Tech Entrepreneurs Take On Space Frontier

How many of you are (or have been) fans of the Doom and Quake series? Or how many like to shop on Amazon.com, and how many have used Paypal? All of these products are very popular tech products. Doom and Quake practically defined (and redefined) the 3D First Person Shooter (FPS) genre. Amazon.com is the most popular online store for purchasing media (books, music, movies, software, etc.). Paypal is one of the most popular systems used for paying online. The people behind these are leaders in the tech industry. John Carmack is the legendary programmer of the Doom and Quake series. Elon Musk is the head of Paypal. Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon.com. Paul Allen, who financed the X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne is co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates. All of these individuals have made millions (and billions?) in the software industry.

Most people have wondered what would happen if these rich "gazillionaires" had decided to spend some or much of their fortune on developing the space frontier. What if they funded the upcoming rocket companies? What if they decided to build their own rockets into space? This is exactly what those individuals mentioned above are trying to accomplish. Jeff Bezos is the founder of Blue Origin, and has just unveiled his plans to build a space center and to build sub-orbital rockets. Elon Musk has founded SpaceX, and plans on building rockets to space. The Armadillo Aerospace founder John Carmack is the "fearless leader" who "will lead us to space."

NPR has recently done a nice story on these tech-turned-space entrepreneurs. With their deep pockets, the space frontier may finally be opened to normal people. Godspeed to all for their efforts.

It's Time to Redefine Solar System Objects

(disclaimer: This does not reflect the views of the LUF, but my own personal views. That means if you dsagree, then direct your flames at me, not at anyone else)

As Michael Martin-Smith has written, the solar system has tripled in size within the past ten years. With the recent findings of Kuiper Belt objects -- one of which is now confirmed to be larger than Pluto -- our solar system is a much different place than before. The fact that Pluto is not alone, and belongs to a new asteroid/comet belt, has raised questions as to whether or not Pluto should be classified as a planet, or not.

...our own solar system has been enlarged at least 3 fold, with the discovery of large planetoids up to three times further from us that Pluto; indeed Pluto is now regarded as the "ambassador" of a whole new class of objects -neither typical planets nor yet asteroids or comets -from which our system was probably assembled in its first 50-100 million years.

As if this were not enough, we find comets that behave like asteroids, from exhaustion of their surface ices, and asteroids in elliptical comet-like orbits beyond their normal habitat between Mars and Jupiter- out to the reaches of Saturn and Uranus. Asteroids that regularly cross the orbit of Earth have been found while comets have been seen to break up and shift their orbits in a historical instant.

This coming September, the IAU will hold a meeting to decide how to define a planet. I've believed that the way that we classify solar system objects is obsolete. As I've read somewhere else, our current classification scheme leaves the impression that there are 9 important bodies in the solar system, while the others are non-important. This scheme works for Earth-based observation through a telescope, but for people actually settling space, this scheme falls short. I believe that Luna and Mercury should have a similar classification because they are similarly "dead" rocky bodies with a negligible atmosphere, very cratered, and of a similar size. For people wanting to use (read: settle, study, or doing some sort of economic or recreational activity) these bodies, such a classification system would work very well.

The Jovian planets are easy to categorize, and there are only four bodies of this type in the solar system. Any body large enough to be round should be considered a planet. Earth would be classified with Mars, Venus, and the Saturnian satellite Titan. Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto would have their own classifications because it is believed that they have subsurface water oceans. Space.com has articles on sub-surface oceans on Ganymede and Callisto. Triton, Pluto, the "Tenth Planet" and the large Kuiper Belt objects would also have their own classifications. Io would have its own category.

If any body is too small to be circular, then it should be classified as a planetoid. One class of planetoids would be the metal asteroids. Another would be the stony asteroids. Those made primarily of Carbon (and some volatiles) would be the Carbonaceous planetoids. Then there would be further classifications as the percentage of volatiles increase, depending on how much of each volatile is on the object.

Such a scheme for classification would significantly aid in the economic development and settlement of space.

Save Our Planet: Space Advocates See the Bigger Picture

SPACE.com -- Save Our Planet: Space Advocates See the Bigger Picture

Space advocates at this year's International Space Development Conference, put on by the National Space Society (NSS), said they believe they can help save the world. If they are united on any single philosophical point, it is this: space exploration can and will make life better on Earth.

From Bill Nye to Virgin Galactic's Wil Whitehorn, space advocates voiced their concerns for Earth and hopes that space may provide solutions to some of our most pressing problems. Space could provide new sources of energy, natural resources, knowledge, educational incentives, etc.

None of this is new to us, of course, but it is good to see that mainstream Spacers share some of our visions for the future.

Explore Mars in your Spare Time

Google Mars is a Google Labs feature that allows you to explore the surface of Mars. It uses the same map browsing technology as Google Maps, so you can quicky zoom and pan across the surface. Links and search allows you to find features, missions, and articles that relate to Mars and their locations on the surface. It also allows you to choose between elevation, visible light, and infrared views.

The main limiting factor is the resolution. For major features like Olympus Mons or Valles Marineris, it works beautifully. However, the infamous 'face' looks like a tiny hill with no visible features.

Overall, however, it's good stuff! Anyone planning a Mars mission?

OTEC on a roll

The renewable power system called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), which was suggested in The Millennial Project as part of our future renewable energy systems, may have rediscovered the traction in the mind and market which it lost in the mid 80s. According to several recent news articles contracts for OTEC plants have been signed to be built in Hawaii (1.2 MW gross/800 kW net), Grand Cayman (10 MW?) and for the U.S. military (13 MW gross), possibly located at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The 13-megawatt military plant will produce a net of 8.2 megawatts plus 1.25 million gallons of fresh water a day.

Beyond this, authorities in Saipan, Taiwan, Mauritius, India, Antigua & Barbuda and Japan are all looking to OTEC for some of their future renewable energy. To find out more check out OTECnews.

Nanotech and Space @ The Future in Review

The Future in Review (FiRE) conference -- called "The best technology conference in the world by the Economist Magazine -- concluded in San Diego. According to this ABC News article, nanotechnology and space were some of the hot topics covered.

Nanotechnology was a very hot topic at the conference.

Although nanotechnology has taken it on the chin lately, it remained a focus of the conference. Josh Wolfe, partner in nano VC firm Lux Capital hosted CEOs from two of his investments, Nanosys' Larry Bock and Kereos' Robert Beardsley.

The two companies are a study in contrasts. Nanosys focuses on inorganic nano structures, using silicon and gallium arsenide, among other materials, to make solar cells, flexible displays, and medical devices. Kereos combines biotech with nanotech to create targeted drugs and personalized medicine to target cancer and other diseases. The session really turned into a fascinating look at where Nanosys is taking nanoparticles.

At the conference, two nanotech companies are focused on two different areas of nanotechnology. Nanosys seems to be purely mechanical, while Kereos is a biotech corporation that utilizes nanotechnology. Later on, the article speaks of some of the most immediate applications of nanotechnology, including "Windshield-wiperless windshields", very powerful phased array antennas, etc. But as the title of the blog post suggests, space was the other big topic. These two companies should be rather familiar:

Elon Musk, chairman of SpaceX, and Chris Farnetta, from Space Adventures, Ltd. showed up to discuss their respective efforts to commercialize space. SpaceX just launched its first commercial rocket, which unfortunately crashed on take-off, but is moving forward with an aggressive launch schedule and according to Musk is "cash flow positive." Space Adventures has already sent three space tourists up to the International Space Station, using Soyuz rockets in a partnership with Russia.

The Chairmen of both corporations have dreams far beyond that of merely "space tourism."

In a later round table, Farnetta and Musk debated the relative value of propulsion technologies and whether the moon or Mars was a better place to colonize. Farnetta saw a lot of value in laser propulsion, where a pulsed beam of CO2 laser pushes a space craft into orbit. "The heaviest and most expensive part stays on the ground, and you are flying the vehicle," he explained, with just a little bit of fuel to maneuver.

Should we go for the Moon or Mars? My personal opinion is neither. I am one to settle a Carbonaceous Chrondrite asteroid instead. My dream is to turn Phobos into a megacity. Of course, we will settle all of these bodies. The whole system will eventually be settled, out to the Oort Cloud. As for a laser beam pushing a space craft to orbit? Hmmm...where did we hear that from? (hint: look up Bifrost) Even with talk about new ways to send things into space, there are many who believe that chemical rockets are a good way to go.

Musk defended the traditional chemical rocket. "The cost of propellants in a Falcon One rocket is $30,000. We pay a $1.90 a gallon for kerosene, and about $0.30 a gallon for liquid oxygen." It's essentially free, argued Musk. "I'm not a big proponent of laser propulsion," he cautioned, "better hope that that surface (on the bottom of the space ship) reflects properly, because if your reflectivity goes down a skoosh, you could be vaporized."

Both were also skeptical about the space elevator.

When asked about another possible way to get into space, the space elevator, both were dismissive. "The main component is made out of Unobtainium," joked Farnetta. Musk agreed. "We want to see a carbon nanotube footbridge," he warned, "before we see one 60,000 miles long."

Let's hope that Musk gets his dream of seeing a nanotube footbridge.

Distant Star IT Infrastructure Archives

It is made clear throughout the TMP book back in 1992 that an advanced communications infrastructure is desirable/necessary on LUF settlements. The description of a a computer/telephone combo seemed to foresee the internet revolution that was just about to explode around the time. In the mid to late 1990s, America was already awash in the net revolution. At around the same time, Distant Star, -- an old LUF netzine -- premiered. Over the next several issues, Eric Hunting has written about how the IT infrastructure should be designed, and how it should meet the everyday needs of the people and of the settlement. Links to these articles are below.

Implementing ARCS: An Information Technology Plan for Aquarius

The JoeyPAD and WebController

The MicroServer and Distributed Computer

Aquarius Wired: Voice and Data Communication Over Satellite-Based Internet

Introducing the Web and the Net

National Geographic Channel - Space Race: The Untold Story

National Geographic Channel - Space Race: The Untold Story - "See how the greatest race in history, also held the greatest secrets."

The two day event starts Sunday, June 4th 9 PM on the National Geographic Channel. Must TiVo TV!

The website contains clips from the show and a time line of events from 1937 through 1968.

Space Elevator and Green Nanotech Webcasts

On May 30th, 2006, from 12:30 to 1:30 PM, there will be a webcast on nanotechnology and space elevators. The webcast should be available on this site. On that same site, you can find archived videos of past conferences on nanotechnology, including products available today using nanotechnology, using nanotech for agriculture and food production, and on green nanotechnology.

New Space Elevator Book Released

Liftport is company dedicated to building a space elevator. The company has recently released a new book called LiftPort - The Space Elevator: Opening Space to Everyone. Excerpts from this PR is below:

“LiftPort - The Space Elevator: Opening Space to Everyone” covers both the scientific issues relating to the physical construction of the world’s first space elevator, as well as the social issues and business impact the space elevator can bring. Nonfiction chapters on topics relating to the science of building the space elevator, such as “Powering a Space Elevator” and “Rockets and the Space Elevator” are interspersed with others on the social and business issues of the space elevator, along with short stories and essays by such noted science fiction authors as Kim Stanley Robinson and Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

“LiftPort - The Space Elevator: Opening Space to Everyone” is published by Meisha Merlin and will be available after May 30, 2006, in Barnes & Noble bookstores or online through Amazon.com. Early purchases can be made now directly through LiftPort at www.liftport.com. List price is $16.95. In addition, the book includes an entry form for a contest sponsored by LiftPort to win one of five chances to receive 1000 LiftPort stock options.

A multi-city U.S. tour featuring book signings by Michael Laine of LiftPort is planned for this summer; starting on May 30th in Washington DC where Laine will be making a presentation on the LiftPort Space Elevator and nanotechnology as it relates to the space elevator at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. The presentation is open to the public. For more information on the presentation, please contact Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at 202.691.4320 or visit their web site at www.wilsoncenter.org. For more information on additional tour dates, or to schedule a signing or an interview during the tour, please contact LiftPort.

A revolutionary way to send cargo into space, the LiftPort Space Elevator will consist of a carbon nanotube composite ribbon eventually stretching some 62,000 miles from earth to space. The LiftPort Space Elevator will be anchored to an offshore sea platform near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, and to a small man-made counterweight in space. Mechanical lifters are expected to move up and down the ribbon, carrying such items as people, satellites and solar power systems into space.

The TOC can be found here. I will review this book next month, but in the meantime, a review is already up at the Space Elevator Blog.

Replenishing the Worlds Fish

According to an article in the May 15, 2003 issue of Nature Magazine, large fish are in danger of becoming extinct.

The cover story of the May 15th issue of the international journal Nature reveals that we have only 10% of all large fish-- both open ocean species including tuna, swordfish, marlin and the large groundfish such as cod, halibut, skates and flounder-- left in the sea. Most strikingly, the study shows that industrial fisheries take only ten to fifteen years to grind any new fish community they encounter to one tenth of what it was before.

"From giant blue marlin to mighty bluefin tuna, and from tropical groupers to Antarctic cod, industrial fishing has scoured the global ocean. There is no blue frontier left," says lead author Ransom Myers, a world-leading fisheries biologist based at Dalhousie University in Canada. "Since 1950, with the onset of industrialized fisheries, we have rapidly reduced the resource base to less than 10% – not just in some areas, not just for some stocks, but for entire communities of these large fish species from the tropics to the poles."

Imagine trying to feed the entire world without the usage of farms. Impossible to picture? Hunting and gathering cultures used to feed themselves this way. Edible plants and animals were scattered throughout the environment. Because of this, a large tract of land was able to feed only a few people at best. Because of resource restrictions, a single tribe could only sustain about 50 people maximum.

At that point, human consumption matches, and then exceeds what the natural environment can produce. The agricultural revolution changed all of this. Now, food production can be concentrated and controlled, allowing for far higher amounts of food than can be obtained by merely hunting and foraging. "Fishing" is equivalent to hunting and foraging. Capturing fish through traditional means severely depletes the oceans, the same way hunting and foraging does for land-based food.

One solution to the problem is to farm the seas. One of the major goals of the LUF has been to farm the seas to bring more food to everyone, and to relieve the land masses of over farming. The May 24th issue of Wired Magazine has an article on plans to farm the seas.

The answer lies in aquaculture: increasing the supply of fish by farming them as though they were livestock. "Without aquaculture, you'd be talking about a tripling or quadrupling of fish prices by 2020 or 2030, which would have very negative impacts on nutrition in developing countries," says IFPRI's Mark Rosegrant, one of the study's authors. Already, a third of the annual global fish harvest comes from farms, both on land and in shallow water just offshore. But today's methods won't be able to produce the volume of fish needed for tomorrow - they're too dirty, costly, and politically unpopular. Preventing catastrophic overfishing will require aquaculture on an unprecedented scale, and that means forging out into the open ocean. It will demand a shift as dramatic as that of the agricultural Green Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s - a Blue Revolution that is already under way.

The University of New Hampshire experiment, along with similar installations in countries from Portugal to China, is just the beginning. In the future, ocean ranches will be everywhere, except they'll be vastly bigger and fully automated - and mobile. Launched with lab-bred baby fish, these enormous motorized pens will hitch months-long rides on ocean currents and arrive at their destinations filled with mature animals, fattened and ready for market.

The open oceans -- as suggested in both this article and in The Millennial Project -- are largely devoid of life. Farming in these regions would increase the amount of food and necessary nutrients (such as Omega 3, which is largely found in aquatic animals) to people around the world. This scheme will also be used to repopulate the seas with fish.

CNN Future Summit

CNN.com - CNN Future Summit: "CNN Future Summit brings together some of the brightest minds of our time to see how science and technology are shaping our future. With a landmark television event in June and weekly stories on this site, we’re inviting you to take part in an on-going discussion of the technologies and how they’ll change our lives."

The first episode, to air on June 15, will cover issues related to robotics, cybernetics, genetics, and stem cells. The panel for the first episode was chosen be a nominating commitee of scientific visionaries.

Many of these technologies will have an impact on future space colonization efforts. Of particular interest will be whether they delve into the issues of sea and space migration on future episodes.

The Call of the High Frontier

Why does the LUF support the settlement of the high frontier? This article from Space.com explains some of the reasons. One of the core values of the LUF is saving the Earth from ecological destruction.

Just as the Human Genome Project is mapping out the intricate details of our genetic code, there will need to be the equivalent of a Gaia Genome Project to take inventory of the varied ecosystems across Earth, mapping out the interaction between the environment and its inhabitants. It may be that certain soil bacteria, insects, and plants are critically important in as yet unknown ways.

As the NASA environmental page states, space technology is a very important tool for understanding, protecting, and repairing the global biosphere. There are various satellites in orbit that constantly keep track of what's occurring on Earth. As terrible as Hurricane Katrina was, it would've been much, much worse without space technology to monitor every single movement of the storm. The satellites also keep track of pollution, ozone depletion, climate, agriculture, diseases, quakes, potential places to drill for oil, etc.

Well, space can help save the Earth's biosphere, but that still does not justify the settlement of space. Of course, anything that argues "the case for space" is incomplete without a discussion of solar power from space and declining resources on Earth.

As the initial tide of space colony interest waned in the late 1970s, there was less talk of visionary ideas and more about economic justifications. The main industry was seen as mass-production of solar power satellites, collecting energy in space and beaming it down to antenna farms for use on Earth. When the second round of 1970s oil shortages hit at the end of the decade, the idea looked even more attractive. But this was in the day when oil was rising from $15 a barrel to $37 by 1980. By 1986, oil was down to $15 again, and the sense of urgency faded. Today, with oil running over $50 a barrel and the supply a constant source of uncertainty, such a novel energy source could begin to look more inviting again.

A Great Theme of establishing a permanent human presence in space—as a way to develop new energy sources to maintain high standards of living for the growing population of Earth, and as a way to back up Earth’s living populations and preserve our collected knowledge, and to create new living spaces for those wanting new ways of life—would provide a guiding principle for vital policy decisions.

As long as we live in a world where limited resources must be allocated among a growing population, we are ultimately doomed. All our efforts to increase food production and extend individual longevity will end up trading a sooner catastrophe for a later one of greater scope. So far, we are succeeding in a kind of pyramid scheme with Earth’s resources, but in time the pressure of human numbers will strain and drain them. When resources become scarce and populations dense, individual freedoms are unaffordable luxuries.

These are some of the reasons that space activists typically use when justifying the space program, exploration, and settlement. Doomsday arguments, however, are not sufficient to justify the exloration and settlement of space. Economic arguments, as above, are often sufficient, though. Besides, expeditions to the New World, and most settlements in the New World were justified on economic grounds. Columbus promised the Spanish monarchy plenty of gold. The Jamestown settlement than began early in the 17^th century was justified on economic grounds. Besides the doomsday and economic justifications, there are better reasons to settle space.

There are now practically no new nations created on Earth without episodes of bloodshed. Short of revolution and war, there are few options available for those who dream about establishing a new society somewhere, as various ideological and religious groups have historically done. But even today, there are many people who would welcome the chance to settle a new frontier, where new ways of life could be tried. If enough people believed there was an opportunity to leave whatever they didn’t like about society behind and start over with a new nation aligned to their shared passions, I believe that could stir the pioneer spirit that still slumbers in many.

Since the beginning, the LUF has had a vision of a new form of democracy that offers more freedoms and more liberties than representative democracy, and a new economy that offers vast material wealth and a life of mostly leisure. The dream of creating new societies with new rules has long been a drive for exploration and settlement of new lands. This drive was present even in Biblical times, when Moses led the Hebrews to the Promised Land. The creation of pilgrim and separatist settlements in the Northeast US during the 17^th century exemplifies this drive. Even today, people are designing and creating new nations. The main problem is, of course, the lack of available land. Creating oceanic and space settlements would meet the demand for the dreamers and visionaries around the world. Those new societies that work very well will be copied, while those that didn't work so well will be discarded. Imagine trying to start a nation with US values in the 18th century had we not yet settled America. Starting such a society in already overcrowded Europe would've been exceedingly difficult. Perhaps, that's why the American Revolution was largely successful while the French Revolution degenerated into despotism and a continent-wide devastating war. Are you someone who still believes that socialism can work? Are you being persecuted for your beliefs or your physical attributes? Do you dream of a new society, but would rather avoid bloodshed if possible? Then starting a new society on virgin land would be very attractive. This is enough of a reason to create space settlements.

Why the LUF?

My wife asked my at some point "What is the point with LUF? You guys talk about colonising other planets, but don't we have enough problems on the Earth now? Wouldn't it be better to spend that money on fixing poverty, climate problems, pollution and wars, to mention a few things, without actually spending all that money on going to Mars?" Then she went on "If we can't sort out the way we deal with these things down here, then we are just going to make the same mistakes if we get to Mars. And then we don't deserve to spread out and destroy another planet."

In many ways I think she is right. However, I do believe that we have all the eggs in one basket at the moment and it is not impossible that humanity will get wiped out by a stray comet, as we saw a nice example of on Jupiter with Shoemaker-Levy not so long ago. Does humanity deserve to spread our wings beyond the planet Earth? I believe that we do. I think that the universe is a beautiful place. But if there is nobody to observe it, what point is there then with something of beauty? And to date, we have not found any trace of anyone else out there observing. Although we have barely started looking yet.

But, on the other hand, I do believe too that we need to sort out or mess here on the planet. And a mighty mess it is. For the last couple of years I have been studying environmental science at Stockholm University and it is depressing to learn about all the fascinating ways we are destroying the planets ecosystems. What you read in the press is not even a beginning of a description of what is going on. I had an idea about this before I started this programme at the university, but I did not realise that it was as bad as it is.

I knew that I needed to do something else with my life than to "sell better computer marketing tools to marketing people, so that they can make more money for the faceless shareholders" most who do not need more money anyway. So I quit my job to take a year sabbatical to think about things. I worked some on OTECnews and with The GreenOcean Project (I still do) before I ended up at the university. The sabbatical turned out not to be a year, but a full degree programme at the university.

So what does this have to do with the LUF? Well, the LUF was inspired by The Millennial Project, a book by Marshall T. Savage, which you can read about in some of the links on this site. Some of the first parts of the vision outlined in the book was how to use Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) to generate renewable energy, produce fresh water in abundance, supply nutrients for mariculture (aqua-culture in the ocean) and cold water to cool and humidify greenhouses (greenhouses are a later addition). All in a very environmentally friendly way. Much more so than using traditional methods of today.

I got interested in this part of the vision, partially because there are plenty of people interested in private space programmes today, and I think that you guys don't need my help to get those space planes off the ground (so to speak) but much fewer people are spending money on OTEC. Which is a very promising part of the required solution to the massive problems which are facing humanity today, in the shape of climate change, water shortage, over-fishing and soil destruction. All which are going to be a real problem. Not to forget that we have a growing population. We are going to be 9-10 billion people "real soon now" and these people have to be fed, watered and housed.

I believe that we need to get our eggs distributed to multiple baskets, but we have a problem of our own making in front of us which could be problematic enough to deal with if we do not get our act together. The effort spent on renewable energy, combating over-fishing of our oceans and water and soil issues are nowhere near enough what needs to be done to ensure we do not face a crisis in one or several of these areas in the next 20 years or so. 20 years may seem like a long time to you. But when you look at how long time it takes to get significant changes done in these areas you soon realise that we are pushed for time.

So I cheer you guys on when you work on a way to get people to Mars, but I spend my time trying to ensure that there will be people and ecosystems around to supply the substantial amounts of resources that are going to be needed to go to Mars. It would be real stupidity to have shiny new Mars rockets and but failing ecosystems, mass water shortages and starvation. But then, humanity does seem to favour stupidity...

Better solar nanotubes to split water for hydrogen

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Light Work -- [ NANOTECH ] -- Better solar nanotubes to split water for hydrogen:

"The path to the hydrogen economy is getting visibly brighter--literally. Nano-tubes that break apart water molecules to liberate hydrogen can now do so more efficiently and could soon use the optical spectrum of sunlight.

In dissociating water with sunlight, engineers have available three technologies: One is solar cells, which hold the record for water-splitting efficiency but are comparatively expensive. Another approach uses microorganisms, which are inexpensive but so far produce only minuscule amounts of hydrogen. The third option is photocatalysis, which relies on momentarily freed electrons in a semiconductor. Electrons that encounter water molecules replace the electrons in the bonds between hydrogen and oxygen. They thus break water apart and generate hydrogen gas. Photocatalysts are potentially less expensive than solar cells and produce more hydrogen than microorganisms...."

This article requires a subscription to Scientific American DIGITAL, or you can get the May 2006 issue of Scientific American.

Other links describing similar or related technologies:

• Tiny porphyrin tubes developed by Sandia may lead to new nanodevices news release from Sandia National Laboratories
• Hydrogenation of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes uses nanotech to for hydrogen storage.
• Some background on Solar Hydrogen Production by Water-Splitting from CSIRO Industrial Physics
• and some uses of TiO₂ photocatalysis
• The Nanotube Site
• Photocatalysis from Wikipedia
• Nanotube from Wikipedia
• Subscribe to Scientific American

Welcome

Hello. Welcome to the LUF Blog. Here, we will make posts about LUF-themed issues, such as ocean settlement, space settlement, environmental repair, etc.

The First Millennial Foundation becomes The Living Universe Foundation

The First Millennial Foundation has reached a nodal point in its development. After several years of various efforts, we have been granted access to "tax-exempt status" (or "501-c-3 status") by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

There are two appropriate questions one might ask about this. Why has it been so difficult? And what is the exact nature of the change--what does it really mean for
our members and for progress toward our dream, the "Millennial Project"?

It has been difficult principally because the FMF is not a simple organization with simple goals. As one tax lawyer said, "It's not just one more country church." The FMF has complex goals. Some of these are fairly nearterm (like mobilizing OTEC and mariculture technologies to provide for nonpolluting, sustainable use of Earth's resources). Some are more longterm (like developing floating ocean colonies and habitable space colonies). And some are very longterm and visionary (like colonizing the Solar System and sending continent-size space ships to transport humankind and all Earth-born life across the Galaxy). Furthermore, the means we envision for achieving these goals are mixed--entrepreneurial and philanthropic, private and governmental, technological and political, even philosophically driven or "spiritual." After all, we want to build not just a "mechanically" better world that is technologically and ecologically sane, but a world of democratic and humanistic values, free of violence, rich in intercommunication, holding forth a dream of colonizing space--for our children and for the generations that follow them.
Our first two petitions to the IRS were complicated. They attempted to give a broad, full picture of the FMF and our future hopes and plans. They were extensively "negotiated" (or debated) but ultimately rejected. Undaunted, we made a third, simplified application with the humanitarian and educational goals presented in "stripped-down" form. And, at last, we were successful--we were granted tax-exempt status by the IRS.

Which brings us to the second question: What is the exact nature of the change and what does it really mean for our members and for progress toward our dream, the "Millennial Project"? Technically, legally, on January 1, 1999, we will change our corporate clothes. The "First Millennial Foundation" will transfer its assets, liabilities, and activities to a new corporation called the "Living Universe Foundation," the organization that has been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS. In reality, very little will change. The Board of Directors will remain the same. The bylaws and rules we have developed for self-governance will remain the same. And all the projects of the FMF will continue without pause--the evolving Web-based community, SEE, the IUAS, our OTEC and mariculture negotiations, "Distant Star," our linking to "green" organizations, etc. All members of the FMF will automatically become members of the LUF; all new memberships and renewals will be taken as memberships in the LUF.

Frankly, the membership and the outer world will notice little change. But, most significantly, we will now be able to seek grants and donations, because benefactors will be able to make donations without having to pay taxes on them.

William Gale
Secretary, FMF
Secretary, LUF

Site of New Atlantis discovered

by Marshall Savage

From Vol. 1 No. 1 First Foundation News July, 1993

I am delighted to report that I have located the perfect site for our New Atlantis project.

It is an idyllic island located approximately 90 miles southwest of Nassau in the Bahamas. It is called, with uncanny serendipity, Little San Salvador (San Salvador, of course being the island where Columbus first made landfall in the New World).

LSS is completely uninhabited, in private hands, and presently (Ed. Note: 1993) for sale. These black and white pictures do not do justice to this emerald isle - one of the most beautiful pieces of real estate in the known galaxy. At the western end of the island, where New Atlantis will be located (see map), there is a spectacular stretch of curving pink sand beach. The waters around the island are of an exquisite lambent turquoise that must be experienced to be believed. As we set out to colonize the galaxy, by all means let us colonize this piece first!

The island covers about a thousand acres, not including the expansive internal lagoon. Little San Salvador combines an odd set of characteristics with uncanny perfection. For our New Atlantis project, we need an isolated, but accessible, property large enough to accommodate a growing colony and resort. The site must have easy access to deep water for the OTECs (See Rennaissance of OTEC in this issue). It must have terrain conducive to largescale mariculture. And the place must be picturesque enough to attract visitors and vacationers.

Our first order of business is to secure the island. This will require $60,000 for a one-year option. So start saving up your nickles and dimes.

The island of Little San Salvador. This gem of the Carribean Sea provides all the attributes we need to build New Atlantis, and its pink-sand beaches are within easy reach of the many cruise ships sailing from Nassau.

Your intrepid reporter on the beach at Little San Salvador.

This is tritely a bit of tropical paradise, barely two 110111-S by air froill Miami. We will build here with a light hand, minimizing our impact with closed-loop systems developed for later space colonies.

Arthur C. Clarke Writes New Preface For The Millennial Project

From Vol. 1 No. 1 First Foundation News July, 1993

The legendary seer of Sri Lanka, Arthur C. Clarke, has written a preface for the upcoming second edition of The Millennial Project. In the science-fiction universe, the three superluminary stars of Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein outshine all others. Only Arthur C. Clarke yet belongs to us instead of the ages. He shines on, as brilliant as ever-in his latest book The Hammer of God he combines nanotechnology and virtual' reality to create the, quite literally, mind-boggling "Brainman."

Now, in his preface to The Millennial Project, he sets in motion yet another self-fulfilling prophecy.

