CAPAS RESEARCH PROJECT - RICHARD WILMAN Apocalyptic Cosmic Threats and our Post-Apocalyptic Future in Space
The theme of my project is Space and the (Post-) Apocalypse, encompassing threats to life on Earth originating from space, and visions for a future (post-apocalyptic or otherwise) in which life, and humanity, escapes its terrestrial confines and spreads out into space.
There is now public awareness that life on Earth is threatened by space hazards, the prime example being the extinction of the dinosaurs by an asteroid or cometary remnant 65 million years ago. Whilst events of this magnitude occur randomly on timescales of millions to billions of years, more moderate events with the ability to disrupt our way of life significantly are expected roughly once per century. The Covid pandemic underlines how the interconnectedness of modern society can amplify the direct effects of an initially modest or regional event, with systemic global consequences. I will focus on issues surrounding the assessment and communication of these ‘space risks’ across the full range of impact severity and frequency. In light of such risks, I will also consider how we should evaluate plans to expand the domain of life beyond Earth as a form of catastrophe insurance.