Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A school curriculum for the children of space settlers

  • Chapter
Book cover Humans in Outer Space — Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Part of the book series: Studies in Space Policy ((STUDSPACE,volume 5))

  • 1339 Accesses

Abstract

If present day projections in relation to the future of space exploration are realised, at a point approximately midway through the current century humankind may witness the first generation of children to be born on another world. These young people will need to be nurtured and educated in a very different spatial, technological and cultural context. What knowledge, skills and values will have to be inculcated in these young people in order to equip them for life on another world, or in an orbiting habitation? In short, what school curriculum needs to be developed for the children of space settlers?155

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Addressing this question has been one of the more unusual tasks with which I have been charged in my life as an education academic. I was invited by the European Science Foundation (ESF) to contribute to the on-going “cross-disciplinary European dialogue” (Van Donzel, Monique and Jean-Claude Worms. “Preface: Humans and Space — Space and Humans.” Humans in Outer Space — Interdisciplinary Odysseys. Eds. Luca Codignola and Kai-Uwe Schrogl. Vienna: SpringerWienNewYork, 2009: v–viii. v.) around the future of humans in outer space, by exemplifying and advocating a role for education as one discipline among many within that dialogue.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Moore, Patrick. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. London: Chancellor Press, 2001: 27.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Noted by Smith, Andrew. Moondust — In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2005: 295.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Brumbaugh, Robert S. “Applied Metaphysics: Truth and Passing Time.” The Review of Metaphysics 19.4 (1966): 647–666. 649.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bernstein, Basil. “On the Classification and Framing of Educational Knowledge.” Knowledge, Education and Cultural Change. Ed. Richard Brown. London: Tavistock Publications, 1970: 363–392. 363.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kerr, John F. Changing the Curriculum. Ed. London: University of London Press, 1968: 16.

    Google Scholar 

  7. see Pinar, William F., William M. Reynolds, Patrick Slattery, and Peter M. Taubman. Understanding Curriculum: An Introduction to the Study of Historical and Contemporary Curriculum Discourses. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 1995. for a comprehensive review of the different ideological and epistemological claims on the meaning(s) of curriculum.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Bruner, Jerome S. The Process of Education. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1966: 1.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Pring, Richard. “Education as a Moral Practice.” The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Philosophy of Education. Ed. Wilfred Carr. London and New York: Routledge Falmer, 2005: 195–205, 204.

    Google Scholar 

  10. See for example Pinar, William F., William M. Reynolds, Patrick Slattery, and Peter M. Taubman. op. cit.

    Google Scholar 

  11. see Halpin, David. “Understanding Curriculum as Utopian Text.” Schooling, Society and Curriculum. Ed. Alex Moore. Oxford, UK: Routledge, 2006: 147–157.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Cuban, Larry. “Computers meet Classroom: Classroom Wins.” Teachers’ College Record 95.2 (1993): 185–209.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Capella, Juan-Ramón. “Globalization, A Fading Citizenship.” Globalization and Education: Critical Perspectives. Eds. Nicholas C. Burbules, and Carlos Alberto Torres. New York: Routledge, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  14. For full descriptors of the six scenarios, see: “Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) — The OECD Schooling Scenarios in Brief.” Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. 6 Jan. 2010. http://www.oecd.org/document/10/0,3343,en_2649_39263231_2078922_l_l_l_37455,00.html.

  15. Illitch, Ivan. Deschooling Society. Calder and Boyars: London, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Castells, Manuel. The Rise of the Network Society. Blackwell: Oxford, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kress, G. “A Curriculum for the Future.” Cambridge Journal of Education 30.1 (2000): 133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. One version of the fable can be found in Stuart Hall, and Paddy Whannel’s book (Hall, Stuart, and Paddy Whannel. The Popular Arts. London: Hutchinson Educational, 1964.), which is in turn adapted from: Peddiwell, Abner J. The Sabre-Tooth Curriculum. New York, London: McGraw Hill, 1939.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hicks, David. “Re-Examining the Future: The Challenge for Citizenship Education.” Educational Review 53.3 (2001): 229–240: 231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Inayatullah, Sohail. “From “Who am I?” to “When am I’ — Framing the Shape and Time of the Future.” Futures 25.3 (1993): 235–253: 236 Metafuture.org. 7 Jan. 2010. http://www.metafuture.org/Articles/framing-the%20future.pdf.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. see for example Remuss, Nina-Louisa. “Astronauts: From Envoys of Mankind to Combatants.” (in this volume) on the role of the military (marines) as astronauts.

