This is a policy congress. We will not only offer a tribute to our panelists for sharing their thoughts, but also ask them to respond to some specific questions, and to help us shaping the best strategy to achieve our shared goals: to commence the Civilian Space Development by 2030.
We are not conducting this congress to understand whether civilization expansion into outer space is necessary, opportune and timely. We already know that it is dramatically needed, and long overdue.
We are organizing this timely discussion to explore strategies to help making Civilian Space Development the highest priority for all of planet Earth’s Governments, and to broadly enhance public understanding of and consensus to support this priority.
As Gregg Maryniak has noted: “The main issue of this age is to make people understanding the extreme urgency of space settlement. Because the launch window could close, sooner than what we expect“.
Yes, the launch window (i.e. the favorable historic period for humanity to start expanding into outer space) could close, under the strokes of the devastating multi-crisis that is jeopardizing our economy and denying the deep foundations of human life, such as freedom to work, to travel, to meet people, to socialize and love.
Planet Earth is under attack, by at least five Dark Knights of Apocalypse: Environmental Crisis, Pandemics, Economic Crash, Social Issues, and Resource Wars. Humanity needs to defend itself from this devastating attack. Our first duty – as humanists – is to defend Civilization, and to defeat the forces of Apocalypse. To accomplish this, humanity needs brave and noble knights, to lead the battle: Space is the first and the most important Knight, on the side of Humanity!
Last, but not least, this is the 3rd SRI World Congress. The first Congress was in 2011, the 2nd in 2016. Each time we learned some important lessons, and we improved our methodologies and conceptual proposals. We want to keep on learning, and to enhance our abilities to help humanity pursue the best strategies to overcome the multi-crisis.
OUR METHODOLOGYWe will discuss two Theses documents, present all of the accepted papers, and integrate the conceptual contributions coming from these papers. The Final Resolution of the Congress will summarize the entire Congressional discussion into well defined goals, programs and recommendations. Once approved by the Congress, the Theses and the Final Resolution will be our “Bible” for the next 5 years (towards 2025).
WHO ARE WE? WE ARE THE SPACE RENAISSANCE, THE TRUE SPACE SETTLERS, AND MORE…
The proponents of the civilization expansion into space have been defined in several ways, e.g. ‘space colonists’. We don’t object to such a nomination, and in fact we are rather proud and honored of this designation. However, though space colonization will not steal land or freedom from anybody, the word ‘colonization’ recalls earthling’s historical social processes, which did not respect freedom and civil rights of the inhabitants of the colonized regions. Thus we prefer to define ourselves as space settlers, and space expansionists. Incidentally, the term ‘expansion’ also underscores our goal: not to ‘abandon planet Earth’, but to expand humanity’s world, including the Moon, the Near Earth Asteroids, and subsequently Mars, the Main Asteroids Belt, Jupiter and its Moons, and beyond.
Our goal is to directly connecti our civilization to the enormous energy and resources of our Solar System. This Congress will help align the efforts of all sincere space settlers, to find better ways to appeal and inspire hearts and the minds of all Earthlings.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “CIVILIAN SPACE DEVELOPMENT”?
Civilian space development primarily relates to the development of appropriate transportation and accommodation technologies, to enable civilian passengers and settlers to travel, live and work in outer space.
In the space exploration paradigm, space travel is allowed only to trained astronauts: the existing vehicles and habitats only allow trained astronauts to travel and stay in space, for a limited time, as required by space exploration mission requirements.
Remaining at zero gravity for more than 6-8 months, anyone will incur in serious health issues. And we underline anyone, including trained astronauts: see the Scott Kelly’s dramatic testimony in his book “Endurance”, about his one year long journey on the International Space Station.
Civilian space development also relates to the extension of civilian rights beyond Earth’s atmosphere, the protection of life and health, as well as civilian freedoms, and the rights of all citizen, similar to the rights, warranties and insurance owned by any airlines or ships traveler.
The cost of space travel is still too high, though finally we have brave new space entrepreneurs, working hard to lower it.
We need low-cost, fully reusable, safe and comfortable vehicles, protection against cosmic radiations, artificial gravity, green environments in the habitats.
In few words, we need to kick-off the Civilian Space Development as soon as possible, that’s a new strategy, quite different from space exploration. We believe that such strategic address doesn’t have the proper priority, in the plans of the spacefaring nations. This congress will try to help recovering such a delay.
Also see the Civilian Space Protocol initiative.
MAIN TOPICS AND CONCEPTS TO BE DISCUSSED, CLEARED, AND ASSUMED IN OUR STRATEGY
A crowded planet needs new space, resources and energy!
Worldwide pandemics are now confining people at home, briadly impeding socialization, dissemintaion of knowledge, and love. Climate and environmental crises were already challenging the industrial development before these pandemics emerged.
When we discuss saving Planet Earth we are actually talking about saving civilization. It is not a matter of saving age old social models. Any new social prototype that can be conceived and developed under the threats of the current global multi-crisis will need new space, energy, and resources.
Recognizing such basic needs is essential, to understand that we shall have to move quickly, to enlarge our world and achieve the essential means to help sustain humanity.
We should also understand that de-growth is not a solution: only in a context of reasonable continuous growth can human civilizations progress towards freedom, democracy, welfare, inclusiveness, culture and ethics.
Revolution vs. Conservation in space programs
A competition is now ongoing, between new space and old space: two opposed visions for the future, competing for funding and popular consensus.
The traditional aerospace supporters still think and design programs based on the old space paradigm: exspendable rockets, space economies based on satellites, using space to advance life in Earth, space exploration conducted by automated devices and a few trained astronauts. They are developing a narration in which space is — and always will be — a very dangerous and difficult environment, always requiring hard scientific research and always new and complex technologies. According to such a philosophy, the cost of space will always be very high, largely unaffordable for private enterprise. Private investors are welcome to invest funds, but they shouldn’t seek for a quick return of their investments.
The supporters of the new space paradigm have a strategic goal: to open the high frontier as soon as possible for all of humanity. According to the above priority, their methodology is pragmatic: focus on quality more than innovation, innovate when really needed, think out of the box, and use what we already have in better ways, to reach the desired goals. Space programs need to focus more on quality and collaborative efforts, not on a continuous invention of ‘new’ technologies.
Also see a more detailed presentation of the Congress hot topics.
THE VERY KEY FOCUS OF THIS CONGRESS
- Cheap access to space = Fully reusable, safe and comfortable passengers transportation vehicles
- Enabling technologies to stay in space: To date this has only been addressed on paper. We need people to experiment with artificial gravity and other key technologies that can protect life and health in space!
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