Space Solutions to Terrestrial Problems
Most people intuitively assume and fundamentally believe that terrestrial problems must have terrestrial solutions. This is likely due to a lack of understanding about our interconnectedness and interdependence with the rest of the cosmos. As a terrestrially evolved organism, it is in our genes to adapt to our immediate environment as we have over millions of years. Only recently have we begun to become aware of how celestial events affect our lives. We now know that such events have been critically important to the evolution of life on Earth. Impacts of comets and asteroids most likely provided a young Earth [...]
CRES – Chemically Rigidized Expandable Structures
CRES Expertise accumulated through the Contraves Space work M.C. Bernasconi Consultants Dr. Marco C. Bernasconi Overview Dr. Marco C. Bernasconi, in particular because of his long involvement with the developments at Contraves Space, possesses of a unique expertise in the field of inflatable, chemically-rigidized expandable structures for space applications (called herein CRES, for short). For historical reasons, work at Contraves centered on microwave antenna reflectors, as exemplified by the realization of the first “inflatable” offset reflector; however, work has been done in all classes of flexible-wall expandable structures (a superset of CRES — see diagram below) with the exception of [...]
Ethical Considerations in Astronautical Endeavours
Introductory Remarks Marco C. Bernasconi The OURS Foundation, Switzerland Paper IAA-95-IAA.8.1.01 presented at the XLVI International Congress of Astronautics, in Oslo (Norway),October 1995 Introduction Ethics is not a scientific discipline, but part of philosophy, and the philosophers even after three thousand years of inquiry have not managed to develop a method for ascertaining which of their many statements are – if not true – at least truly relevant for this Universe. Therefore, turning to ethics to obtain a guide for future-oriented action, one just opens the floodgates for a profusion of arguments and counter-arguments, and for being submerged by a [...]
Considering the Universe
Contribution by Dr. Marco C. Bernasconi The progress of the astronomical sciences has constantly opened new horizons to the humanity’s culture, not only by the discovery of new celestial objects, but mainly by showing the real dimensions of the Universe. In recent times, astronautical techniques have contributed substantially to the cosmic research effort, to the point that science has been advanced as the primary reason for spaceflight. In reality, although astronautics and astronomy have a common origin in the human drive to explore and to penetrate the mysteries of the heavens, this is not the case. The scientific research aimed [...]
Risk Analysis of Climate Change, and Potential SPS Contribution to Global Warming or Global Cooling Mitigation
By Patrick Collins (1) and Marco C. Bernasconi (2) 1)Azabu University, Sagamihara, Japan 2) MCB Consultants, 8953 Dietikon, Switzerland Although the mass media have for several years treated the theory of “global warming” caused by humans’ emissions of CO2 as proven fact, the direction of future climate change and its causes are the subject of heated controversy within the scientific community. in particular, geologists, paleontologists and others have recently drawn attention to the apparently much more serious threat of “global cooling”, which has been largely ignored to date. Solar Power Satellites (SPS), originally proposed as a means of supplying [...]
The EarthSeeds Project
EarthSeeds - Humanity's Ultimate Purpose in the Evolution of Life The EarthSeeds art intervention is an open source, open space, open community astronautical art intervention. The EarthSeeds art intervention is designed to send the "Seeds of Earth" to other places in the solar system to help insure that Life will survive elsewhere if the conditions for its survival on Earth become inhospitable. It is based on the knowledge that in nature, the perpetuation and survival of all forms of life are maintained through the process of reproduction. The propagation of a species is the best way for it to survive and thrive in [...]
The OUR-Space Peace Sculpture Project
Introducing a Cultural Dimension into the Space Environment Arthur R. Woods – Artist, Founder and President of the OURS Project. Member: I.A.A.A., I.S.A.S.T. Marco C. Bernasconi – OURS Vice President – Technical, Member: FBIS, A.I.A.A. Paper IAA-89-673 Presented at the 40th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation October 7-13, 1989 / Torremolinos, Spain Abstract Recent developments concerning the commercial use of outer space have made it possible for cultural events to take place in the space environment which can be seen and experienced by much of the world’s population. The opportunity to communicate to the global audience as well as [...]
How Civilizations Choose to Fail or Succeed
In his book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”, Jared Diamond, a geologist, examines a number of ancient societies that have collapsed including, among others, Easter Island, the Mayan culture and the Norse settlements in Greenland. The keyword is: “choose”. The Space Option concept implies that a choice related to space exists for humanity that has do with the success of our civilization. The Space Option Space noun 1. the unlimited or incalculably great three-dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events occur. 2. beyond the atmosphere of the earth. Option noun [...]
Our Window of Opportunity
Our civilization is at its peak – we have the means today to implement The Space Option but not yet the commitment. However, if our species does not soon embrace this unique opportunity with sufficient commitment, it may miss its one and only chance to do so. In July, 2013 the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) hosted the 8th IAA Symposium on The Future of Space Exploration – Towards The Stars in Turin, Italy. In addition to science and technology sessions several sessions were also devoted to the motivational, cultural and ethical aspects of space exploration and development. I made [...]
More Space or More War?
The main point of this article is about the use of space technologies either for peace or for war and how that choice may influence the implementation of The Space Option. Simply stated, humanity must soon make a choice between “more space” or “more war”. At a very early age I became aware of the “cosmic choice” which is inherent in space technology illustrated in this image. A Redstone mobile guided ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead is pictured in the photo on the left. In the right photo we see the lift-off of the Mercury-Redstone carrying the Alan Shepard, [...]
Most people intuitively assume and fundamentally believe that terrestrial problems must have terrestrial solutions. This is likely due to a lack of understanding about our interconnectedness and interdependence with the [...]
CRES Expertise accumulated through the Contraves Space work M.C. Bernasconi Consultants Dr. Marco C. Bernasconi Overview Dr. Marco C. Bernasconi, in particular because of his long involvement with the developments [...]
Introductory Remarks Marco C. Bernasconi The OURS Foundation, Switzerland Paper IAA-95-IAA.8.1.01 presented at the XLVI International Congress of Astronautics, in Oslo (Norway),October 1995 Introduction Ethics is not a scientific discipline, [...]
Contribution by Dr. Marco C. Bernasconi The progress of the astronomical sciences has constantly opened new horizons to the humanity’s culture, not only by the discovery of new celestial objects, [...]
By Patrick Collins (1) and Marco C. Bernasconi (2) 1)Azabu University, Sagamihara, Japan 2) MCB Consultants, 8953 Dietikon, Switzerland Although the mass media have for several years treated the [...]
EarthSeeds - Humanity's Ultimate Purpose in the Evolution of Life The EarthSeeds art intervention is an open source, open space, open community astronautical art intervention. The EarthSeeds art intervention is designed to send [...]
Introducing a Cultural Dimension into the Space Environment Arthur R. Woods – Artist, Founder and President of the OURS Project. Member: I.A.A.A., I.S.A.S.T. Marco C. Bernasconi – OURS Vice President [...]
In his book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed”, Jared Diamond, a geologist, examines a number of ancient societies that have collapsed including, among others, Easter Island, the [...]
Our civilization is at its peak – we have the means today to implement The Space Option but not yet the commitment. However, if our species does not soon embrace [...]
The main point of this article is about the use of space technologies either for peace or for war and how that choice may influence the implementation of The Space [...]