    Google Scholar 

  22. see for example Rogers, Thomas. “Creating the First City on the Moon.” Beyond Earth — The Future of Humans in Space. Ed. Bob Krone. Ontario, Canada: Apogee Books, 2006: 53–63. 58–9; O’Neill, Gerard K. The High Frontier. Bantam Edition. New York: Bantam Books, 1978. 266.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Schrank, David G., Burton L. Sharpe, Bonnie L. Cooper, and Madhu Thangavelu. The Moon: Resources, Future Development, and Settlement, 2nd edn. Chichester, UK: Praxis Publishing, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Crossman, Frank, and Robert Zubrin. On to Mars. Exploring and Settling a New World. Ontario Canada: Collector’s Guide Publishing/Apogee Books, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  25. See NASA website for details of previous entries: “NASA Space Settlement Contest.” Last updated 30 Oct. 2009. NASA. 7 Jan. 2010. http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/Contest.

    Google Scholar 

  26. “Space Settlement Design Contest 2009 Results.” Last updated 30 Oct. 2009. NASA. Jan. 2010. http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/Contest/Results/2009/index.html.

    Google Scholar 

  27. see for example, Schorer, Lonnie Jones. “Children’s Visions of Our Future in Space.” Beyond Earth —The Future of Humans in Space. Ed. Bob Krone. Ontario, Canada: Apogee Books, 2006:127–134.

    Google Scholar 

  28. O’Neill, Gerard K. op. cit. 295.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Sagan, Carl. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. New York: Random House, 1994: 274.

    Google Scholar 

  30. see for example Schrunk, David G., Burton L. Sharpe, Bonnie L. Cooper, and Madhu Thangavelu. op. cit. 393–395.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Dunér, David. “Astrocognition: Prolegomena to a future cognitive history of exploration.” (in this volume).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Banks. James A. “Citizenship Education and Diversity.” Global Citizenship Education: Philosophy, Theory and Pedagogy. Eds. Michael A. Peters, Alan Britton, and Harry Blee. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers, 2008: 317–331. 318.

    Google Scholar 

  33. See for example the OECD PISA Assessment Framework: “OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).” Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 7 Jan. 2010. http://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,2987,en_32252351_32235731_l_l_l_l_l,00.html.

  34. Cockell, Charles. Ethics and Extraterrestrial Life. (in this volume)

    Google Scholar 

  35. An example of new needs that arise is Mills elaboration on arising challenges for the international legal framework. See Mills, Kurt. “Who will own Outer Space? Governance over Space Resources in the Age of Human Space Exploration.” (in this volume).

    Google Scholar 

  36. A similar idea is explored in the 1993 Science Fiction novel, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, published by Bantam Books. For a summary, see the Wikipedia article. 7 Jan. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Banks, James A. op. cit. 318.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Sagan, Carl. op. cit. 170.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Smith, Andrew. op. cit. 336.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Sagan, Carl. op. cit. 171.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Smith, Andrew. op. cit. 287.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Poole, Robert. Earthrise: How Man First Saw the Earth. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2008: 108–110.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Schorer, Lonnie Jones. op. cit. 127.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Inayatullah, Sohail. “Pedagogy, Culture, and Futures Studies.” Advancing Futures — Future Studies in Higher Education. Ed. James A. Dator. Connecticut: Praeger, 2002: 109–122. 111.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Alan Britton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Ulrike Landfester Nina-Louisa Remuss Kai-Uwe Schrogl Jean-Claude Worms

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer-Verlag/Wien

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Britton, A. (2011). A school curriculum for the children of space settlers. In: Landfester, U., Remuss, NL., Schrogl, KU., Worms, JC. (eds) Humans in Outer Space — Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Studies in Space Policy, vol 5. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0280-0_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0280-0_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-0279-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-0280-0

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation