CGREATER EARTH INITIATIVEC

6 Goals for the Development of

MERCHANT ASTRONAUTICS

Opening Up the Space Frontier for all Mankind

We, people of Planet Earth who have had the time and freedom to look to what the future holds for Mankind, see that our future survival and well being as a species is directly tied to our movement into space and the technical, economic and political ease by which we do that. We view the planet Earth and the space surrounding us, including the Moon, the asteroids, Mars and even the moon's of the outer planets, as habitat for all mankind. Habitat, that it is our manifest destiny to fill with life where life does not now exist.

Those of us who share this belief like to think of ourselves as Citizens of the Greater Earth.

CALL FOR A GENERAL MOBILIZATION

We ask the whole Space Community to join with us to bring the above goals to fruition wherever possible, using all media and information channels of planet Earth. Only if we all co-operate and appeal to voters around the world, explaining why Humanity needs to expand into the Greater Earth frontier, will we have any hope of success.

We ask the Media to learn the basics about space resources, and to inform everyone on Earth about the abundance of resources, which are waiting just outside our home planet. We appeal to all Communications Operators to embrace a new vision, in which Science, Technology and Space are no longer only entertainment, but essential information.

We also encourage all Private Companies to develop business plans for the development and use of the resources of Space and to profit from the opportunities provided by the Space Frontier.

We encourage the Merchant and Passenger Navigation and Air Companies, skilled in the problems and opportunities of Earthly, air and marine navigation, to reflect on the opportunities of space navigation, and to prepare plans to extend their activities there.

We appeal to Energy Industry, to consider the option to collect the Solar Energy directly in space, where it flows since billions years, abundant and fully renewable.

We call on all Teachers, all over the planet, to assume related education in these tasks as part of their own task. Your lives are already dedicated to the future of humanity: humanity will surely have a future, if space will be part of it.

We call on all Governments of all terrestrial nations, to put the creation of the Terrestrial Space Fund/Bank and the Space Education programme as top priorities on their agendas.

We call on the United Nations, UNICEF, and all other humanitarian, governmental and non-governmental, organizations, to give these tasks an high priority: space resources can help to solve all the problems you are dealing with.

We call on Economists and Financial Operators, all over the planet, to assume this task as their own task, to help us design and develop the new financial and credit tools.

We ask Banks, Insurance, Financial Holdings, Economists and Financial Operators, to consider how best to put Space in their immediate plans, and implement these! To encourage people to subscribe to Space Funds, to collect these investments and feed them into space projects in all nations on planet Earth.

We encourage all people to become Citizens of the Greater Earth and to support our programme, for the opening up and development of Space for all Mankind.

C Subscribe to the Greater Earth Programme: adriano.autino@tdf.it
Our goals:

  1. TERRESTRIAL SPACE FUND - Creation of a Terrestrial Space Fund, development of New Credit Tools to manage Long Term Investments and Creation of a Terrestrial Space Bank.

  2. FISCAL EVOLUTION - Every Tax Payer to be Allowed to target 8 thousandths of his/her paid Taxes to the ring-fenced Terrestrial Space Fund; Fiscal Evolution, towards Thematic Taxes and then Investment Systems.

  3. AFFORDABILITY OF THE SPACE FLIGHT - Development of an Orbital Transport System for Passengers and Goods, Travel Services and Orbital Accommodation; development of Reusable Low Cost Launchers, and Lowering of the costs of Space Technologies, in order to make the space travel affordable for all the individuals.

  4. EDUCATION - Introduction of Astronautics, Astronomy, and all Space related disciplines, as core subjects in the curricula of all Schools, of any order and grade.

  5. HUMAN RESOURCES - Full enhancement of the value of all the human resources of the Planet Earth.

  6. NEW DEAL - A fully new planetary political and economic deal, aimed to develop the Merchant Astronautics, as main development axis.

 

A new deal

Dear Co-Planetaries,

1999 is a year rich in events: the assembly in orbit of the International Space Station has finally begun, promising discoveries were made (last year) on the Moon, many Congresses and Symposia are held all around the Planet: the Bremen International Symposium on Space Travel, the 50th IAF Congress in Amsterdam, the UNISPACE III in Vienna, and many other conferences and conventions, in the United States. To all these conventions we send our sincere greetings and wishes for good results.

Are we perhaps now seeing a general awakening of society's attention to space activities? We would like to believe this is really so, and many reasons exist, to hope that it really may be.

The continual crises in the global world economy testify to the absence of a real economic development axis. The devastating crisis of the ideologies that governed human development through the last 500 years, reduced the politics to navigating blind. Lacking of an upgraded social analysis, the governments try to hold phenomena like the mass unemployment, the migration fluxes and the deterioration of the environment by means of defensive day to day strategies, aimed at the mere conservation of the status quo. The phenomena of political corruption and of social involution are only an outward sign of the really serious risks that Humanity will face, if a new political direction, equal to the challenge, will not develop itself. This crisis in human development has, in fact, deep reasons, and the most sensitive parts of society nowadays clearly see such reasons: the raw materials and the environmental resources of our mother-planet will not sustain the growth of the Human Species beyond a certain limit. And people realize this limit is very near, if not even already exceeded.

To the above global crisis a decidedly conservative answer was given, to date: if we reached a limit we must stop the development. From such philosophy the so-called "Sustainable Development" plan was born. Without asking for people’s votes, it postulates, in fact, the end of growth. From a social-economic point of view it means we share the same pie, that can’t grow anymore, among the growing aims of a growing number of human beings. The rights to a free dignified existence, the right to a decent future for all human beings can’t be denied any longer. We can easily foresee the kind of tremendous conflicts, the frightening degree of militarization in society and the authoritarian solutions such a dynamic is leading us into.

Well, we believe that the development of Merchant Astronautics represents the only valid alternative. The material and energy resources of space provide the possibility to return to deal in terms of a growing economy. In a context of growing access to wealth the welfare-aims of all Co-Planetaries can have hope. Instead of misery and desolation Humanity will know a season of beautiful and exciting works and experiences. This is also the only ethical choice, for our age, so that human civilization and culture can keep on growing, with freedom and respect for basic human rights, instead of us all diving into deep regression.

To enable such a program, it is essential that Politics makes its entry into the Space Community, and that the Space Community makes its entry into Politics. Between the Right and the Left wings, political categories irreversibly superseded by the change of the social classes, that followed the Electronic Revolution, our Space Community can now finally indicate, the correct direction: the High Road.

This new direction encompasses several themes, all decisive for our survival: space as the new supporting axis for economic development; an open environment and a cosmic ecology versus the closed world of the "sustainable" ecology; growth versus stagnation; open-ness and broadmindedness, life and love versus egoism, closure and death, perhaps even survival versus extinction for humanity as a whole in the near future.

We call all fellow human beings to support this High Road Programme. We ask you all to make this programme your programme, and to take it into all places where political discussion is going on, in all social areas. Ask your fellow citizens to vote on it, and to form parties and groups in the name of this Programme.

The Secretariat of the Greater Earth Initiative C

An abstract from The Greater Earth Manifesto

Concepts for a New Humanistic vision of the World

http://www.greaterearth.org/ge_manif.htm

"We reject Limits to Growth, and substitute Growth to Limits!"
[Philosophical Concepts]

PC.100 - Purpose - We advocate and defend humanity's expansion into space as the most ethical task of the immediate future, as an enterprise both natural and urgently necessary to enable the continuity of (terrestrial) life and (modern) civilization confronted with the apparent limits of their (growth) success.

PC.200 - Definition: Greater Earth - By the term 'Greater Earth', we mean a spherical region of space, centred on the Earth, where the gravitational influence of our home planet dominates the motions of any object. This region has a radius of approximately 1.5 Millions km, thus extending up to the L1 Lagrange point, marking the border of Greater Earth. We regard this region as the truer extension of Earth.

PC.500 - Defence of our cultural history and future and humanity survival - We defend Humanity and its further development as a cultural and sentient species, against any restrictive programmes. We are dedicated to the survival and continuation of the development of Humanity in all aspects.

PC.600 - Recognition of directed evolution - We recognize that the human species, above all terrestrial species, has demonstrated its success by exerting conscious control and direction of its own evolution, and by becoming able to actively avoid extinction.

PC.700 - Human resources - People are resources, not problems. A real problem is bureaucracy, when it is not able to involve and to turn into account the human patrimony.

PC.800 - The Open World - Against the obsolete and dangerous paradigm of the Closed World (or "Spaceship Earth", according to the Club of Rome definition), we affirm the concept of an Open World, with new horizons of development for all humanity and all life.

PC.900 - Urgency to Implement the Space Option - We recognize the urgent need to find new ways to accommodate and to integrate the growing human population into viable ecological and economical systems.

