In late 2018, I co-founded a nonprofit organization with astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz, which we named the JustSpace Alliance. Our mission is to advocate for a more inclusive and ethical future in space, and to harness visions of tomorrow for a more just and equitable world today.

The first half of our mission statement means that we are encouraging everyone working on space to learn from our past and present here on Earth to avoid repeating humanity’s mistakes (towards each other, our descendants, and our environment) in space in the future. We’re not trying to dictate how to “do space ethically”. Instead, we serve as a hub to connect people working in space science or industry with experts in fields like ethics and social justice, so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel as we attempt to build a better future in space.

The second half of our mission statement means that we hope to take advantage of people’s enthusiasm for space to draw their attention towards topics in human rights and social justice here on Earth today.