Explore
Over the years we have been compelled by the topic of space exploration and colonization, with all of its cultural roots and implications. Various works from scientists, philosophers, artists, and activists permeated our creative vision for Marsification.
Here to explore are curated selections of what we have found to be touchstones of analysis and inspiration. This constellation of resources includes articles, books, podcasts, talks, poems, albums and more, organized into categories. But, naturally, it is all interconnected.
Decolonizing Space
The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescott Weinstein
Hilding Neilson: Astro-colonialism and honoring the stories of our dark skies Ep. 413 of The Green Dreamer podcast hosted by Kamea Chayne
We need to change the way we talk about space exploration by Nadia Drake for National Geographic
Colonize Mars? Not until we learn some lessons here on Earth from Splinter
Decolonizing Mars: Are we thinking about space exploration all wrong by Ryan F. Mandelbaum for Gizmodo
Liberatory Visions
Aparna Venkatesan: Protecting space as ancestral global commons Ep. 402 of The Green Dreamer podcast hosted by Kamea Chayne
We Have and Always Have Been In and Of Space by Aparna Venkatesan for Center for Humans and Nature
Outer Space: Projecting Histories and Futures onto the Stars panel discussion on “Afrofuturist interventions attempting to reimagine space and questioning the standard assumptions behind imagined futures in space” from Claiming Space presented by the Smithsonian Afrofuturism Series
Becoming Interplanetary Symposium presented by Lucianne Walkowicz and The Library of Congress
Just Space Alliance founded by Lucianne Walkowicz and Erica Nesvold
Queering Outer Space by Michael Oman-Reagan for Space + Anthropology
The Space NDN’s Star Map by Lou Cornum in The New Inquiry
Frontier Discourse
‘Make Space Great Again’: Nostalgic Amnesia on the Final Frontier by William Lempert for Space + Anthropology
Futures of Deep Space Exploration, Commercialization, and Colonization: The Frontiers of the Responsibly Imaginable by Dennis M. Bushnell for NASA
Landing on Earth
The most Martian place on Earth TED talk by Armando Azua-Bustos
The ‘Overview Effect’ Forever Changes Some Astronauts’ Attitudes Towards Earth—But You Don’t Need to Go to Space to Experience It by Jeffrey Kluger for Time
The Key to Survival in Space by Michael Oman-Reagan for Sapiens
Making Mars Home
Why Mars? A pro-Mars colonization perspective from Dr. Robert Zubrin/The Mars Society
How to die on Mars by Chelsea Gohd for Space.com
The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World by Sarah Stewart Johnson
For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet by Matthew Shindell
Cultivating an Outer Space Ecology: Introducing the On-Orbit Gardener by Melanie Ford for Space + Anthropology
Interplanetary Environmentalism by Michael Oman-Reagan for Sapiens
Mars Trilogy novels by Kim Stanley-Robinson
Placing Outer Space: An Earthly Ethnography of Other Worlds by Lisa Messeri
Critiques of Settling Mars
Why Are We Going? Ep 1 of the Making New Worlds podcast
What if we never live on Mars? by Paris Marx for Disconnect
The big idea: should we colonize other planets? by Phillip Ball for The Guardian
A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly & Zach Weinersmith
Can Humans Endure the Psychological Torment of Mars? by Nathaniel Rich for The New York Times
The Problem With Terraforming Mars by Lucianne Walkowicz for Slate
Billionaires in Space
Making Life Inter-Planetary by Elon Musk on SpaceX.com
Billionaires Do Not Need To Go To Space by Holly Haworth in Sierra
Leave the Billionaires in Space by Paris Marx for Tribune Magazine
Jeff Bezos Predicts Massive Space Stations as Humanity’s Future Homes by Nikhil Pandey
Try Living in Elon Musk's Company Town by Christopher Hooks for The New York Times
Art - Music - Poetry - Literature
Whitey on the Moon by Gil Scott-Heron
Splendor & Misery an Afro-futurist space opera by clipping.
Planetarium album by Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister
Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia album by Hannah Peel
Not Everyone Gets To Go To Space song by English Teacher from the album This Could Be Texas
Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (We’re Going To Mars) poem by Nikki Giovanni in Issues in Science and Technology
Life On Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith
Orbital a novel by Samantha Harvey
In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa by Ada Limón
The Terraformers novel by Annalee Newitz
What’s It Like In Space picture book by Ariel Waldman
How a Racist Statue in Iceland Ended up Inside a Rocket Ship by Sarah Rose Sharp for Hyperallergic
A New Start comic by Joey Alison Sayers for The Nib
Meditations
A Guided Meditation for Connecting to the Cosmos by Michael Oman-Reagan for Human Parts
The Miracle of Walking on Earth a guided meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh