1/6/2021 Space archaeology - Wikipedia

Space archaeology
In archaeology, space archaeology is the research-based study of various
human-made items found in space, their interpretation as clues to the adventures
humanity has experienced in space, and their preservation as cultural heritage.[1]

It includes launch complexes on Earth, orbital debris, satellites, and objects and
structures on other celestial bodies such as Mars. It also includes the applied field
of cultural resource which evaluates the significance of space sites and objects in
terms of national and international preservation laws. Cultural resource looks at
what, how and why these artifacts of our recent history should be preserved for
future generations.

Contents
Cultural heritage
Satellites
Legal matters
Background and history
See also
References and notes NASA's Phoenix Mars lander

Further reading
External links
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Cultural heritage
Space tourism could affect archaeological artifacts, for example, on the Moon.[2][3][4] The notion that cultural heritage
is at stake and requires action to prevent deterioration or destruction is gaining ground.[5][6][7] Perhaps artifacts (say,
antiquated space stations) could be preserved in "museum orbit".[8] Many such artifacts have been lost because they
were not recognized and assessed. Experts assert that continuity and connection to the past are vital elements of
survival in the modern world.[9] A model has been suggested for international cooperation based upon Antarctica.[10]
Implications for cooperation interest anthropologists as well.[11]

An unexpected ramification of this work is the development of techniques for detecting signs of life or technology on
other planets, or extraterrestrial visitation on Earth.[12][13][14] One facet of this work is the use of satellites for
identifying structures of archeological significance.[15][16][17][18]

Satellites
Satellites are key artifacts in examining human encounters with space over time and the effect we leave through
artificial objects. This list includes:

Vanguard 1 - Launched in 1958, the manmade satellite Vanguard 1 and the upper stage of its launch rocket are
the oldest still in orbit. Vanguard 1 lost communication in 1964 but had a few different functions, including the
obtention of geodetic measurements and the testing of capabilities.[19]
Asterix-1 - With the intention of testing the French Diamant Rocket, Asterix-1 was the first French satellite
launched into space. Asterix-1 had a very short lived transmission period of 2 days but remains in orbit and is
expected to for centuries.[20]
Skynet 1A - Providing communication to Middle Eastern forces, Skynet 1A was launched over the Indian Ocean in
1969. No longer in operation, Skynet 1A has an approximate lifetime of more than 1 million years.[21]

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Kosmos 2222 - With the intended function of identifying ballistic missiles launches, Cosmos-2222 was launched in
1992. With an operation life of 4 years, Cosmos and its rocket body remain in orbit today.[21]

Satellites are just one example of several human traces we leave behind in, and out of this world.

Legal matters
The complexities and ambiguities of international legal structures to deal with these sites as cultural resources leave
them vulnerable to impacts in the near future by many varieties of space travel. An outline of the legal situation was
made by Harrison Schmitt and Neil Armstrong, both of whom were astronauts who walked on the moon as part of the
Apollo program.[22] The governing law on the Moon and other celestial bodies is the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 based
upon guidelines from experience in the Antarctic. Another source of ideas is the Law of the Sea. The Outer Space
Treaty contains language stating that space objects remain under the jurisdiction of the originating state, and the civil
and criminal laws of that state govern private parties both on the Moon and events leading up to such activity. State
parties are to inform the public about the nature and result of their activities.

The later Moon Agreement of 1979 was signed but not ratified by many spacefaring nations. Schmitt and Armstrong
believe this lack of ratification relates to disagreement over wording such as "the Moon and its natural resources are
the common heritage of mankind", which is taken as possibly excluding private activity, and objections to wording
concerning the disruption of the existing environment.

A non-profit organization called For All Moonkind, Inc. is working to establish legal protections for archaeological
sites in outer space. The entirely volunteer group includes space lawyers and policymakers from around the world. As
a result of their efforts, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space agreed, in January 2018, to
consider the creation of a "universal space heritage sites program.".[23] Having created a discussion around
preservation in outer space, For All Moonkind is now focused on preparing drafts of implementing regulations and
protocols.

