SRI Announcements

SPACE RENAISSANCE INTERNATIONAL WILL ATTEND UNISPACE +50 – PRESS RELEASE

SPACE RENAISSANCE INTERNATIONAL WILL ATTEND UNISPACE +50 – PRESS RELEASE

Release n. 1 – 14/06/2018

Vienna 18-22 June 2018 – The Space Renaissance International Association will participate to the UNISPACE +50 conference, the first United Nations Global Space Summit of the 21st century, organised by the UNOOSA (UN Office for Outer Space Affairs) in Vienna from 18-22 June 2018.

UNISPACE +50 is an important event, having the aim of strengthening international collaboration, building, with the support of all the involved actors, a new concept of space governance, in line with Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. The conference will further confirm the great social benefits of space as an area of innovation, inspiration, interconnection, integration and investment, based on the exploration and peaceful use of space.

During the first two days, UNISPACE +50 Symposium will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which took place in 1968, and will offer the international community the opportunity to consider the future course of global space cooperation for the benefit of humankind. Hundreds of representatives of the space community, representatives of governments, the private and industrial sectors, academia, non-governmental organisations and more than 20 space agencies from around the world are expected.

The UNISPACE +50 High Level Segment of the 61st session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) will be held on 20-21 June, to allow member states and UN permanent observers to reflect on the outcome of the three previous UNISPACE conferences and consider the future of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of space. Member States are expected to adopt a UNISPACE +50 resolution on 20 June, which will be presented to the UN General Assembly in the form of a resolution to be considered at its 73rd session in 2018.

For Space Renaissance International, the opportunity to participate in this conference is a first acknowledgement of a path that led us to put together, during the works of the 2nd National Congress of Space Renaissance Italia (the Italian chapter) held in May in Bologna, more than forty speakers from the most prestigious Italian and European research centers and aerospace organizations.  — said Adriano Autino, the president and founder of Space Renaissance International, who will also attend to the works of the High Level Segment UNISPACE +50 — This symposium will open the doors of COPUOS to a debate in which the many NGOs active in the space sector, including ours, which promotes civil expansion in space, to ensure the continuation and progress of civilization itself, will be allowed to participate. Space Renaissance International will bring to Vienna its most urgent recommendations: that the United Nations act with all its means to support the quick start of the industrialization of the Earth’s orbit and of the geo-lunar space. To this end, the Association promotes the reuse of space debris, the low-cost transportation of untrained civilian passengers in space, the protection of life and health in space, the use of asteroid and lunar raw materials, fostering public and private investment in civilian activities in space.”

Notes for editors

Space Renaissance International is an international astronautical-humanist organization dedicated to broadening the awareness that human expansion into space is fundamental to the sustainability of today’s civilization and its indispensable growth. The Association intends to trigger a change in public opinion towards space travel and the use of space resources, in order to achieve a substantial increase in investment in human space activities and a focus of these investments on concrete actions oriented to civil expansion in space.
https://spacerenaissance.space

Space Renaissance Italia is the Italian chapter of Space Renaissance International.
https://spacerenaissance.it

Space Renaissance USA, Inc. is the USA chapter of Space Renaissance International.
https://usa.spacerenaissance.space

UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs) is the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, based in Vienna, which provides the secretariat for COPUOS. Its tasks also include the management of the register of space objects launched into space. The current Director is the Italian astrophysicist Simonetta Di Pippo.
https://www.unoosa.org/

COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) was established by the General Assembly in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all mankind: for peace, security and development. The Committee has been mandated to review international cooperation in the peaceful uses of space, study space-related activities which could be undertaken by the United Nations, encourage space research programmes and study legal problems arising from space exploration.
https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/copuos/index.html

Contacts

  • USA (MEDIA) – Walter Putnam WaltPutnam@gmail.com +1 4044 051388
  • SPACE RENAISSANCE USA, Inc. – Manuel Perez manperez@yahoo.com +1 718 7264111
  • ITALY (PRESS) – Marco Pavesi marcogiovanni.pavesi@gmail.com +39 338 392 0509
  • ITALY (OUTREACH) – removed due to privacy

Download a pdf version here: SRI_Release_01 

Posted by Adriano in News, Newsletters, Press Releases, SRI Announcements
The SRI Board announced a position paper on civilian space development

