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In this innovatory book Daniel Sage analyses how and why American space exploration reproduced and transformed American cultural and political imaginations by appealing to, and to an extent organizing, the transcendence of spatial and temporal frontiers. In so doing, he traces the development of a seductive, and powerful, yet complex and unstable American geographical imagination: the 'transcendental state'. Historical and indeed contemporary space exploration is, despite some recent notable exceptions, worthy of more attention across the social sciences and humanities. While largely engaging with the historical development of space exploration, it shows how contemporary cultural and social, and indeed geographical, research themes, including national identity, critical geopolitics, gender, technocracy, trauma and memory, can be informed by the study of space exploration.

Using data from a novel laboratory experiment on complex problem solving in which we varied the structure of 16-person networks, we investigate how an organization’s network structure shapes the performance of problem-solving tasks. Problem solving, we argue, involves both exploration for information and exploration for solutions . Our results show that network clustering has opposite effects for these two important and complementary forms of exploration. Dense clustering encourages members of a network to generate more diverse information but discourages them from generating diverse theories; that is, clustering promotes exploration in information space but decreases exploration in solution space. Previous research, generally focusing on only one of those two spaces at a time, has produced an inconsistent understanding of the value of network clustering. By adopting an experimental platform on which information was measured separately from solutions, we bring disparate results under a single theoretical roof and clarify the effects of network clustering on problem-solving behavior and performance. The finding both provides a sharper tool for structuring organizations for knowledge work and reveals challenges inherent in manipulating network structure to enhance performance, as the communication structure that helps one determinant of successful problem solving may harm the other.

PurposeThe emerging and rapidly growing space economy warrants initial analysis from an accounting lens. This article explores accounting's role in entity transactions involving outer space activities by addressing two questions: (1) What accounting challenges exist within a developing space economy? (2) What accounting research opportunities exist to address these challenges?Design/methodology/approachBackground context introduces accounting scholars to the modern space economy and its economic infrastructure, providing insight on entity transactions involving activities in outer space. Detailed discussion and analysis of space accounting challenges and research opportunities reveal potential for a robust, interdisciplinary field in the accounting domain relevant for both practitioner and academic spheres. The article concludes with a summary investigation of the future exploration of accounting for space commerce.FindingsMany accounting challenges and opportunities exist now and in the near future for accounting practitioners and scholars to contribute towards humanity's ambitious plans to achieve a sustained presence on the moon sometime during the 2020s and on Mars in the 2030s. All of accounting's traditional subject-matter domain, as well as sustainability accounting matters, will be relied upon in these efforts. Interdisciplinary inquiries and problem solving will be critical for success, with particular collaboration needs existing between accounting and operations management scholars.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to explore accounting for the burgeoning space economy, and to offer insight and guidance on the development of an emerging accounting subfield: space accounting.

What security implications do North Korea's purported peaceful space activities have? North Korea's recent launch of a reconnaissance satellite not only raises concerns about its nuclear weapons program but also has broader implications for international security. The nuclear threat posed by North Korea is certainly growing. However, there seems to be an overlooked security threat in North Korea's space initiative: the threat of militarization and weaponization of outer space. Therefore, the security policy toward North Korea must be changed comprehensively to address the militarization and weaponization of space, as North Korea's threats can be transformed by the use of space. North Korea's destructive weapons and strategies, such as EMP attacks and space hybrid operations, are not prohibited, even when they appear to be aligned with the outer space legal regime. Hence, rather than concentrating only on nuclear weapons, this study proposes that a fundamental shift in policy is required.

Our research investigates a collection of distinctive case studies identified as ‘womb-tomb sacred structures,’ scattered throughout the region colloquially referred to as the Holy Land. This geographical area, nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the East Bank of the Jordan River, holds profound historical and religious significance, intersecting with the biblical Land of Israel and the broader region of Palestine. It is revered by followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This study offers a pioneering exploration of the complex interplay between human corporeal rituals at sacred sites and architectural forms, illuminating not only how these rituals impact architectural design but also how the design influences the rituals themselves. We have catalogued an extensive array of womb-tomb structures across this landscape, dating from various periods including the First and Second Temples (700 BCE) and the Byzantine era. Despite their chronological diversity, these structures share architectural characteristics—typically, they are enclosed, cave-like spaces, often dimly lit and surmounted by domes. The architectural geomorphology of the womb-tomb designs prescribes specific bodily movements, with their distinctive forms necessitating, and sometimes enforcing, actions such as bending, crawling, and bowing within these enveloping spaces. Our exploration is supported by a novel methodological framework consisting of nine stages, which harmoniously blends architectural analysis (including Spatial Analysis, Morphological Analysis, 4D Approach) with anthropological perspectives and methodologies (including observations, interviews, photographic documentation, and short films). Our results elucidate that these architectural structures and morphologies serve not merely as sanctified sites but also unveil previously unrecognized connections among human anatomy, architectural configurations of the afterlife, and the connections between ritualistic conceptualization of soil, land, and territory as expressions of ownership and power.