PC.1000 - Right to Develop the human innate potential - We reject any concept that places limits (even involuntary) on the rights of human beings to develop their innate potential.

PC.1300 - The Cosmic Destiny - We propose a Cosmic Destiny for the Human Species. Unconscious life expands to occupy all available niches: yet, it's unable to escape extinctions imposed by the natural cycles of the parent planet. Only Intelligent Life can now prevail, thanks to technology, taking beyond the blue planet its civilization and its culture, gardening the otherwise empty and barren spaces.

PC.1400 - Towards an evolutionary ethics - We consider Humanity master of its home planet and of the Solar System, as the only self-conscious species and the only one with means to exercise its responsibility over the rest of Nature.

PC.1500 - Space scale of issues - We perceive the present ecological issues as being soluble only on a human and cosmic scale, not on a natural and terrestrial one.

PC.1800 - Possible Development or New Growth - We promote the New Growth concept, based on a quantitative and ethical analysis of the character of finiteness of the Earth compared to the Universe, and we reject the anti-libertarian, empty and hopeless plan of "sustainability".

[New-Humanistic Ethics]

HE.100 - Commitment - Our first duty and commitment is toward the human people.

HE.200 - Definition of New Humanism - We call ourselves New-Humanists, because we add, to the classical Humanism, a new vision, determined by the specificity and extreme criticality of our epoch.

HE.300 - Definition of Astronautical Humanism - Since we believe that the above duty can be completed only taking the Road to Space, we also call ourselves Astronautical Humanists.

HE.400 - Dynamic vision - Our humanistic vision is not due to an old fashioned anthropocentric ethics. We see the history and evolution of the life as dynamic processes. Our analysis brings us to state that Humanity must take care of itself, especially in this critical phase. This historical passage sees us humans at our maximum success and maximum risk of failing the next evolutionary step that, for first time, is strictly dependent on our intelligence.

HE.600 - A concrete concept of Humanity - We reject any abstract concept of humanity. When we speak about Humanity we mean the ensemble of live human beings, with their charge of hopes and fears.

HE.800 - Human growth faced to limited resources - Human Growth cannot continue on this planet beyond a certain limit, since the resources of our Mother Planet are not infinite.

HE.1300 - No growth without growth - We also observe that the human economy and progress have positive developments while the growth (of markets, technology and culture) continues.

HE.2000 - The need of a larger home for humanity - And we clearly indicate, as a priority, the building of new life-sustaining environments for the growing Humanity. If the family increases, the solution is not to eliminate some of its members, but to involve them all in building a larger home!

HE.2100 - Our sustainability - In the next century, the number of human beings should be controlled within limits sustainable, beyond the ecosystem of Earth alone! Our concept of sustainability encompasses the space, territory, energy and resources contained in the Greater Earth!

[Economic Concepts]

EC.400 - Historical vision of the economy - We believe that real wealth is not measured in monetary terms but in human progress and potential human work. Humanity has never had such great wealth before in its history.

EC.500 - Social aspects of Economy - Economy deals with inflation and depression, not only with Return of Investment: the opening of a New Horizon will generate enthusiasm and push the economy.

EC.600 - The Space Economy as trailer of the World Wide Economy - The emergence of a space-based economy and culture will rejuvenate the terrestrial economy over the years, giving birth to a commonwealth far greater than mere monetary investment.

Read and subscribe the whole Manifesto at http://www.greaterearth.org/ge_manif.htm

The following webzines and organizations currently subscribe to the Greater Earth Initiative:

The following individuals contributed at various titles to the Greater Earth Initiative elaboration:

The GREATER EARTH INITIATIVE accepts subscriptions from organizations and individuals sharing our Philosophic Set-up and our Political Programme.

Currently the subscription to the Greater Earth Initiative is free of charge, but we accept free financial contributions, to help cover the printing and organizational costs.

(Both subscriptions and financial help can be done on the Greater Earth Website).

You can find us on the web at the following addresses:

 

For taking contacts, please e-mail to the following addresses:

Adriano Autino adriano.autino@tdf.it , Michael Martin-Smith martin@miff.demon.co.uk

Or write a paper letter to:

- Adriano Autino - via Borgomasino, 25/A 13040 MONCRIVELLO (VC) ITALIA

- Michael Martin-Smith - Jesmond, Salisbury Street HULL HU5 3EU England

C We look forward to welcome you onboard Greater Earth! C