In the 1950s, America was captivated by the “space race” with Russia and the idea of exploring and colonizing the cosmos. Posters often captured the excitement. Photo illustration: John Irons (images from Shutterstock)

Various missions, including within NASA’s Artemis program, aim to return humans to the lunar surface by the end of the decade and establish a long-term presence in the 2030s.

Some experts say these ambitions are rooted in financial gain and extraction — mirroring what drove colonizers to plunder the Americas and beyond. This raises urgent questions about what some scholars and critics describe as the “colonization” of space.

Learn more in the story below.

Chandelis Duster has covered national and international news, spanning politics, race and equality, entertainment, space, and science, with on-air and digital reporting at CNN, as well as bylines at NBC News and MSNBC. At CNN, she reported on race and equality, breaking major political stories, including investigations into discrimination against farmers of color, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and coverage of the Supreme Court. Her work also appears on NPR, where her stories reach millions...