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Background and history

During a graduate seminar at New Mexico State University in 1999, Ralph Gibson asked: "Does federal preservation
law apply on the moon?" That question led to Gibson's thesis "Lunar Archaeology: The Application of Federal
Historic Preservation Law to the Site where Humans first set foot upon the Moon", to a grant from the New Mexico
Space Grant Consortium, and to creation of the Lunar Legacy Project.[24]

A manuscript by scientists at NASA and ESA in 2004 raised the possibility of preserving Apollo landing sites for future
"astroarcheologists."[25]

In 2006, Dr. O’Leary with New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer Katherine Slick and the New Mexico
Museum of Space History (NMMSH), documented the Apollo 11 Tranquility Base archaeological site on the Moon.[26]
Some legal aspects of this work already have surfaced.[27]

Though its mission is not primarily archaeological, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has imaged all of the Apollo
landing sites as well as rediscovering the location of the first Lunokhod 1 rover, lost since 1971 (note: all of the U. S.
flags left on the moon during the Apollo missions were found to still be standing, with the exception of the one left
during the Apollo 11 mission, which was blown over during that mission's lift-off from the lunar surface and return to
the mission command module in lunar orbit; the degree to which these flags are preserved and intact remains
unknown).[28]

Based on an idea by British amateur astronomer Nick Howes, a team of experts has been assembled to try to locate the
Lunar Module of the Apollo 10 mission nicknamed "Snoopy", which was released during the mission and is currently
thought to be in a heliocentric orbit.[29] The Snoopy mission is encouraged by the 2002 re-sighting of the Apollo 12
third-stage rocket.[29]

See also

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Space Heritage Legal documents

Technosignature Cultural heritage management Rescue Agreement

Human presence in space Historic preservation Outer Space Treaty
Space colonization Registration Convention
Space station Moon Treaty
Mir Historic Preservation Act
International Space Station Law of the Sea
Space debris Antarctic Treaty System
Robotic spacecraft
Space exploration
Tranquility Base
Space architecture
List of Solar System probes

References and notes

1. Capelotti, P.J. (November–December 2004). "Space: The Final [Archaeological] Frontier" (http://www.archaeology.
org/0411/etc/space.html). Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. 57 (6). Retrieved 3 June 2012.
2. Greg Fewer (2007). "Conserving space heritage: The case of Tranquility Base" (http://eprints.wit.ie/30/). Journal of
the British Interplanetary Society. 60: 3–8. Bibcode:2007JBIS...60....3F (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007JBI
S...60....3F). Conference paper from Archaeology for Space Symposium
3. Peter Dickens; James S. Ormrod (2007). Cosmic Society: Towards a Sociology of the Universe (https://books.goo
gle.com/?id=gx08Kj0ZNowC&pg=PP11). Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-37432-3.

