By the way, I quit the National Space Society almost three decades ago because they were doing nothing to promote actual space settlement, instead taking industry funding to promote whatever NASA and Big Aerospace wanted to do, even though there was no plausible path from those things to the organization’s stated goals. But I agree (and am working with) the new leadership of the organization as represented by the authors of that Spacenews op-ed.
I thought I’d posted this, but we’ve lost a giant of math, physics, philosophy and space. Condolences to Esther and the rest of the family. I just saw her at the space transportation conference a few weeks ago.
I was introduced to Allison a couple years ago, but only briefly. I really only got to know her a few days ago, at a Foresight event on lunar governance. I hadn’t realized that she was so interested in space.
Anyway, she is a brilliant and very charismatic young woman, as this video demonstrates.
This is why I think that the notion of missions to Mars under the Apollo paradigm are fanciful. There’s a reason (well, OK, more than one) that Elon is building Starship so large. He wants to make it like a cruise, not solitary confinement.
I’m not being funded for it this year, but I’m wondering who would like to contribute to keeping it going, if I do a Kickstarter? I’d need about twenty grand, much of it for required travel (including, potentially, Dubai for IAC in the fall). It would be to promote the ideas in my IAC paper from last fall.
[Thursday-morning update]
OK, to brainstorm a little bit, if I do a Kickstarter (as opposed to a GoFundMe or something else), any suggestions for rewards? Maybe a signed copy of the multilateral agreement(s)?