FOR OUR CHILDREN… (THE OWNERS OF PLANET EARTH.

WE’RE just the TENANTS)

ECO-TECHNOLOGICAL Ethics and Sustainable Development “Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of

the public, the protection of the environment and the promotion of health and safety within the workplace;”

(ASTTBC Code of Ethics, Article 1.)

(It demands some sort of response from us,

doesn't it?)

HOW ABOUT THIS? The Declaration of Interdependence

(COSMOCRATIC) Article 1: In a technological civilization, the life of every person is dependent on a multitude of properly working machines and an equal multitude of people doing a multitude of jobs competently, with high productivity.

Article 2: THE PROBLEM:We, the human species, are headed towards a technological and ecological catastrophe, (call it “crunch”) that will kill 90% of us and condemn the rest to nasty, brutish, and short lives, on an impoverished planet, because our technological society is fundamentally flawed.

“NAAH, HE’S NUTS, IT’LL NEVER HAPPEN!”

•OH YEAH? WHAT WILL WEEAT IF THESE MACHINES, AND OTHERS LIKE THEM, CAN NO LONGER BE BUILT AND RUN? •HOW DO WE COPE IF WE SO DAMAGE OUR ENVIRONMENT WITH INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY THAT AGRICULTURE, HUNTING, FISHING AND WILD FOOD GATHERING COLLAPSE?•I TALKED WITH A SUPERMARKET MANAGER ONCE, AND HE TOLD ME; “WE ARE STOCKED FOR ONE WEEK, BUSINESS AS USUAL, OR 4-6 HOURS, PANIC BUYING.”

•(before panic)

•(after panic)

Article 3: THE PROBLEM: ANALYSISThis flaw is OPEN techno/ecological cycles and over consumption of resources. Problem is, with 7 BILLION people to be

fed, clothed, and housed, the resource base of the earth is inadequate to meet the basic needs of all, let alone fund the green tech revolution necessary to our (sustainable) collective survival.

HUMAN POP. AND FOOTPRINTGROWTH CURVES ( THE

COLOURED LINES SHOW PLANETARY

CARRYING CAPACITY:

GREEN=SUSTAINABLE

RED=BISINESS AS USUAL, LET PLANET HEAL LATER, I.E. WHAT WE ARE DOING!

WHAT PASSES FOR MODERN POLITICAL/ECONOMIC/ECOLOGICAL THOUGHTBACK GROUND PHOTO:

A CLEARCUT IN CANADA.

SCREW-UPS ARE NOT A

U.S. MONOP0LY!

ECONOMIC EQUITY?/ ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY?

•

Youth Population and Infant Mortality

CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL

PRODUCTIVITY THAT WOULD BE

UNLEASHED, BY BASIC EDUCATION

AND HEALTH CARE, IN THE RED ZONES!

OIL PRODUCTION

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

FOSSIL FUEL SUPPLY ESTIMATES

• PLEASE NOTE:ALL NON-RENEWABLES( BAUXITE, NICKEL, IRON, TITANIUM, RAW MATERIALS FOR CERAMICS AND CONCRETE, URANIUM, ETC, ETC, ETC) ARE IN THE SAME SITUATION! THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE TIME OF PEAK PRODUCTION! (FOR OIL, AND ALL PETRO-PRODUCTS, PEAK PRODUCTION IS

RIGHT NOW!)

Article 4: THERE IS HOPE, AND A SOLUTION!

The solar system contains sufficient wealth, in both energy and materials, not only to solve the techno/ecological crisis, but heal the damage already done, and make us ALL well-off. Developing the techniques of space colonisation will give us practical ecological knowledge for use here on Earth. (and working, closed, eco-technological demonstrations, to convince the sceptical) The effort to open the High Frontier is non-trivial, but It’s not beyond our means. (Some space colonisation advocates are convinced that, for less than 10%

of the present US military budget, in sustained funding, we could have a moon colony in 5 years, our first asteroid mines in 10 years, and orbital solar power satellites in 15 years.)

Article 5: THE SOLUTION IS WORKABLE!

Point 1 implies that a successful effort on point 4 will give us the tools and techniques to solve point 3. Since technology is interdependent, so are the problems of technology, and successful solutions in one field are almost always applicable in others. So, solving the problems of space colonisation, particularly the life support problem, will teach us to solve critical techno/ecological problems on Earth. (AND AN ACCESSIBLE RESOURCE STOCKPILE MILLIONS OF TIMES LARGER THAN THAT OF THE VIRGIN, PRE-INDUSTRIAL, EARTH, PLUS PRACTICALLY LIMITLESS ACESS TO SOLAR ENERGY, CAN PAY FOR THE ECO-TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION THAT MUST COME, IF WE ARE TO SURVIVE.)

