Savannah Mandel

Savannah Mandel, a space anthropologist and writer completing her PhD at Virginia Tech, argues for halting human space exploration in her insightful discussion. She emphasizes that urgent issues on Earth, like poverty and civil rights, should take precedence over space endeavors. Mandel shares her transformative journey from pro-space advocacy to critiquing its ethics, revealing tensions in the space community following her controversial views. She also explores the history of asteroid mining, combining academic rigor with a touch of humor in her reflections on apocalyptic narratives.