Category: Space

from the billions-of-billions dept.
David Coutts writes "I enjoyed reading the recent CNN article about Stephen Hawkings' predictions for the human colonisation of our solar system in the next 100 years. In particular, he narrows it all down to 2 possibilities: (1) either we destroy ourselves )2) we engineer one or more species which surpass us… [About] option 2, at least I wrote an article recently with a similar view, called The Cassandra Prophecy. This is only the second draft, so I would appreciate constructive criticism: http://www.bnbg.com.au/~bnbgames/6billionZPG.htm" CP: Read more for an excerpt from Engines of Creation pointing out that space colonization postpones but does not solve the problem.

from the there's-plenty-of-room-at-the-top dept.
David Coutts writes "I'm a big fan of the Living Universe Foundation, and a member. I agree with their goal of the human civilisation of space, starting with our own solar system (they call this phase "Solaria", the equivalent of Kardashev Level 2) and then on to the Milky Way galaxy ("Galactica", or K-3). Until recently, they don't appear to have taken nanotechnology seriously, so I was delighted to read the following article on nano fibers in the online "Distant Star" magazine: http://www.distant-star.com/issue13/jan_2001_nanofibers.htm Personally, I would like to see Foresight Institute and the Living Universe work together to ensure that there is a place for humanity in space, starting with our own solar system." CP: One point of disagreement would be that LUF wants to colonize the ocean surface first.

from the more-people-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at dept.
David Coutts brings to our attention SolarPop, a program for modeling solar system demographics in the third millennium, now available as a Java applet. This follows up our earlier piece on the game 6 Billion, which David points out is now listed at number 9 its category in Games Magazine's Games 100 buyers guide. Read More for David's full post.

from the let's-help-change-Mr-Tom-to-Dr-Tom dept.
Senior Associate Tom McKendree writes "I am wrapping up the last substantive chapter of my dissertation [on space applications of molecular nanotechnology]. After that, I still have the conclusions chapter to finish, and the introduction to write, but there is a lot of content in what is already done. My target is to actually defend and complete this year. So, in the spirit of parallel processing, I am looking once again for people interested in reviewing sections of the dissertation." Read More for the outline.

from the Malthus-had-a-point dept.
From Australia comes news of an easy, enjoyable way to play out various scenarios of human population growth. David Coutts has designed a game called 6 Billion which enables players to model exponential growth of human population in our solar system. Users can set their own timescales for scientific progress, population growth, and even sociological change. Sounds like a fun method to get a feel for exponential growth of population, which the designer correctly describes as "scary". Here's some background and history on the game. Read more for David's full post.

from the OK-we're-amused dept.
From the press release: MirCorp announced today that it has signed an agreement with Mark Burnett, executive producer of the internationally known Survivor television series, for the creation and marketing of a TV program in which the winner will travel to Mir…"Destination Mir" will be a multi-week televised story of the selection process that the TV program's civilian "guest cosmonauts" will undergo. Russian space officials will make the determination of who has "the right stuff." See also the article in Florida Today; thanks to Space Frontier Foundation for the pointers.

from the ad-astra-per-nano dept.
Senior Associate TomMcKendree will speak on space applications of advanced nanotech at the LA Nanotechnology Study Group:
Title: Appropriately Ambitious Aerospace Goals: A Reprise of the Keynote Address to NASA's "Turning Goals Into Reality" Conference
Molecular nanotechnology (MNT) offers a number of capabilities that can dramatically improve aerospace systems (such as aircraft and spaceships). Tom McKendree is completing a Ph.D. that looks specifically at space applications of MNT, and was thus invited to give the keynote to NASA's recent Turning Goals Into Reality conference, where NASA reviewed their last year of technology research, and planned for the future. This talk is a second presentation of that keynote. It focuses on MNT-based air transportation, space transportation, and advanced concepts, tying these to NASA's previously stated technology goals, and outlining what appropriate goals for the next century that take advantage of MNT would be. The talk should be interesting to anyone interested in space technology, or applications of robust MNT. Read More to attend.

from the Charles-plans-new-use-for-his-sailing-skills dept.
Senior Associate Charles Vollum reports "An article on CNN's website discusses recent successful demonstrations of sails for space propulsion at JPL and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base."

from the my-new-wings-don't-work-in-Earth-gravity-anyway dept.
Ralph Brave reports in Salon: Princeton's Dyson has his own ideas on what is to be done. In his view, the speciation of humans into different groups is inevitable — and it would be a disaster to allow such diversification without restraint. "We must travel the high road into space, to find new worlds to match our new (genetic) capabilities," Dyson writes in The Sun, the Genome and the Internet, published last year. "To give us room to explore the varieties of mind and body which our genome can evolve, one planet is not enough." CP: What is the "restraint" here — getting to colonize space? Oh, OK…since they insist.