Resilience Beyond Earth: The Human Determinants of Sustainability
Presentation Type
Short presentation 10-15 minutes
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Worldwide
Status
Student
Faculty/Staff Department
College of Aviation
Student Year and Major
2027, Space Operations
Presentation Description/Abstract
As humanity prepares for a continued presence beyond Earth, sustainability must extend beyond engineering and environmental systems to include the human dimensions of sustainability. Building on resilience science and human systems theory, this work introduces an integrative human systems framework that identifies key psychological, cultural, and institutional drivers shaping how communities adapt and thrive over time in complex environments.
While technology supports survival, long-term sustainability also depends on how human systems evolve together as people maintain well-being, adapt behaviorally, cooperate across cultures, and govern shared resources under constraint. This work highlights four interrelated determinants of sustainable human adaptation including psychological well-being, behavioral adaptation, cultural cohesion, and institutional governance.
Drawing on research in space mission psychology, cross-cultural collaboration, and sustainability governance, the framework demonstrates how integrating these human determinants fosters resilience both beyond Earth and within our own planet’s communities. By understanding and designing for the factors that sustain people rather than only systems, we can build societies that endure and evolve in the face of change.
Keywords
Resilience, Sustainability, Human Systems, Space Exploration, Mental Health
Resilience Beyond Earth: The Human Determinants of Sustainability
As humanity prepares for a continued presence beyond Earth, sustainability must extend beyond engineering and environmental systems to include the human dimensions of sustainability. Building on resilience science and human systems theory, this work introduces an integrative human systems framework that identifies key psychological, cultural, and institutional drivers shaping how communities adapt and thrive over time in complex environments.
While technology supports survival, long-term sustainability also depends on how human systems evolve together as people maintain well-being, adapt behaviorally, cooperate across cultures, and govern shared resources under constraint. This work highlights four interrelated determinants of sustainable human adaptation including psychological well-being, behavioral adaptation, cultural cohesion, and institutional governance.
Drawing on research in space mission psychology, cross-cultural collaboration, and sustainability governance, the framework demonstrates how integrating these human determinants fosters resilience both beyond Earth and within our own planet’s communities. By understanding and designing for the factors that sustain people rather than only systems, we can build societies that endure and evolve in the face of change.
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