1. 1
Details and Implementation Plan of a Code of Ethics for a Proposed
Lunar Colony
By Oleg Nekrassovski
Table of Contents
Introduction ..........................................................................................................p. 2
Rationale for the Design of This Code of Ethics...………………………..…………p. 2
The Colony’s Code of Ethics…………………………………………………………..p. 3
Code of Values …………………………………………………………………p. 3
Code of Conduct ……………………………………………………………….p. 5
Implementation Plan …………………………………………………..……………....p. 7
Launching the Code …………………………………………………………...p. 8
Enforcing the Code …………………………………………………………….p. 8
Evaluating the Code …………………………………………………………...p. 9
Assuring Implementation Success …………………………………………...p. 9
References …………………………………………………………………………...…p. 11

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Introduction
The present paper will present the details and the implementation plan for a code
of ethics for a possible lunar colony, named Selenex. Selenex will be treated as a
subsidiary, non-profit organization of the Earth-based, space research and
development, non-profit organization. The purpose or mission of Selenex will be to
explore the feasibility of long-term human survival, natural resource extraction, and ‘on
the spot’ human-controlled and/or carried out construction and manufacturing on the
Moon. While its vision will be (1) to see how many people will be able to continuously
live and work on the Moon, for up to ten years, without starting to develop any serious
physical/mental health problems; (2) to develop a sustainable, economical lunar farm,
within ten years, which would be able to feed up to 100 people; and (3) to develop a
successful, economical process for manufacturing space-worthy rockets, from Moon’s
natural resources, within ten years.
Rationale for the Design of This Code of Ethics
The underlying core principle or objective, of Selenex’s Code of Ethics, is the
optimization of the physical/mental health and task performance of Selenex’s
employees. Given the harsh environment of the Moon, and hence, the necessarily small
size of the colony, the working and living quarters will likely be cramped, while the
amount of food, medical supplies, exercise equipment and all other resources will be
limited (National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], 2015). Also, given that
a Moon-Earth trip takes around 5 days, while the objective of Selenex is the long-term,
self-sufficient, human survival and productive industrial activity on the Moon; the
members of the colony (i.e. the employees of Selenex) will have to be able to reduce
the chances of any medical situations, from trivial to catastrophic, taking place, while
being able to effectively deal with them if they do occur, and being able to effectively
perform their jobs in spite of minor physical/mental health issues (NASA, 2015).
Even though the gravitational pull on the surface of the Moon is 1/6 that of Earth,
it might still have a multitude of detrimental effects on the physical health of the
colonists, analogous to those experienced from prolonged weightlessness. Moreover,
even though the living quarters of the colony will most likely be shielded from space
radiation; some amount of exposure to powerful space radiation will likely be required
from the colonists; further increasing risks of various health problems (NASA, 2015). In
addition, lack of privacy, isolation from family, friends, and the familiar environment of
the Earth, and shortened, lower quality sleep that often occurs during life in space, will
put further strain on the physical and mental health of Selenex’s employees, as well
their ability to carry out their jobs. For example, these conditions are known to increase
the risks of interpersonal conflict, poor workgroup cohesion, and depression and/or
anxiety (NASA, 2015).

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The Colony’s Code of Ethics
Selenex’s Code of Ethics is divided into two parts: the Code of Values and the
Code of Conduct. According to Johnson (2015), creating an ethical climate within an
organization requires core ideology, codes of ethics, and ethics training. The key
component of core ideology is the core values of the organization. Hence, Selenex’s
Code of Values describes its core values. While, its Code of Conduct is what Johnson
(2015) refers to as a code of ethics.
Code of Values
Empathy
We will practice empathy towards each other.
It is essential for group members to have empathy towards each other whenever
the survival of the group is a challenge, as is the case for a human colony on the
Moon. Developing high capacity for empathy requires its constant practice. After
all, virtue ethics emphasizes the importance of systematically practicing virtuous
acts in order that they turn into a habit and become an integral part of one’s
moral character (Athanassoulis, n.d.).
Taking care
We will always take care of each other.
It is essential for group members to always take care of each other whenever the
survival of the group is a challenge, as is the case for a human colony on the
Moon. In fact, aside from increasing the chances of physical survival of all group
members, the practice of mutual help improves psychological well-being and
resilience of the people involved, if only by increasing their sense of
empowerment and self-worth (Hartling, 2008).
Appreciating
We will always strive to appreciate each other.
People, who have and promote good, satisfying relationships with each other,
have an easier time overcoming hardship and adversity (Hartling, 2008).
Moreover, there are strong reasons to believe that engaging in relationships
which enhance one’s sense of connection with others, as well as one’s sense of
competence and intellectual development, strengthen psychological resilience
(Hartling, 2008). While having a strong psychological resilience may be critical
whenever the survival of the group is a challenge, as is the case for a human
colony on the Moon.
Trust and respect
We will always strive to trust and respect each other.
Mutual trust and respect are also important for maintaining strong psychological
resilience, if only through enhancing the sense of empowerment, competence,
and self-worth of the people involved (Hartling, 2008). Moreover, mutual trust and