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4. The Lunar Land Management System (http://www.l2ms.com/about.html) began in January 2007 and is currently
based in the Mojave Desert of California at the Mojave Spaceport. The Mojave Spaceport is "an innovator in the
privatization of space travel and is quickly becoming a gateway to the stars."
5. Beth Laura O'Leary (2006). "The cultural heritage of space, the Moon and other celestial bodies" (http://antiquity.a
c.uk/Projgall/oleary/). Antiquity. 80.
6. Dirk HR Spennemann (2004). "The ethics of treading on Neil Armstrong's footprints". Space Policy. 20 (4): 279–
290. Bibcode:2004SpPol..20..279S (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004SpPol..20..279S).
doi:10.1016/j.spacepol.2004.08.005 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.spacepol.2004.08.005).
7. Alice Gorman (2005). "The cultural landscape of interplanetary space" (https://semanticscholar.org/paper/f769591f
98aeb100ecd7f71d946fd61b970dd661). Journal of Social Archaeology. 5 (1): 85–107.
doi:10.1177/1469605305050148 (https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1469605305050148).
8. "Gorman (2007)" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100817043001/http://flinders.academia.edu/AliceGorman/attach
ment/98986/full/Leaving-the-cradle-of-Earth---the-heritage-of-Low-Earth-Orbit--1957-1963). Archived from the
original (https://flinders.academia.edu/AliceGorman/attachment/98986/full/Leaving-the-cradle-of-Earth---the-herita
ge-of-Low-Earth-Orbit--1957-1963) on 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
9. Alice C Gorman (2005). "The Archaeology of Orbital Space" (http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/archaeology/department/pu
blications/Gorman/The%20Archaeology%20of%20Orbital%20Space.pdf) (PDF). Australian Space Science
Conference: 338–357.
10. D Spennemann (2006). "Out of this World: Issues of Managing Tourism and Humanity's Heritage on the Moon".
Intl J of Heritage Studies. 12 (4): 356–371. doi:10.1080/13527250600726911 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F1352725
0600726911).
11. Fraser MacDonald (2007). "Anti-Astropolitik – outer space and the orbit of geography" (https://semanticscholar.org/
paper/2038de4c1355fea251b7cd6644e857b225d4eedc). Progress in Human Geography. 31 (5): 592–615.
doi:10.1177/0309132507081492 (https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0309132507081492).
12. John B Campbell (2006). "Archaeology and direct imaging of exoplanets" (https://web.archive.org/web/200903260
65433/http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/1027/1/S1743921306009392a.pdf) (PDF). In C. Aime; F. Vakili (eds.). Proceedings
of the International Astronomical Union. Cambridge University Press. pp. 247ff. ISBN 978-0-521-85607-2.
Archived from the original (http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/1027/1/S1743921306009392a.pdf) (PDF) on 2009-03-26.

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13. Campbell, J.B. (2004). "The potential for archaeology within and beyond the habitable zones of the Milky Way". In
Norris, R.; Stootman, F. (eds.). Bioastronomy 2002: Life among the Stars. International Astronomical Union
Symposium 213. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Bibcode:2004IAUS..213..505C (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.ed
u/abs/2004IAUS..213..505C). ISBN 978-1-58381-171-9.
14. Greg Fewer, Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence (https://archive.today/20130415203850/http://www.spacearc
haeology.org/wiki/index.php?title=Searching_for_extraterrestrial_intelligence). A pdf file here (http://www.nidsci.or
g/pdf/fewer.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070927065558/http://www.nidsci.org/pdf/fewer.pdf) 2007-
09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
15. MJ Carlotto (2007). "Detecting Patterns of a Technological Intelligence in Remotely Sensed Imagery" (http://spsr.ut
si.edu/articles/markjbis2007.pdf) (PDF). Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 60: 28–39.
Bibcode:2007JBIS...60...28C (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007JBIS...60...28C).
16. James Wiseman & Farouk El-Baz (2007). Remote Sensing in Archaeology (https://books.google.com/?id=DqL9yE
LrcZMC&pg=PA1). Springer. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-387-44615-8.
17. James Conolly; Mark Lake (2006). Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology (https://books.google.com/?i
d=fMCqf-YSRtsC&pg=PA72). Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-521-79330-8.
18. R. Lassaponara; et al. (2006). "VHR satellite images for the knowledge and the enhancement of cultural
landscapes" (https://books.google.com/?id=wRgToVcJuXgC&pg=PA841). In Fort; Alvarez de Buergo; Gomez-
Heras; Vazquez-Calvo (eds.). Heritage, Weathering and Conservation. Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 841ff.
ISBN 978-0-415-41272-8.
19. [1] (https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1958-002B) NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 26 Feb.
2015.
20. [2] (http://spacearchaeology.org/) Space Archaeology." Space Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
21. Space Archaeology." Space Archaeology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
22. Harrison H. Schmitt; Neil Armstrong (2006). Return to the Moon (https://books.google.com/?id=g06vVWEW2mgC
&pg=PA280). Birkhäuser. pp. 280ff. ISBN 978-0-387-24285-9.
23. UNCOPUOS. "Draft Declaration" (http://www.unoosa.org/res/oosadoc/data/documents/2018/aac_105c_12018crp/
aac_105c_12018crp_6_0_html/AC105_C1_2018_CRP06E.pdf) (PDF). unoosa.org. UNOOSA. Retrieved
7 February 2018.
24. http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/lunarlegacies/
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25. "Glavin et al. (2004) Int. J. Astrobio. 3, 265-271". doi:10.1017/S1473550404001958 (https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS1

