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Astrosociology will progress and develop as a viable multidisciplinary field as well as a potential subfield of sociology more thoroughly and more quickly when a modern college and university level course is developed and offered to students interested in this unique sociological approach. The Introduction to Astrosociology course should present modern sociological issues from the perspective of the impact of space exploration, settlement, and commercialization as they apply to the micro and macro levels of influences on the major institutions of society. The intent of this paper is to outline a syllabus that will address the perspectives, concepts, and theories found in most introductory and applied sociology courses, but with an emphasis on the concepts, definitions, and perspectives of Astrosociology. This presentation outlines a basic topic and subject format for the course syllabus and opens for discussion the need to include or exclude material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most systems in our environment contain components that interact through competition or cooperation, which can lead to system adaptation. Recently, it is especially important to study the behavior of such systems, and to develop and apply new appropriate mathematical methods for studying the processes in these systems. Such approaches have many applications in economy and sociology and are successfully used in mathematics, physics, ecology, biology and technical sciences. In the last decades non–linear models are intensively used to model economic and social systems. In many cases the main features of such complex systems can be explained by a relatively small number of non–linear differential equations. Examples of such systems are some economic organizations. In this paper we model the behavior of a socio-economic system by partial differential equations. The model describes dynamics of populations competing for limited resources. In the model, migration is treated as a advection–diffusion process influenced by changing of the growth rates and the interactions among population individuals. The model describes several novel features of the interacting populations compared to the well-known classic models in population dynamics. Using the modified method of simplest equation and one of its extended versions, we obtain new wave solutions of the model system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supporters of astrobiology continue to organize the field around formalized associations and organizations under the guise of the so-called “hard” sciences (e.g., biology and the related physical/natural sciences). The so-called “soft” sciences—including sociology and the other social sciences, the behavioral sciences, and the humanities—remain largely separated from this dynamically growing field. However, as argued in this paper, space exploration involving the search for extraterrestrial life should be viewed as consisting of two interrelated parts (i.e., two sides of the same coin): astrobiology and astrosociology. Together, these two fields broadly combine the two major branches of science as they relate to the relationship between human life and alien life, as appropriate. Moreover, with a formalized system of collaboration, these two complimentary fields would also focus on the implications of their research to human beings as well as their cultures and social structures. By placing the astrosociological implications of astrobiology at a high enough priority, scientists interested in the search for alien life can augment their focus to include the social, cultural, and behavioral implications that were always associated with their work (yet previously overlooked or understated, and too often misunderstood). Recognition of the astrosociological implications expands our perception about alien life by creating a new emphasis on their ramifications to human life on Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As we prepare to go back to the Moon on a permanent basis, it behooves us to take advantage of our return to the Moon by increasing our knowledge base so as to make all aspects of survival possible. The standard approach remains fixed on meeting the challenges related to power, physical habitat, and others associated with the physical environment and personal survival. While this traditional facet of space settlement must be addressed in a successful manner, the other set of variables to the equation for human survival in space receive little attention. In other words, we tend to focus so strongly on getting to a location and setting up a physical habitat that we overlook what it will require to survive in our new social world once the physical environment is functioning properly. We should take care now to begin formal consideration of the psychological, social, and cultural realities that will exist once we arrive. Plans starting with the very first Moon base should integrate research objectives that both (1) construct the integral physical elements of an isolated habitat and (2) study how the new social system operates subsequently. In fact, we should involve social scientists in planning as many of the latter issues as possible before the mission begins. This dual approach will serve as a first step to acquiring the critical knowledge necessary for human beings to live in isolated space environments situated too far away from the Earth that practical assistance is not readily available. Astrosociology, being a multidisciplinary social scientific field, can serve to unite social scientists interested in space research to work together on this issue and others in a formal manner. This, in turn, will make it possible for them to collaborate with space scientists and engineers in order to foster a fully comprehensive approach to make space settlements livable on a long-term basis. This collaboration, involving natural scientists and social scientists working together for the common goal of implementing sustainable space societies and conducting relevant research to improve the next project, represents a fundamental shift to a new paradigm currently unfamiliar. This paper lays out the basics for this new paradigm, for consideration by both the social science community and the space community. © 2007 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a number of reasons, the construction of a single space colony represents a future social reality strongly likely to play itself out repeatedly as the twenty-first century advances. As early plans are considered, we must take into account that societies on Earth serve to carry out a variety of life functions and, in so doing, must meet the social needs of their citizens. While the proper engineering/construction of space habitats is necessary to ensure survivability of the inhabitants of a physical environment in space, it remains insufficient to ensure proper functioning of a social environment in space. This paper assumes that the physical environment is adequate to sustain life reliably (that is, to provide life support) and focuses instead on issues related to the sustainability of a society in space from primarily a sociological perspective. The astrosociological argument serving as a central theme here is that we must carefully consider research findings of Earth-based societies and their communities and apply the sociological lessons learned to the planning of space colonies. Moreover, the astrosociological perspective can serve to provide a formal mechanism for collaboration between social scientists and space scientists so that construction of a particular space colony proceeds based on the greatest level of understanding possible. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]