A recent SpaceNews opinion article argued that it is time to “take astronomy off Earth.” The suggestion is straightforward: If satellite constellations and commercial space activity threaten ground-based astronomy, perhaps astronomers should simply move their work into space.

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Dara Norman is the current President of the American Astronomical Society and an Observatory Scientist in Tucson, AZ.

Kelsey Johnson is the Past President of the American Astronomical Society, Past President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and Professor of Astronomy at University of Virginia.