Space Junk in Ecological Fiction

Activity: Talk or presentation typesOral presentation

Description

From Ursula K. Le Guin to Hayao Miyazaki to James Bradley, ecological fiction has firm roots within the speculative genre. However, speculative science fiction is typically concerned with the terrestrial, the planet-side. Rarely do ecological concerns in fiction extend out into orbit, however our own Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is rapidly becoming clogged with deadly junk. In the late 70s, Donald Kessler and Burton Cour-Palais posited the potential for a devastating chain reaction of satellite break ups in LEO, the eponymous “Kessler Cascade”, that would clog LEO with lethal shrapnel and render space travel impossible. The rate of satellite launches continues to grow every year, and with it the risk of an orbital space collapse. My own fiction aims to explore the phenomena of space junk and investigate how orbital debris relates to our current environmental plights. The end product is a speculative fiction novel that explores themes of pollution, expansion, futurism, and the human response.
Period2023
Event titleFlinders CHASS Spring Conference 2023
Event typeConference
LocationBedford Park, Australia, South AustraliaShow on map

Keywords

  • Space junk
  • Fiction
  • environmental studies
  • literary studies