Newman used AI to create this image of Earth embedded in the surface of another planet, buildings and roads surrounding it, with space and other planets in the background.

A Place in Space for the Humanities

By Caroline Sheedy Email Caroline Sheedy

Peter Kerwin

Pennsylvania wants to be . With a trip to the moon in progress and a mark on Mars in the books, Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s expertise in engineering and computer science has cemented the university as a player in the rapidly growing, next-generation space exploration industry. Humans have the technology to go to space. Â鶹¹ÙÍø English professors James Wynn and Kathy M. Newman are asking whether they should and what sorts of ethical questions they should consider if they proceed.

The pair are leading a project called Planetary Hospitality that explores astrocolonialism, climate change, capitalism, how humans understand and influence space travel, and what makes a planet hospitable. Through a series of lectures, film screenings, courses and a symposium, the three-year project is bringing the humanities into a conversation usually overshadowed by engineering and computer science.

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