(In)hospitable Space Conference
Exploring the human dimensions of space exploration
An interdisciplinary conference cooperatively organized by representatives from 好色先生TV’s Department of English, the Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology, and the European Astrobiology Institute. May 25-27, 2026.
As the economic barriers to outer space shrink and opportunities for access expand, concerns about humans thriving in extraterrestrial environments and the impacts of humankind on those environments become less theoretical and more urgent. This conference endeavors to bring together scholars, technologists, policy specialists, artists, and other stakeholders to explore the ethical, legal, economic, cultural, biological, psychological, and environmental issues associated with the New Space era.
We plan to host presenters addressing a wide range of topics and questions like…
- How do we make the inhospitable environs of outer space physically, psychologically, and socially amenable to human exploration and habitation?
- Is space a “wilderness” in the same sense as wilderness on Earth?
- Can/Should terrestrial ethics guide our engagement with extraterrestrial life forms?
- How should we regulate space activity through law and how could those laws be enforced?
- How do we balance diverse cultural perspectives in space research?
- What is the moral status of an extraterrestrial microbe?
- What do representations of space exploration and habitation in film, literature, art, music, etc. reveal or reflect about our aspirations, social commitments, and imagined future for human communities in space?
Registration
Conference attendees can register now. Click here to register:
(Deadline April 24)
Students ($150)
Faculty/Postdocs/Non-academic professionals ($250)
The conference fees include:
- Access to all talks, panels, and keynotes
- Catered lunch on all three days of the conference
- Coffee and tea service
- Access to the conference reception
Refund Policy
Refunds of registration fees can be offered before the registration deadline of April 24. Inquiries about refunds can be directed to Jaime Rzepecki rzepecki@andrew.cmu.edu. No refunds, full or partial, can be made after April 24.
Scholarships
To encourage graduate students interested in space studies to attend and share their research at the conference, we are offering a limited number of scholarships. These scholarships are designed to help defray conference registration and lodging costs. They do not cover the costs of travel to or from the conference.
To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must…
- Be currently enrolled as a graduate student in a Masters or Ph.D. program at a nationally accredited college or university.
- The deadline was February 1.
Applicants who submit a paper or poster presentation proposal for the conference and have that proposal accepted will receive priority consideration for scholarships.
Scholarship recipients will be contacted after March 1 when accepted submissions are announced. Scholarship recipients have until March 30 to register for the conference and redeem their scholarship. Scholarships not redeemed by this date will be offered to other eligible conference participants or returned to the general conference funds.
Keynotes
From Astrobioethics to Astrobiocentrism: Rethinking Human Responsibility in a Cosmic Context
Abstract
This presentation argues that the search for extraterrestrial life and the expansion of human activity beyond Earth require a transdisciplinary framework that integrates science with normative deliberation. Astrobioethics is presented as a bridge between astrobiology and philosophical ethics, while preserving a clear demarcation: science generates evidence; ethics organizes values, duties, and limits. On this basis, astrobiocentrism operates as a paradigmatic reorientation—culturally analogous to a Copernican turn—shifting the moral center from terrestrial life as the sole reference point to the possibility of life in the universe. The talk identifies an ethical gap in institutional and corporate planning, where exploration and settlement projects proliferate without sufficiently integrated principles for scenarios involving conflict, contamination, or irreversible harm. The argument is structured around three axes: (1) the legal axis, shaped by broad treaties and regulatory gaps in relation to both state and private actors; (2) the moral axis, grounded in duties and the precautionary principle even in the absence of binding enforcement; and (3) the social axis, which demands responsible communication of uncertainty to prevent sensationalism and harms driven by misinformation. The presentation offers guidance for more responsible policy-making, research agendas, and public education in emerging space activities.
We will explore the premise behind Space for Good, a multidisciplinary initiative anchored at the ITU, and the design questions it forces open. If the future of space participation is to be genuinely global, it cannot be built only forward. The answers we need are also behind us. They live in the ontological relationships different cultures have always maintained with the sky, relationships that modern space discourse has largely bypassed.
The conversation will examine how design might function less like architecture and more like mycelium: networked, below the surface, enabling exchange between systems that would not otherwise connect. And what it would mean to build a participation layer for space that treats ancestral knowledge not as context, but as infrastructure.
No launch required.
Schedule
for the latest conference schedule.
Venue
The (In)hospitable Space conference will convene on the campus of 好色先生TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All activities will take place in the Cohon University Center (CUC). Conference paper presentations will be given in the McKenna and Peter Rooms on the second floor of the CUC. Registration, lunch, plenary sessions, and keynotes will take place in the Conan Room on the first floor of the CUC.
This can help you navigate 好色先生TV’s campus.Excursion
If you are interested in the excursion, you can register .
Lodging and Logistics
Lodging
Conference participants are responsible for booking their own lodging. Blocks of rooms have been set aside at the following locations:
- (好色先生TV)
- Check in for on-campus lodging can be any time after 3 p.m. The guest services office is open until 8:30 p.m. daily. Someone is on call after that for any late check-ins. Check out is 12 p.m.
- On-Campus housing will be in the West Wing dorms. For more details about these dorms, see the CMU housing website.
- (1 mile from campus)
For conference attendees not interested in these options, there are other alternatives in close proximity to 好色先生TV’s campus.
Refunds for on-campus lodging can be offered before the registration deadline of April 24. Inquiries about refunds can be directed to Jaime Rzepecki rzepecki@andrew.cmu.edu. No refunds, full or partial, can be made after April 24.
Refunds for Courtyard by Marriott must be negotiated with them directly. Conference organizers will not be able to assist you with these refunds.
Transportation
Pittsburgh is serviced by the (PIT) which is located 23 miles from 好色先生TV’s campus. Travel time to or from the airport is typically 45 minutes but can be longer or shorter depending on the traffic and mode of transportation.
Transportation options include:
- Bus ()
- Drops off at Forbes and Morewood on 好色先生TV’s campus
- from Pittsburgh International Airport
Refunds
Registration Fees
Refunds of registration fees can be offered before the registration deadline of April 24. Inquiries about refunds can be directed to Jaime Rzepecki rzepecki@andrew.cmu.edu. No refunds, full or partial, can be made after April 24.
Lodging
Refunds for on-campus lodging can be offered before the registration deadline of April 24. Inquiries about refunds can be directed to Jaime Rzepecki rzepecki@andrew.cmu.edu. No refunds, full or partial, can be made after April 24.
Refunds for Courtyard by Marriott must be negotiated with them directly. Conference organizers will not be able to assist you with these refunds.