4. 4
respect are important for maintaining good unit cohesiveness, high morale, and
work-efficiency.
Teamwork
We will work in teams whenever possible.
Teamwork acts as a force multiplier by allowing people who may be weakened
by illness or stress to do things neither one of them would be able to do alone.
Also, teamwork reduces the possibility of accidents and enables rapid response,
in those cases when the accidents do occur.
Collaborating, communicating and being accountable
We will always strive to collaborate, communicate and be accountable.
Collaboration leads to more effective and more creative solutions to problems.
While, communication reduces the incidence of accidents and increases the
quality of work. Finally, accountability enforces communication and other
behaviors critical for reducing accidents and increasing the quality of work.
Quality
We will always do our best in ensuring quality in everything we do.
Failure to ensure quality can lead to accidents anywhere and with anything in the
colony. It can also lead to failure to achieve work-related objectives, and
inadequate treatment of health problems. Finally, all in all, failure to ensure
quality in everything done on the colony can lead to low morale.
Evidence-based
We will always strive to make only evidence-based decisions.
Evidence-based practice, while still rooted in medicine, can be applied in any
endeavour. Thus, following the medical model, evidence-based practice, in
Selenex, will involve integrating individual expertise and experience with the best
available external evidence from systematic research (Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray,
Haynes, & Richardson, 1996), so as to achieve best possible outcomes in all
endeavours.
Ethics
We shall always strive to behave ethically.
In order to behave ethically, it is important to view ethics as something important.
Thus, in line with the views of Singhapakdi, Kraft, Vitell, and Rallapalli (1995), in
order to behave more ethically and be more considerate of the whole colony, all
employees must keep in mind that being ethical and considerate of the whole
colony is important and beneficial to the achievement of all organizational goals.
Best
We shall always give our best.
It is important for all employees of Selenex to always strive to do everything to
the best of their ability. This will improve the chances of the long-term survival of
the colony, by reducing the risk of accidents and failures to adequately deal with

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various health issues. In addition, doing something to the best of one’s ability
requires total concentration, thus distracting from various fears and increasing
morale.
Confidence and determination
We shall always seek to display and act with absolute confidence and
determination.
First and foremost, displaying and acting with absolute confidence and
determination increases the morale of those doing so and of everyone who is
observing them. Also, practicing to display and act with absolute confidence and
determination is essential for overcoming indecisiveness and making quick but
sound decisions under stress. This ability will be especially important during
life/work in the Moon colony, where making quick but sound decisions under high
stress, will prove critical to the colony’s continued survival and feasibility.
Code of Conduct
Reporting Ethical Violations
Any employee who knows of an unlawful or unethical situation must immediately
tell whatever he/she knows or has heard about it. This can be done by contacting
the immediate supervisor, or a more senior manager, or using the ethics hotline
maintained by the parent company on Earth.
All supervisors/managers contacted about ethical violations must promptly review
all reports of unlawful or unethical conduct.
Neither Selenex, nor its parent company, will tolerate threats or acts of retaliation
against employees who report ethical violations.
Personal Conduct
If the management of Selenex or its parent company finds that the conduct of
any employee, whether during or after work hours, adversely affects their
performance, that of other employees, or Selenex’s objectives, the employee in
question will be subject to disciplinary measures, including dismissal.
Treatment of Each Other
Each employee will treat every other employee, at any time and at any place,
with respect and dignity. Harassment or abuse of any type will not be tolerated.
Each employee will strive to always wear a “happy face” to help boost everyone
else’s morale.
Intimate Relationships
To maintain discipline and avoid any conflicts of interest, all employees are
advised to avoid engaging in romantic/sexual relationships, or even close
friendships, with each other.
All romantic/sexual relationships and close friendships between supervisors and
subordinates are forbidden.

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Accountability
All employees shall be held accountable for all of their actions. Actions, that are
found to be negligent and result in harm to other employees or loss of Selenex’s
assets, will be appropriately punished.
Informational Integrity
No employee shall engage in any action that could result in conveying false or
inaccurate information to Selenex’s parent company or relevant representatives
of national governments and intergovernmental organizations from Earth.
Recording, Reporting, and Retaining Information
In order to help Selenex survive and succeed in its objectives, as well as follow
all relevant reporting and accountability laws, all employees must record and
report all information accurately and honestly.
Following All Applicable Laws
Given the economic, military and scientific value of the Moon to the nations of
Earth (United States Army, 1959), all of Selenex’s employees must comply with
all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, governing life, research, and work on
the Moon, that have been enacted by national governments and
intergovernmental organizations from Earth.
Acquiring Products from Unauthorized Sources
No employee shall acquiring products from unauthorized sources, because such
products have no assurance of being free of defects or alterations (or both), and
thus represent significant risk to its end-users, and, by extension, the survival of
the colony at large.
Protecting the Colony’s Assets
Selenex has a large variety of assets, many of which are critical to the
physical/psychological survival of its employees, and its success as an R&D
organization. Therefore, protecting all of Selenex’s assets is critical. Their loss,
theft or misuse jeopardizes the future of the colony.
Each employee is personally responsible for protecting Selenex’s property
entrusted to them and for helping to protect Selenex’s assets in general. To do
this, each employee should be alert to any situations or incidents that could lead
to the loss, misuse or theft of Selenex’s property. All employees should report all
such situations, as soon as they come to their attention, to their manager, or to
the security department of Selenex’s parent company on Earth.
Direct Requests for Information and Contacts with the Media, Analysts, Attorneys and
Others
Given the Moon’s economic, military, and scientific value to the nations of Earth
(United States Army, 1959), Selenex’s activities will likely be monitored by
journalists, consultants, attorneys and government officials from Earth. No
employee should initiate contact with these individuals or groups or respond to

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their inquiries without authorization as follows: journalists – Communications
Department of Selenex’s parent company; consultants – Analyst Relations
Department of the parent company; attorneys and government officials – parent
company’s counsel.
Dealing with Suppliers
In order to ensure that Selenex gets the best, most economical, supplies, every
employee involved in deciding among competing suppliers must weigh the facts
impartially to determine the best supplier.
Bribes and Gifts
No employee, nor any member of his/her family, may solicit or accept from a
supplier money or a gift that could influence Selenex’s business relationship with
that supplier.
Relationships with Government Employees
No employee shall give money or a gift to an official or an employee of a
governmental or intergovernmental entity from Earth, if doing so could be
reasonably construed as having any connection with Selenex’s business
relationship.
Lobbying
Any contact, with governmental or intergovernmental personnel from Earth, for
the purpose of influencing legislation or rule making is considered lobbying.
All employees must obtain the prior approval of the parent company’s counsel to
lobby or authorize anyone else to lobby on Selenex’s behalf.
Using the Company’s Time and Assets
To ensure commitment to Selenex’s objectives and prevent misuse of its assets,
no employee shall perform non-Selenex work or solicit such business, while
living/working in the colony.
Personal Financial Interests
No employee of Selenex shall have a financial interest in any organization that
Selenex does business with (e.g. a supplier), if that interest would give that
employee a conflict of interest with Selenex.
Political Contributions
To ensure commitment to Selenex’s objectives and prevent misuse of its assets,
no employee shall make any political contributions, whether financial or
otherwise, to political campaigns, organizations, or candidates on Earth, while
living/working in the colony.
Implementation Plan
An implementation plan, for an already designed Code of Ethics (see above) for
an envisioned Moon colony named Selenex, will be presented, below. This
implementation plan is aimed at preventing the violation of Selenex’s Code of Ethics.

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Launching the Code:
Brandl and Maguire (2002) recommend launching and communicating the code
to all stakeholders by sending it directly to all employees, shareholders, suppliers, and
customers. Hence, Selenex’s code of ethics will be sent directly to all of its employees,
all of the employees of the parent company who are heavily involved with Selenex, and
all of its suppliers.
Brandl and Maguire (2002) recommend implementing the code by incorporating it
into the training of new employees and the professional development workshops for the
company’s management. They also recommend including ethical categories into the
performance evaluation of all employees, and, of course, that the company’s leaders set
examples of ethical behavior, reflecting the company’s code of ethics, for all other
employees of the company. Hence, Selenex’s code of ethics will be incorporated into
the training of its new employees and the professional development workshops for its
management. In addition, ethical categories, from Selenex’s code, will be incorporated
into the performance evaluation of all employees. Finally, Selenex’s leaders shall be
tasked with always striving to set examples of ethical behavior, reflecting the company’s
code of ethics, for all other employees of Selenex.
It also important to note that, according to Brandl and Maguire (2002), more
effective ethical training programs are those that give examples of ethical problems that
the employees may actually have to deal with as part of their specific jobs. In other
words, the information presented in an ethical training is more likely to be understood
and utilized if it is specific to the job being performed. Hence, a job-specific, ethics
training program will be developed for the employees of Selenex, by the Human
Resources department of the parent company on Earth.
Enforcing the Code:
First, and foremost, Selenex’s Code of Conduct (see above) requires all
employees to report any ethical violations that they witness. In addition, all
supervisors/managers contacted about ethical violations must promptly review all
reports of unlawful or unethical conduct. Finally, there is a zero tolerance for threats or
acts of retaliation against employees who report ethical violations.
Also, Lloyd and de las Casas (2006) suggest that one way to help enforce a code
of ethics is to have a formal complaints procedure for organization’s external
stakeholders who have evidence that the organization is violating its own code of ethics.
Consequently, such a complaints procedure will be established at Selenex, with its key
stakeholders, namely its parent company and its suppliers, being informed of its details
and encouraged to use it.
In addition, Lloyd and de las Casas (2006) suggest enforcing ethical compliance
through the assessment by an independent party. To this end, at least one ethics officer

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from the parent company will be permanently embedded in Selenex as an observer of
all of its major functions and activities, and will be tasked with reporting any and all
observed ethical violations back to the parent company.
Finally, Lloyd and de las Casas (2006) suggest that ethical enforcement
mechanisms are effective only when they are backed by sanctions. To this end,
appropriate punishments will be developed for each violation of Selenex’s code of
ethics, and will be ruthlessly carried out in all cases.
Evaluating the Code:
Brandl and Maguire (2002) recommend evaluating a code of ethics using a focus
group, consisting of people from a cross-section of the organization, both external and
internal. Hence, Selenex’s code of ethics will be periodically evaluated for effectiveness
(and revised as necessary) using a focus group, which will consist of a cross-section of
Selenex’s employees, the employees of the parent company who are heavily involved
with Selenex, and the relevant employees of Selenex’s major suppliers.
Assuring Implementation Success:
Muel (2008) describes seven conditions, all of which, according to him, must be
present in the organization, if its code of ethics is to be complied with. His first condition
is that the company’s code of ethics must be clearly understood by its managers and
employees. While his second condition is that the company’s leaders must set a good
example, of following the code of ethics, for all other employees. The details of how
both of these conditions will be met at Selenex have already been described under the
“Launching the Code” rubric.
Muel’s (2008) third condition is that all of the company’s employees must be
committed to the organization, its mission, and objectives. They must also identify with
the organization’s code of ethics and be committed to their work. Given that most of the
employees of Selenex will be astronauts, the prestige of engaging in R&D activities on
the Moon, and the excitement of ‘pushing the boundaries’ on the long term human
survival in space, extraterrestrial agriculture, and extraterrestrial rocket manufacturing,
there is every reason to believe that Selenex’s employees will be committed to Selenex,
its mission, and objectives, will identify with its code of ethics, and will be committed to
their work.
Muel’s (2008) fourth condition is aimed at pointing out that unrealistic
performance targets or lack of sufficient means for responsibly carrying out tasks, often
lead to the violations of the code. Consequently, the leaders of Selenex and its parent
company will be tasked with always striving to avoid setting unrealistic performance
targets for Selenex’s employees, while making sure that they have all the necessary
means for carrying out their tasks effectively and responsibly.

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Muel’s (2008) fifth condition is that all violations of the company’s code must be
easily detectable. In other words, the behavior of the employees must be transparent.
While his sixth condition is that all aspects of the code must always remain an easily
discussable topic; so as to avoid the rise of conflicting interpretations of the code, make
it easier for everyone to share any ethical dilemmas, and ensure that violators of the
code are quickly and openly challenged (Muel, 2008). Aside from the fact that Selenex’s
Code of Conduct (see above) requires all employees to report all ethical violations that
they witness; both of these conditions will be met at Selenex simply because Selenex
will be a Moon colony. After all, in their overview of studies of work/life in capsule
habitats, including those used for working and living in space, Suedfeld and Steel
(2000) note that work/life in capsule habitats increases intimacy and depth of self-
disclosure, and rumors circulate rapidly and frequently, making it difficult to keep
anything secret. Finally, Muel’s (2008) seventh condition is that the code must be
enforced. It should be clear, from an earlier discussion under the rubric “Enforcing the
Code,” that this condition will clearly be met at Selenex.

11. 11
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