Unscrambling a space career from military forces

The document argues that space technology is deeply intertwined with military agendas, often masking military goals as civilian or scientific. It highlights the militarisation of NASA, the high costs and instability of missile defence systems, and the risks of nuclear power in space, providing a framework for professionals to evaluate the ethics of their employment in the sector.

• The author contends that military and political agendas consistently outweigh scientific motivations in space exploration, noting that early missions used hardware originally created for military use and that the moon race was politically driven.
• Despite its founding as a strictly civilian enterprise under the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, NASA has shifted toward closer cooperation with the US Department of Defense (DoD) and commercial interests.
• The US has invested over $120 billion in missile defence systems, with a proposed 2004 budget of $9.6 billion; some estimates suggest the total life-cycle cost for a layered system could reach nearly $1.2 trillion by 2035.
• The use of nuclear materials in space, such as plutonium 238 in Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), poses significant risks; for example, an inadvertent re-entry of the Cassini probe could have exposed approximately 5 billion people to 99 percent or more of the radiation exposure.
• The document warns of 'creeping militarism,' where projects are presented as peaceful or ecological but are later used for military purposes, citing Canada's Radarsat 1 as an example of a remote sensing satellite that became a military spy tool.
• The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Council have acknowledged that 'dual-use' is inherent to all space technology and that ESA capabilities should be used for security-oriented aspects of European Space Policy.

APA

Webb, D. (2004). Unscrambling a space career from military forces. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/space%26military_final.pdf

Chicago

Webb, David. Unscrambling a space career from military forces. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2004. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/space%26military_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webb |first1=David |title=Unscrambling a space career from military forces |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=2004 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/space%26military_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webb2004unscrambling, author = {Webb, David}, title = {{Unscrambling a space career from military forces}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2004}, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/space%26military_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }