded on Mars. Those are both kind of material representations of human activity and our exploration and our behaviors.
IRA FLATOW: Well, I share your enthusiasm, and I look forward to the day when we can all go out there and find the stuff we left behind.
JUSTIN HOLCOMB: Thank you so much. And thank you for having me.
IRA FLATOW: You’re welcome, Dr. Justin Holcomb, Assistant Research Professor at the University of Kansas and the Kansas Geological Survey in Lawrence.
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