The SRI Board announced a position paper on civilian space development

Planet Earth, December 21st 2016
The SRI Board announced a position paper on civilian space development
At their meeting on Saturday December 17th, the Board of Space Renaissance International (SRI) approved a position paper on civilian space development, refined during the two months since the 2nd SRI World Congress, and kicked-off the organization of the “Space Renaissance Tour
(https://spacerenaissance.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SRI_Position_Paper_December_2016.pdf)
The position paper focuses the priorities of the international space advocacy association for the next four years, in response to the current global situation, as the Space Renaissance continues to unfold – led by the test-flying of fully reusable sub-orbital launch systems. Such epochal achievement will eventually lead to the dramatic reduction of the cost of traveling to orbit, making commercial civilian and industrial activities in space feasible.
The paper identifies three essential developments, which SRI will support with immediate outreach actions:
  1. Developing Low Cost Access to Earth Orbit
  2. Addressing the issues of the protection of civilian life and health in space, and
  3. Consolidating a suitable set of laws for the global governance of activities in outer space, i.e. to collate and extend international civilian rights in space.
This aspect has particular relevance in view of the coming celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1967.
Some key technological advances, including fully reusable rockets and additive manufacturing, will allow the rapid growth of a wide range of manned activities in Earth orbit and provide the first steps towards industrial growth in the region of “near-space” around the Earth and Moon.
SRI will promote and support this ongoing process – encouraging the cultural paradigm shift from quasi-military space exploration to civilian expansion into outer space, which is now overdue in order to create new opportunities and relieve the stresses of a world becoming more crowded and jobless.
Following the recent SRI World Congress resolution, the Board has invited the SRI Executive, in which all the national groups and chapters are represented, to take initiatives in the frame of the Space Renaissance Tour, a broad outreach program aimed at bringing popular awareness of the Space Renaissance, and the urgent need to promote it, to as large a part as possible of the general public world wide.
Also download this press release in pdf format.

 

Posted by Adriano in News, Press Releases, SRI Announcements
Crowdfunding for a Space Renaissance Tour, to  support the Renaissance vs. new Middle Ages

Crowdfunding for a Space Renaissance Tour, to support the Renaissance vs. new Middle Ages

Dear friends,

we are living in a very critical age. The Renaissance, which began more than 500 years ago, has developed through several scientific and industrial revolutions, and is now aiming directly towards outer space. Should this step be misunderstood, misinterpreted or set-aside, the Renaissance will be defeated and mankind may enter into yet another dark age. The risks are real, should the current global crisis win over the Renaissance, or if continuing global conflicts emerge with unpredictable consequences. Our duty is to support the Renaissance everywhere, with all of our pacific and positive means.

Two months ago, the Space Renaissance International (SRI) 2nd World Congress updated its analysis of the status of civilization, and defined our program for the next four years, working towards 2020. We have identified three essential developments, which SRI will support with outreach actions: establishing Low Cost Access to Earth Orbit, addressing the issues of the Protection of Civilian Life and Health in Space, and advocating for a suitable set of Laws for the global governance of activities in Outer Space, i.e. to collate, and extend international civilian rights in space.

Some key technological advances, including fully reusable rockets and additive manufacturing, will allow the inception of comprehensive manned activities in Earth orbit, and the first steps for industrialization of the space surrounding the Earth and Moon region.

SRI will promote and support such an ongoing process. Nothing will be easy or discounted. We have a wonderful opportunity, next year, to focus public attention on the civilian space development: the 50th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1967. While, in 2018, the UN will convene the fourth International Conference on the peaceful uses of outer space UNISPACE+50 which will define outer space development for the 50 years which lie ahead. It is paramount that the public at large fully understands what is at stake within this few years: extending civilian rights in outer space, in order to allow civilian passengers and settlers to travel, live and work in space. Something that, so far, has been definitely missing, within any space program. Travel in space, for the few private astronauts who have visited the International Space Station, was obtained under military rules: very low protection for human life and health, no warranties, no responsibility from the agencies for possible injuries or health damages, and a long military training needed. Within the perspective of the geo-lunar space civilian development and industrialization, we need a full commitment, both by the scientific community and by governments worldwide, to solve the main life protection issues — cosmic radiations and zero or low gravity — and to define a proper outer space law system.

Our congress approved a very effective program for next four years, including a world wide Space Renaissance Tour, prizes for young artists and scientists, and to develop the Space Renaissance Academy, a wide philosophical, scientific and cultural education project.

But then not make long turns of phrase: we need funds.

In 2016 we made several meaningful steps forward. SRI is now present in almost twenty countries world-wide. In two countries — USA and Italy — we have formally incorporated local non-profit chapters. In two countries — UK and India – chapters will be incorporated in few months. In many other countries our members are working to aggregate supporters for local chapter activities. Everywhere we’ll take public initiatives.

Even so everything we plan to do, basing on volunteer effort, also implies hiring specialized services: web marketing and events management, just to name two. So the very first very urgent step is to create a seed fund, enough to hire the needed services for at least one year.