OFF-THE-SHELF SPACE COLONY AND INDUSTRIALIZATION DESIGN(MOSTLY FROM THE 1970’S AND ’80’S)

MORE COLONY DESIGNS

And Yet More….

AND EVEN MORE...

Economic data for Lunar Colony,as a source of cheap materials

Source: www.ssi.org

EROS, A TYPICAL ASTEROID

• Eros is a near-Earth asteroid of significant value (estimated at $15.84 trillion)

• Size: 33 km x 13 km x 13 km (20.5 mi x 8 mi x 8 mi)

• Approximate mass: 7.2 x 10^15 kg (79.2 trillion short tons; a short ton is 2000 pounds)

• Source: http://www.erosproject.com/

HOW MANY ASTEROIDS,COMETS, ETC?• The blue squares

represent comets, the red dots show asteroids that have orbits intersecting the Earth’s, (relatively easy to get to), the green dots show main belt asteroids, and the circles inscribed with crosses show major planets. The yellow star indicates the sun. Blue dots represent the locations of Jupiter’s family of Trojan asteroids. Light blue circles represent the orbits of the five inner planets, and blue squares represent comets (ice!)

• Source: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/InnerPlot.html?source=ErosProject

• (ESTIMATES OF THE NUMBER OF ASTEROIDS IN THE MAIN BELT (GREEN) GO AS HIGH AS 2 MILLION, AND, REMEMBER, EROS IS A TYPICAL, AVERAGE ASTEROID.)

.

EARTH INDUSTRY VS. SPACE INDUSTRY

• 90+% EFFORT WASTED FIGHTING GRAVITY

• AIR, WATER, LANDSCAPE POLLUTION AND DEGRADATION

• POWER SOURCES LIMITED AND/OR UNSUSTAINABLE (FOSSIL FUELS, ETC.)

• EASIER TO DO MANY THINGS IN MICROGRAVITY

• WITH NO ENVIRONMENT (OTHER THAN BIOSPHERES

WE CONSTRUCT) ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (AT LEAST OUTDOORS) IS AN OXYMORON

• SOLAR POWER 24/7, 10 TIMES STRONGER THAN ON EARTH, (NO ATMOSPHERIC ATTENUATION) AND UPPER LIMIT OF 3X10^26 WATTS (IF

WE EVER NEED THAT MUCH)

One Profit Center,ORBITAL SOLAR POWER

o PRESENT HUMAN POWER BUDGET: 1.1X1013 WATTS

o HUMAN POWER BUDGET SUFFICIENT TO GIVE ALL HUMANITY U.S. PER CAPITA ENERGY CONSWUMPTION: 3-5X1013 WATTS

o MAXIMUM OUTPUT OF SOLAR POWER STATIONS IN GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT: 2.5 X 1015 WATTS (ASSUMPTIONS: STATIONS 15KM VERTICAL, BACK TO BACK ALL THE WAY ROUND)

o TOTAL SOLAR OUTPUT: 3-4 X 1026 WATTS

SOURCE: www.ssi.org

Article 6: We can only do it if we cooperate.• Positive sum games (cooperative)

do not waste resources, generate no conflict, and have created all wealth in the history of Humanity.

• Negative sum games (self-interested) only redistribute wealth, generally destroying some in the process. (And FEW would describe the results as equitable.)

Article 7: WE HAVE TO LEARN TO PLAYDealing with our addiction to negative sum games and encouraging people to give positive sum games a fair trial, gives us a better chance of SUCCESS and SURVIVAL.

Failure is not an acceptable option (see point 2) and TIME IS AGAINST US. The sooner we start and the harder we work, the better the chance the space resources AND INDUSTRY come on stream before the “Crunch” comes.

Article 8: THE SOONER, THE BETTER

Article 9: PRIORITIESThis is the highest priority issue of our age, as the project BUYS A FUTURE for humanity. (The traditional argument, that space colonization is “Too Expensive”, can be rebutted, “…compared to what? The time, and effort, that humanity puts into war? The fall of civilization, cited in point 2?”)

Article 10: COMMITMENTThe high frontier will be ours, only if our minds are as open, our vision as clear, and our hearts as big as SPACE itself.

