Are We Destined to Live in Space?

The cultural roots of the Russian space programme were in cosmological and mystical thinking, and in the belief that humanity's destiny was to colonise the cosmos.

In our own era, the motivations of nations and private companies to initiate and maintain space projects are just as varied and complex.

Geopolitical positioning and colonisation, the search for extra-terrestrial life, the pursuit of materials for mining, the desire for scientific knowledge and the simple, primal urge to satisfy human desire are all incentives to travel beyond Earth's boundaries.

Join us for a philosophical discussion about the past, present and future of our drive to explore the cosmos, that addresses the question of whether we really are destined to live in space.

Participants include Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Lazutkin, who spent 184 days on the Mir space station, during which he experienced a collision, a power cut and a fire.

He will be joined by space law and colonisation expert Dr Jill Stuart, philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs and moderator Doug Millard, the Senior Curator of Cosmonauts.