We have started a crowdfunding campaign, and we are asking you very seriously to help us, in one or both of two ways:

Ad Astra!

Adriano V. Autino, SRI, President

donate-button-5

also download the pdf version of this article

Posted by Adriano in News, Newsletters, Press Releases, SRI Announcements
The space frontier is opening! The outcomes of the SRI 2nd World Congress

The space frontier is opening! The outcomes of the SRI 2nd World Congress

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The Space Renaissance International 2nd World Congress took place on Skype, from September 30th until October 2nd, 2016, and it was a great event, with participants from all continents. During the three days, five thesis documents and a final resolution were discussed, amended and voted upon. The SRI Board was renewed, to represent the active and collaborative international team that is now leading SRI, and that signed important results. These include, the incorporation of the Space Renaissance USA chapter, in April 2016, the more than doubled SRI presence on social networks and the application to the MacArthur 100&CHANGE prize (link at the bottom of this page).

The SRI first World Congress was held five years ago, in 2011. Since then, many things have changed and finally the space frontier has initiated the opening process. Fully reusable rockets have had their first successful experimentation this year and the obsolete monopoly of expendable rockets is now finally broken. This is also a good time for assessing SRI’s capabilities to understand and foresee the social processes, since this is one of the conditions that justify the existence of an organization like ours. The result is the Final Resolution of our recent Congress that we agreed to. Below is a large excerpt from the resolution. The complete acta of the Congress will be available soon.

Fully reusable rockets are now a reality thanks to a collaboration between the NewSpace industry — Elon Musk’s SpaceX — and NASA. Space tourism is a growing and meaningful part of the Newspace segment, endowed with a high capability to develop on its own capital: Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, Skylon, XCOR, and many other space companies are working hard to initiate commercial flights. The paradigm change has finally arrived: reusable rockets reduce the cost of launching into Earth Orbit. So we were right, when we said that the NewSpace industry, in order to meet this unprecedented evolutionary challenge, needed, and still needs, the support of public money as well as a positive public opinion. If this awareness was more largely shared, maybe the history would have been different. However we are working restlessly for the space frontier to be opened in time.

The experience of SpaceX demonstrates that private industry, working with government agencies contracts, can in fact reach the goal of lowering the cost of the Earth-Orbit transportation by several magnitudes. As such, many other objectives can now be targeted, including a substantial industrialization of the geo-lunar region. Space tourism and other civilian space activities, such as orbital manned services, asteroid mining, advanced research settlement and space based solar power will all benefit from the reduction of the Earth-Orbit launch costs. That’s why our main commitment, during next four years, will be to work towards a general extension of such a method: a broad collaboration among the government agencies and the NewSpace private industry.

If most people continue thinking that the world is closed, it will remain so. Instead of this, if we are able to build on these recent achievements and extend these into a meaningful vanguard, then the space-enabled future can become a reality. The first essential step on such road is to accelerate the development and the marketing of technologies that enable low cost civilian passenger transportation into space.

We are not working for a revolution, but for a renaissance of civilization. A revolution is violent, while a renaissance is fundamentally joyous and peaceful. The true conflict nowadays is between those who aspire to growth and change (the Renaissance), and those who want de-growth, de-industrialization, cultural involution, which will eventually lead to the implosion of civilization. The global crisis of the closed world has worsened, but the renaissance is going ahead and aiming to reach space. We do not fear robots: humans do it better, are more efficient and more cost effective in the space environment.

The next 10 or 15 years will see the technical and social opportunities brought about by the renaissance of the last 500 years to balance the threats, the conflicts, the huge risk of a World War III, that could be the last global war that humanity wages, since the next wars will be fought with sticks. A peaceful expansion of civilization into outer space via a peaceful development of civilian space activities, will be the core of our celebration of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty which will have its 50th anniversary in 2017. We will bring our proposals of principles for a space law, which development is urgent, to the United Nations in order to provide democratic rules for commercial and industrial activities to be conducted by private entities in outer space.

SRI will develop a narrative of our near future, of our possible present civilian life in space, requiring artists to represent what cannot yet be photographed because it doesn’t exist, yet. Elon Musk announced his Interplanetary Transport System, to carry passengers to Mars for a relatively modest ticket price in few years. Jeff Bezos announced his plan to start migrating heavy industries into outer space, making of Earth a beautiful garden. Jeff Greason is working to develop manned activities in Earth orbit. All of these great space programs are not very well known by the general public. They are not yet part of educational programs in schools and colleges. SRI wants to raise such awareness and push the urgent narrative in throughout society.