Article 11: FINAL EXAMThis is humanity’s final exam, and both our intelligence and our moral capacity are being tested. By (insert your belief system here), let’s pass it TOGETHER.

Article 12: IF WE GOOFIf we fail, we DESERVE extinction, for we will have brought it on ourselves.

Therefore:

We will, by our personal actions and conduct, establish a new movement, pledged to fair dealing here on Earth, a common maximum effort to open the high frontier, and pledge to share the fruits of the effort among all humanity.

We name the movement Cosmocracy, because we believe that, without wide distribution of the wealth of space, there can be no universal, or even sustainable, democracy, and to the COOPERATIVE struggle required, as much against our OWN FOSSILISED THINKING, as against any external obstacle, “WE MUTUALLY PLEDGE TO EACH OTHER OUR LIVES, OUR FORTUNES, AND OUR SACRED HONOUR.”

(As did a previous, and famous, group of dissatisfied people.)

“We Came in Peace, for all Mankind”Left on a plaque on the Moon by:

Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin“It is assured, that if we do not hang together, we shall all hang separately.”

Benjamin Franklin“The prospect of being hanged in a fortnight concentrates the mind wonderfully.”

Samuel Johnson“Ask not what Humanity can do for you, but what you can do for Humanity.”

John F. Kennedy (slightly adapted)“Business as usual is a suicide pact.”

Doug Prentice“If not us, who? If not now, when?”

Rabbi Hillel, 1st century B.C.(adapted by common usage)

“The Buck Stops Here.”Harry Truman

Love God with heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself!!!”

Jesus Christ (SHORTENED FOR MODERN

ATTENTION SPANS)

SOME INSPIRATIONAL QUOTATIONS:

SLOGANS FOR COSMOCRATSYOUR PLANET, LOVE IT AND LEAVE IT!

SPACE COLONIES! A DOWN-TO-EARTH SOLUTION!

 

DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY! GET THE WEALTH! THEN SHARE IT!

 

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT AND SPACE COLONIZATION ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!

 

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY IS A SPACE TECHNOLOGY SPIN-OFF! SO IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE!

SLOGANS, CONT’DTECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IS A HUMAN

RIGHT!

 

THE WEALTH OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS THE COMMON INHERITANCE OF HUMANITY! BUT WE CANT INHERIT IF WE DON’T GO!

 

CRAWL, WALK, RUN, DRIVE, FLY, ORBIT, DIG IN AND COLONIZE!

 

2 MILLION ASTROIDS! ONE HUGE SUN! ENOUGH OF EVERYTHING! ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE!

AND CONT’DTODAY, THE MOON! TOMORROW, THE

ASTEROIDS!

 

SPACE COLONIES AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY, A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN, AND ON EARTH!

 

IN SPACE, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION IS AN OXYMORON! HOW CAN YOU POLLUTE A NON-ENVIRONMENT?

 

BUSINESS AS USUAL IS A SUICIDE PACT!

 

COLONISE SPACE, WHILE WE STILL CAN!

AD NAUSEUMONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP

FOR MANKIND! BUT ONLY IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO LEAP!

 

BUILD THE FUTURE WE WANT, OR FACE THE FUTURE WE DESERVE!

 

NEIL ARMSTRONG, BUZZ ALDRIN, AND MIKE COLLINS HAD THE BALLS TO GO! DO WE HAVE THE BALLS TO FOLLOW?

 

WHAT DO WE WANT? SPACE! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!

ONE LINERS RULE!SPACE COLONIES! THE SAFETY VALVE ON

EARTH’S PRESSURE COOKER!

 

IGNORANCE IS BLISS, IT’S ALSO SUICIDAL!

 

SPACE COLONIES! LIFEBOATS FOR SPACESHIP EARTH!

 

DOOR #1: UP TO THE STARS! DOOR #2: DOWN, WITH THE DINOSAURS! DOOR #3: DOES NOT EXIST!

 

THE WORLD IS STOPPING! I WANT TO GET OFF!

THE LAST ONES (THANK GOD)PRIVIES, MINES AND FACTORIES DON’T BELONG

IN THE LIVING ROOM,THE WELL, OR THE GARDEN! LET’S MOVE HEAVY INDUSTRY INTO SPACE, WHERE IT BELONGS!

 

THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH, THE BOLD WILL INHERIT THE SOLAR SYSTEM, BUT BOTH INHERITANCES WILL BE WORTHLESS, IF WE DON’T GET GOING!