473550404001958). .
26. New Mexico State University Newsletter (http://lib.nmsu.edu/aboutlib/newsletter/sept02.pdf).
27. "Applicability of federal historic preservation law" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100531203131/http://spacegrant.
nmsu.edu/lunarlegacies/lunar_archaeology.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the original (http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/lun
arlegacies/lunar_archaeology.pdf) (PDF) on 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
28. Robinson, Mark (27 July 2012). "Question Answered!" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121024061649/http://lroc.se
se.asu.edu/news/index.php?%2Farchives%2F620-Question-Answered%21.html). LROC News System. Arizona
State University. Archived from the original (http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/620-Question-Answ
ered!.html) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
29. "Astronomy Team Looking For Lost 'Snoopy' Module From Apollo 10" (http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/111239
1824/astronomy-team-looking-for-lost-snoopy-module-from-apollo-10/). Retrieved 3 June 2012.

Further reading
Darrin, Ann; O'Leary, Beth, eds. (2009). The Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology and Heritage (https://b
ooks.google.com/?id=dTwIDun4MroC&pg=PA1&dq=intitle:Handbook+intitle:of+intitle:Space+intitle:Engineering+int
itle:Archaeology+intitle:and+intitle:Heritage). CRC Press: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-4200-8431-3.
[3] (https://web.archive.org/web/20070708162815/http://www.worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/site/active_spac.ph
p) Terms of reference for the Space Heritage Task Force] written by Alice Gorman and John B Campbell (2003)
Beth L. O'Leary, et al.: Archaeology and Heritage of the Human Movement into Space. Springer, Cham 2015,
ISBN 978-3-319-07865-6.

External links
[4] (https://web.archive.org/web/20080907200249/http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2008/june/moon_anthr
opology.htm) Preserve record of human space exploration] Austin Craig: NMSU news release (2008)

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Johns Hopkins Newsletter (https://web.archive.org/web/20110609234410/http://www.jhuapl.edu/colloquium/topics/

oleary.html)
From space junk to world heritage listing (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/10/1055220598848.html) Sue
Lowe for the Sydney Morning Herald (2003)
The Moon: an archaeological treasure trove (http://www.spacecoalition.com/blog/1/2008/06/THE-MOON-AN-ARC
HAEOLOGICAL-TREASURE-TROVE.cfm) Leonard David at the Coalition for Space Exploration
Lunar legacy project (http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/lunarlegacies/)
Space archaeology wiki (http://www.spacearchaeology.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page) An excellent source of
links to papers and people
Space Archaeology (http://www.spacearchaeology.org/)
Cleaning up space junk may erase history (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1644380.htm) Judy
Skatssoon for ABC Science Online (2006)
Moon agreement (https://web.archive.org/web/20160309201427/http://l2ms.com/moon_agreement.html) Various
legal documents on line at Lunar Land Management System (http://www.L2MS.com)
International Institute of Space Law (http://www.iislweb.org)
[5] (https://web.archive.org/web/20080515200157/http://www.worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/site/res/WAC_Testi
mony_on_NHPA.pdf) Testimony of the World Archaeological Congress in 2005 about the National Historic
Preservation Act]
Puff video on space tourism (https://web.archive.org/web/20090205054435/http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/
earlyspacetourism/)
Jeff Bezos' West Texas rocket facility (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6822763)Blue Origin (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20080908115635/http://public.blueorigin.com/letter.htm)
NASA Planet Hunter to Search Out Other Earths (https://web.archive.org/web/20090306234558/http://www.spectr
um.ieee.org/mar09/7987)
Spacejunk: An Archaeological Odyssey (https://www.scribd.com/doc/105565462/Spacejunk-An-Archaeological-Od
yssey-d3-0612) featuring an interview with Dr Alice Gorman (aka: Dr Spacejunk).
[6] (http://spacearchaeology.org/)
[7] (https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1958-002B)
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