SRI entered its 2.0 phase, going over the mere “propaganda”, toward a concrete engagement in the social reality. We will be open and collaborative in order to be able to listen to all of the voices which can be available to work for the renaissance. We shall reach out to many renaissance persons, creative minds which can contribute to the renaissance, if given the proper tools and channels.

During next four years, towards 2020, we shall bring the awareness of the extreme urgency to open the space frontier to civilian and industrial activities to the broad general public. We will support the quick development of low cost launch vehicles, promote public support for the NewSpace industry, promote a space industrial political platform, promote space based solar power, contribute to space law and promote a “presentist” vision and narrative of our immediate future life in space. We begin by lobbying governments, space agencies and international institutions. We will try to create collaborations with all the renaissance initiatives, which are not limited to the Space Renaissance’s ones. In order to realize such an ambitious program, SRI will initiate a major world-wide program:

The Space Renaissance Tour

We want to bring the space renaissance message to all five continents in the next 2 to 3 years. This will be achieved with public conferences having their focus on few key themes, namely: accelerating the development of low cost Earth-Orbit passenger and cargo transport vehicles, promoting civilian space development as an alternative to conflicts and the risk of a World War III; celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and to reaffirm the Human Right to Development as stated by United Nations in 1986. To lead such a grand tour which we will call the true renaissance vanguard of our time: we salute all of the NewSpace industries making the Space Renaissance happen!

Now, to realize all of the above we must rely upon the help of all the renaissance persons in the world. By registering as a member of SRI, you will help us by creating a seed fund, by which we can hire proper services and build up our very ambitious but urgently needed program. We need your financial contribution as well as your ideas and your projects, but mostly we need your activist volunteer commitment.

please join us, join the renaissance,

JOIN THE SPACE RENAISSANCE INTERNATIONAL!

The SRI participation to the MacArthur 100&CHANGE prize 

Also download the pdf version of this article.

Posted by spacere in News, Newsletters, Press Releases, SRI Announcements
DEVELOPMENT IS A HUMAN RIGHT – AN OPEN LETTER TO UNITED NATIONS

DEVELOPMENT IS A HUMAN RIGHT – AN OPEN LETTER TO UNITED NATIONS

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DEVELOPMENT IS A HUMAN RIGHT – AN OPEN LETTER TO UNITED NATIONS

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SRI News #05.2016 – September 17th 2016, by A. V. Autino, with contributes by M. Perez, A. Sinclair, A. Woods

In our incoming Congress we will discuss the program for next four years, including initiatives towards United Nations, concerning the Human Right to Development and the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
On the above subjects we sent an open letter to UN, while they are meeting in New York. Our analysis says that only expanding our industrial and commercial activities in space the human right to development can have a chance.
We think that a broad international collaboration is needed.

What is your opinion? Share it with us, during the Space Renaissance congress:

“FROM SPACE EXPLORATION TO SPACE SETTLEMENT”
The Space Renaissance International 2nd World Congress will be held from September 30th to October 2nd,
on skype chat, three hours per day, starting at 15.00pm, GMT

REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE TO THE CONGRESS!
(participation is free)
see the Congress Theses

In the framework of the 2nd Space Renaissance International World Congress
September 20 – October 2, 2016

OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Distinguished Participants to the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 71),
Distinguished Participants to the High-level segment of the General Assembly to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development[1],

please accept our greetings and sincere wishes for a successful and productive conference!

Thirty years after the Declaration on the Right to Development[2], we have to acknowledge that many analysts paint a dismal picture of the status of civilization in spite of meaningful advances in education, longevity, civil rights, malnourishment, poverty and in other critical societal areas.

Though there are places and situations that world’s media highlight as examples of worsening conditions and inequalities and obstacles to development, UN statistics show clear and gradual improvements. Yet, there exists new threats to human development that must be dealt with, such as serious environmental issues, increasing scarcity of material and energy sources, that are becoming more and more evident and serve to enhance conflicts, terrorism and migration fluxes.

We identify the problem of a growing human population within the closed system of planet Earth as the main cause for the worsening of all the well-known global problems which concern the UN and national governments across the world. There will soon be 8 billion humans on our home planet who are facing resource shortages, mass migrations, economic and political disenfranchisement, and widespread civil unrest exacerbated by this population pressure, not to mention the huge environmental issues, general pollution and the decay of the oceans. The global financial crisis initiated in 2008, is devastating society and jeopardizing its industrial capabilities that are necessary for development.