© Arthur C. Clarke. Reproduced here with his permission. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION OF THE MILLENNIAL PROJECT The Millennial Project is a book I wish I'd written: correction--it's a book I wish I could have written. I am completely awed, and I don't awe easily, by the author's command of a dozen engineering disciplines and his amazing knowledge of scientific and technical literature. Yet I note with approval that his interests also range from rock music through Emily Dickenson to Malory's Morte d'Arthur. On top of all this, he is an inspiring writer with an engaging sense of humor ("I'm just a simple homeboy, and take no great interest in anything beyond the Magellanic Clouds.") Do I sound a little envious? Well, let's say that if I was fifty years younger I might have considered terminating Mr. Marshall with extreme prejudice. Now I'll merely warn my fellow science-fiction writers that if he decides to invade their turf they may be in deep trouble. The Millennial Project has the modest sub-title "Colonizing the Galaxy in 8 Easy Steps," and that's what it's all about-though some readers may challenge the author's definition of 'easy'. However, even those who have no extra-terrestrial ambitions will be fascinated by his projects for sea-farming, floating cities and underwater habitats. Like most of the book's concepts, these are illustrated by dramatic and often strikingly beautiful colour plates. I may be unable to judge The Millennial Project dispassionately as it touches on an extraordinary indeed, uncanny-number of my own interests; sometimes it seems that the author has been reading my mind, and plagiarising my books before they are published. His description of form-fitting leotard-type spacesuits is a straight steal from The Hammer of God (not out until next month.) The illustration of terraformed Mars has undoubtedly been down-loaded from the Snows of Olympus file on my Amiga's hard disk. (Damn clever, as it doesn't have a modem.) I could quote at least a dozen more resonances in this extraordinary book, but as they are of purely personal interest I'll mention only one. The Millennial Project has 722 references, many of them fascinating reading in their own right. Number 299 is my 1945 paper on communications satellites, written when I was working on Ground Controlled Approach radar. And a couple of inches away (number 304) is a name I'd almost forgotten-the RAF Group Captain (Edward Fennessy) who, more than half a century ago, completely changed my life by selecting me for that job... It's goose-pimple time, so I'll get out of the way and let Marshall start stretching your mind." Arthur C. Clarke Colombo, 7 May 1993

First Foundation Setting Out To Colonize The Milky Way Galaxy

From Vol. 1 No. 1 First Foundation News July, 1993

In 1992, author and futurist Marshall T. Savage of Rifle, Colorado, USA, completed writing and published The Millennial Project, a provocative, extensively researched book that integrates seven proposed major steps leading to colonization of the galaxy. These endeavors are described briefly as follows:

+1) Aquarius - The initial phase of space colonization, involves inhabiting the oceans and generating the planet-healing technology, wealth, and know-how to prepare for life in space. Aquarian colonies use ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology to produce electrical power, fresh water, and bountiful food supplies from mariculture.

+2) Bifrost - Constructing a bridge to space. The second phase builds a cost-efficient system wherein a launch capsule is accelerated to high speed inside an evacuated tunnel by means of electromagnetic levitation. As the capsule emerges from the launch tube, atop a high equatorial mountain, it is propelled on into orbit by an array of lasers. At the end of this phase, the first permanent outpost in space will be created.

+3) Asgard - Establishing habitable ecospheres in earth orbit. During this phase, we will live self-sufficiently in space and begin tapping the extraordinarily rich environment that awaits a culture no longer gravitationally bound to Earth.

+4) Avalon - Creating domed ecospheres in craters on the moon. This phase initially supports the construction and supply of Asgard and leads to proliferation of life's diversity to other planets, beginning with Mars.

+ 5) Elysium - Terraforming Mars. Early expeditions to Mars, via its conveniently placed moons, will establish outposts on the red planet that will help supply Asgard and Avalon. First, Lunar-style ecospheres, then a complete planetary ecosystem will be established.

+ 6) Solaria - Breathing life into the whole solar system. In this phase we will inhabit and mine the asteroid belt, the Jovian moons, and other planetary bodies.

+7) Galactica - Finally, we will break the bonds of our home star and carry the precious spark of Life with us to the stars.

In conjunction with publication of Marshall's book through Empyrean Publishing Ltd. of Denver, Colorado, the First Millennial Foundation was established. Referred to simply as "First Foundation," in honor of the late great Isaac Asimov, the Foundation is intended to carry out the plan of action described in The Millennial Project. The end result will be a human civilization spanning the Milky Way Galaxy.

As the book's title suggests, The Millennial Project unfolds across the entire Third Millennium. But even very long journeys must begin with a first step.

The first step in effecting the Millennial Project is to create a demonstration space colony right here on Earth. To this end, First Foundation will be building New Atlantis on an island in the Caribbean. (see Site of New Atlantis Discovered )

The people of First Foundation are embarked on the most exciting adventure of all history, past or future. We are setting out to enliven the universe and we need your help! Join us in our quest to fulfill the ultimate destiny of mankind. Help us build floating cities at sea that will feed mankind and reverse the destruction of our planetary environment. Become part of the movement that will establish new ecologies in the craters of the Moon and transform Mars into a living world. You can become a Supporting Member of the Foundation for an annual contribution of $25. As a Member of the Foundation, you will receive a subscription to First Foundation News!, special updates, and invitations to Foundation events, including our annual convention.

Please, mail in the subscription form or contact us at P.O. Box 347, 125 W. 4th St., Suite 204, Rifle, CO, USA,(303) 625-2815, or on Internet: rifle@millennial.org