We all know the words of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, in 1969: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for humanity.” Since 1972, no man has returned there. But with the Artemis mission launched by Donald Trump, the United States is once again setting out to conquer space. I must say that I had never thought to question the merits of these expeditions, whether to go to the Moon, or why not one day to Mars. I always said to myself that there must be excellent scientific reasons to do this.
Arnaud Saint-Martin completely changed my outlook on this subject. He is a sociologist of science at the CNRS, specialist in space activities and co-author with Irénée Régnauld of a “History of the conquest of space” (La Fabrique, 2024). Their book recounts the construction of space evidence, and shows how communication on scientific research has eclipsed the military and commercial uses of space. Is there any scientific interest in human exploration of Mars? How was the paradigm of conquest established in space history? Do we need to go to space?
An episode of Idées Larges with Arnaud Saint-Martin, sociologist.
References:
– Arnaud Saint Martin, Irénée Régnauld, History of the conquest of space. From Nazi rockets to the astrocapitalists of New Space, La Fabrique, 2024
– Konstantin Eduardovitch Tsiolkovski, letter to B N. Vorobyev, 1911. Quoted in Kévin Limonier, “The Thought of Konstantin Tsiolkovski (1857-1935). From cosmism to space conquest, itineraries of a recovered philosophy », Slavica Occitania, n° 46, 2018
– Jean Baudrillard, “The Biosphere II” (ca. 1991), in Felicity D. Scott, A tailor-made climate. NASA colonies (1972-1982), B2, 2019
– David Harvey, The Limits of Capital, Éditions Amsterdam, 2020.
Sound archives:
– NASA – Neil Armstrong – Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk – Original NASA EVA Mission Video – Walking on the Moon – 1969
– PBS NewsHour – WATCH: President Trump announces plan to send NASA back to the moon – 2017
– NASA – NASA’s Artemis I Moon Mission: Launch to Splashdown Highlights – 2023
– Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks SKG, Temple Hill Entertainment, Phantasma, Universal Pictures – Damien Chazelle – First Man : Le Premier Homme sur la Lune – 2018
– NASA – President Kennedy’s Speech at Rice University – 1962
– The Ladd Company – Phillip Kaufman – The Stuff of Heroes – 1983
– Walt Disney Animation Studios – Ward Kimball – “Disney Parade” Man in Space – 1955
– 20th Century Studios, TSG Entertainment, Scott Free Productions – Ridley Scott – Seul sur Mars – 2015
– CBS News – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – Elon Musk Might Be A Super Villain – 2015
– France 3 – “Toulouse residents on Mars?” – 2023
Generic Music:
“TRAHISON” Music by Pascal Arbez-Nicolas © Delabel Editions, Artist: VITALIC,
(P) 2005 Citizen Records under Different Recording licence ISRC : BEP010400190,
Courtesy of [PIAS] and Delabel Editions.