POETRY CORNERNatural Theology

Rudyard Kipling

 

MEDIÆVAL

My privy and well drain into each other    After the custom of Christendie.  .  .  .

Fevers and fluxes are wasting my mother.    Why has the Lord afflicted me?

The Saints are helpless for all I offer—    So are the clergy I used to fee.

Henceforward I keep my cash in my coffer,    Because the Lord has afflicted me.

CHORUS

We had a kettle: we let it leak:    Our not repairing it made it worse.

We haven’t had any tea for a week.  .  .  .    The bottom is out of the Universe!

 

CONCLUSION

This was none of the good Lord’s pleasure,    For the Spirit He breathed in Man is free;

But what comes after is measure for measure,    And not a God that afflicteth thee.

As was the sowing so the reaping    Is now and evermore shall be.

Thou art delivered to thine own keeping    Only Thyself hath afflicted thee!

 

IN MEMORIAM: THE CREW OF THE CHALLENGER, OF THE COUMBIA, AND ALL THEOTHER HEROES AND MARTYRS, WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES THAT HUMANITYMIGHT HAVE A FUTURE.

WE WILL REMEMBER, AND WILL HONOUR YOU

BY FOLLOWING THE TRAIL YOU GAVE YOUR LIVES

TO BLAZE.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (PARTIAL) AND USEFUL SOURCES

• BOOKS • Gerard K. O’Niell, The High Frontier,(Apogee Books Space

Series)• T.A. Heppenheimer, Colonies in Space, Copyright 1977,

currently available in web format on the website of the U.S. National Space Society, may still be in print, but my copy was printed in 1980

• Various works, both fiction and non-fiction, by Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Azimov, E. E. Smith (SUBSPACE EXPLORERS, FIRST LENSMAN, AND OTHER TITLES), Robert A. Heinlein (DOUBLE STAR, CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, AND OTHER TITLES, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Poul Anderson, Dr. Robert L Forward, H. Beam Piper, Peter F. Hamilton, Michael Flynn, and others. (various publishers)

• A variety of astronomy and astrophysics textbooks and journals

• A selection of other textbooks and journals (in physics,

chemistry, mechanical engineering, aerospace, etc.) 

•INTERNET•http://www.davidsuzuki.org/About_us/Declaration_of_Interdependence.asp•http://www.erosproject.com/•http://www.l5news.org/L5news/L5news7509.pdf•http://www.l5news.org/•http://www.nss.org/•http://www.oregonl5.org/•http://www.permanent.com/intro.htm•http://www.space-frontier.org/•http://lifesci3.arc.nasa.gov/SpaceSettlement/CoEvolutionBook/•http://www.tucsonspacesociety.org/•http://www.lunar-reclamation.org/mmm_samples/mmm164_APR2003.pdf•http://spacesettlement.org/•http://www.space-access.org/•http://www.prospace.org/tiki-index.php•http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archive/RLV/2005/RTTM-VI.html•http://www.future25.org/•http://thespacereview.com/article/317/1•http://thespacereview.com/•http://www.moonminer.com/•http://ssi.org/•Please note: These web sites were all functioning at the time this presentation was compiled, and that this is not a complete list of the websites used in the presentation.

Bibliography Cont’d.

A FINAL THOUGHT…• OUR LEADERS, (GOV’T, BUSINESS, ACADEMIC,

ETC.) SAY; “TRUST US, WE’VE GOT IT COVERED.” CAN WE? HAVE YOU HEARD ANY OF THEM DISCUSSING THE ISSUES RAISED HERE, OR PRESENTING WORKABLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS?

(PLEASE NOTE: I DID NOT SAY CREDIBLE.) “THE TRUTH OF A PROPOSITION HAS NOTHING WHATEVER TO DO

WITH IT’S CREDIBILITY, AND VISE VERSA.” L. Long

• FELLOW COSMOCRATS, OUR LEADERS ARE EITHER UNINFORMED, UNCONVINCED, OR JUST DON’T CARE! WE CAN ONLY RELY ON OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER! I PRAY DAILY THAT COSMOCRATIC LEADERS WILL EMERGE BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

• THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEIL ARMSTRONG’S HISTORIC FOOTPRINT, JULY 20TH 2009, IS NOW HISTORY, ITSELF. HOW ABOUT COMMEMORATING IT BY COMMITTING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PEMANENT MOON COLONY BEFORE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY?

ORION SHALL RISE!