In Sweden men account for most new HIV cases, and little is known about the peer support needs of people living with HIV in Sweden. This qualitative study explored how recently diagnosed men perceive and experience peer support in Sweden. Purposively sampled from HIV patient organizations and infectious disease clinics throughout Sweden, data was collected through in-depth individual interviews with 10 men living with HIV, who have experience participating in peer support. Latent and manifest qualitative content analysis produced the overarching theme of Finding a safe space for learning and exploration . Participants used peer support to access key information and skills and as a space to safely explore life with HIV. Participants perceived successful peer support as having the right peer while also receiving support at the right location. Study recommendations include further research on how a peer is defined within the U = U era, further research on the peer support needs of young adults, and further research on the accessibility of peer support.

Metaheuristic optimization algorithms often face challenges such as complex modeling, limited adaptability, and a tendency to get trapped in local optima when solving complex optimization problems. To enhance algorithm performance, this paper proposes an enhanced Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm (MESBOA) based on a precise elimination mechanism and boundary control. The algorithm integrates three key strategies: a precise population elimination strategy, which optimizes the population structure by eliminating individuals with low fitness and intelligently generating new ones; a lens imaging-based opposition learning strategy, which expands the exploration of the solution space through reflection and scaling to reduce the risk of local optima; and a boundary control strategy based on the best individual, which effectively constrains the search range to avoid inefficient searches and premature convergence. Experimental validation shows that on 23 benchmark functions and the CEC2022 test suite, MESBOA significantly outperforms the original Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm (SBOA) and other comparative algorithms (such as GWO, WOA, PSO, etc.) in terms of convergence speed, solution accuracy, and stability. Taking low-light image enhancement as an application case, MESBOA performs better in metrics such as Mean Squared Error (MSE), Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) by optimizing the parameters of the normalized incomplete Beta function, verifying its effectiveness in practical problems. The research indicates that MESBOA provides an efficient solution for complex optimization tasks and has the potential to be promoted and applied in multiple fields.

Where did humanity get the idea that outer space is a frontier waiting to be explored? Destined for the Stars unravels the popularization of the science of space exploration in America between 1944 and 1955, arguing that the success of the US space program was due not to technological or economic superiority, but was sustained by a culture that had long believed it was called by God to settle new frontiers and prepare for the inevitable end of time and God's final judgment. Religious forces, Newell finds, were in no small way responsible for the crescendo of support for and interest in space exploration in the early 1950s, well before Project Mercury-the United States' first human spaceflight program-began in 1959. In this remarkable history, Newell explores the connection between the art of Chesley Bonestell-the father of modern space art whose paintings drew inspiration from depictions of the American West-and the popularity of that art in Cold War America; Bonestell's working partnership with science writer and rocket expert Willy Ley; and Ley and Bonestell's relationship with Wernher von Braun, father of both the V-2 missile and the Saturn V rocket, whose millennial conviction that God wanted humankind to leave Earth and explore other planets animated his life's work. Together, they inspired a technological and scientific faith that awoke a deep-seated belief in a sense of divine destiny to reach the heavens. The origins of their quest, Newell concludes, had less to do with the Cold War strife commonly associated with the space race and everything to do with the religious culture that contributed to the invention of space as the final frontier.

Social isolation and feelings of loneliness are related to higher mortality and morbidity. Evidence from studies conducted during space missions, in space analogs, and during the COVID-19 pandemic underline the possible role of the autonomic nervous system in mediating this relation. Indeed, the activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system enhances the cardiovascular response and activates the transcription of pro-inflammatory genes, which leads to a stimulation of inflammatory activation. This response is adaptive in the short term, in that it allows one to cope with a situation perceived as a threat, but in the long term it has detrimental effects on mental and physical health, leading to mood deflection and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as imbalances in immune system activation. The aim of this narrative review is to present the contributions from space studies and insights from the lockdown period on the relationship between social isolation and autonomic nervous system activation, focusing on cardiovascular impairment and immune imbalance. Knowing the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this relationship is important as it enables us to structure effective countermeasures for the new challenges that lie ahead: the lengthening of space missions and Mars exploration, the specter of future pandemics, and the aging of the population.

Recognizing that a successful middle school is one where adult advocates foster and guide students' academic and personal development (Bishop & Harrison, 2021), we explore how COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for one middle school to create novel spaces that supported students' social and emotional well-being. Calling on Bhabha's (1994) and Gutierrez's (2008) conceptualizations of Third Spaces, we analyze data from a case study in one middle school in the southeastern United States and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. By analyzing interviews and focus groups, we identified instances, where the teachers in the school attempted to create virtual third spaces, ranging from nature walks to Kahoot competitions to cooking classes to open crafting spaces. In this paper, we explore the various types of third spaces the teachers at this middle school created in response to their students' social needs and emotional well-being, as well as how those spaces allowed for exploration, broke down barriers between students, repositioned students who experienced behavior challenges, and allowed for student agency. We conclude by asserting that these virtual third spaces are vitally important for supporting young adolescents' well-being in online and hybrid school settings.