ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses the study of space, going beyond the human scale and addressing cosmological issues. It is shown how, based on the capacity of civilizations for communications technology and determined by the amount of energy at their disposal, three kinds of communication can be identified: interplanetary, interstellar and intergalactic. Attempts by various disciplines to contribute insights into the study of these kinds of communication are presented. The possibility of extraterrestrial communication is discussed in terms of two key concepts – a medium and a message. It is shown why the topic of communication with outer space is highly relevant because thinking about outer space helps us to understand the nature of communication in general.