Paragraph14. of the UN 2030 agenda[3] well summarizes such a situation, and par. 15. recalls the opportunities of this historical age: “It is also, however, a time of immense opportunity. Significant progress has been made in meeting many development challenges. Within the past generation, hundreds of millions of people have emerged from extreme poverty. Access to education has greatly increased for both boys and girls. The spread of information and communications technology and global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies, as does scientific and technological innovation across areas as diverse as medicine and energy.” This paragraph describes the great impulse to the progress of civilization that was provided by the industrial revolution, that we can see as the last act of the renaissance, initiated in 1500. Today’s industrial capabilities are under attack, by the current global crisis, and it is dramatically urgent to contrast and reverse such a crisis by relaunching industrial development, fully profiting from the fantastic new technologies that have raised in recent years.

The Declaration on the Right to Development well summarizes the humanist concept that growth -economic and cultural growth – is essential for the progress of ethics, freedom, democracy and well-being. With almost eight billion intelligent human beings, our species was never so rich, provided that we will be able to allow such a huge patrimony to realize its full value by investing in itself and continuing its progress. Enduring cultural and economic growth decreases social fear and progressively reduces the causes of conflicts.

At this moment there are two major forces fighting in the world:

  1. A multifaceted global crisis which is devastating our culture and paving the way to a general decadence of civilization accompanied by the emergence of populist and new feudal authoritarian regimes, as warned by Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein[4], the current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a recent address to the Peace, Justice and Security Foundation Gala, in The Hague.
  2. The forces of the renaissance – the courageous entrepreneurs who are betting their lives on new technologies and methodologies. With a trust in scientific research, and with a new pragmatism, they refuse to look too far into the future. They do not stop dreaming, but do what they can with available technologies and with technologies that are expected to appear soon.

We believe that space development is the simplest measure available to humanity that can mitigate and progressively resolve the main global risks our civilization is currently facing. When a species is close to saturating the ecological niche where it was born and evolved, there are only two choices: to expand into a greater ecological niche by utilizing the available technologies or to condemn itself to limitation, decadence and extinction. On our home planet we see a growing scarcity of basic resources and useable spaces for the development of all its citizens, whereas the expansion of humankind into the solar system will provide space and resources enough for the future development of perhaps trillions of human beings in the coming millennia. The expansion of human industrial and commercial activities in the geo-lunar space region should be kicked off between now and the year 2025 – a date that many forecasters see as the beginning of a very critical period, in which the danger of a global conflict will escalate, bringing with it unpredictable consequences. The opening of the space frontier to human development will relaunch the global economy at unprecedented rate, and will be the key element to defuse a potential World War III.

The first essential step on such road is to accelerate the development and marketing of technologies for civilian passenger transportation in space. We advocate a change of paradigm from space exploration dealt by military trained astronauts, to civilian space flight, which will allow anyone to travel into space and as convenient as taking a normal airline flight. When low cost space transportation vehicles will become available, a season of great innovation (renaissance) will be triggered and new answers to human needs will create new self-sustaining markets. History shows examples of new routes, created by explorers, followed by merchants and then used by many others. Searching for and discovering new lands are essential aspects of human nature. The exploration and discovery of the solar system represents the exciting historical age that is now before us, one that is far greater and transformative than any previous age. Opening the new frontier of extraterrestrial space is now an urgent necessity for humanity, but, until now, this process has been restricted and delayed by monopolistic interests and governmental control.

In a problem solving perspective national and international communities will expand human presence in Earth orbit, working together in peaceful cooperation and collaboration. Innovative services can be provided for space debris recovery and reuse, fueling stations, spacecraft assembly and maintenance and for global communication and educational satellite networks. Space development can quickly achieve both the near term and long term goals of exploration and settlement, while supporting the sustainability and prosperity of our global communities on Earth.
However, time is of essence: supporting the forces of the renaissance to relaunch global development for all people of Earth before the year 2025 is the duty of all persons and institutions caring for the survival and continued progress of human civilization. This giant evolutionary step requires a broad international cooperation and we invite UN to provide the necessary framework for such an unprecedented promotional action, to encourage (as we have written in our SRI 2nd World Congress Thesis 1 [5]):

  1. To propose that the main space agencies increase their activities in space and procure their transportation needs in an open, competitive marketplace, establishing a “free trade zone” in launch opportunities among all partners, so that the market will expand in a way that supports lower cost solutions such as reusable launch vehicles that are being developed by the private sector.
  2. To propose that the main space agencies become customers for space resources – for example, by buying propellant, water, or mass for radiation shielding in space and by providing a market for those resources to stimulate the private sector to supply them.
  3. To motivate governmental space agencies to prioritize research and technology for the unsolved problems needed for humans to live in space, on the Moon and on other celestial bodies indefinitely, such as protection from cosmic radiation, studying effects of Martian and Lunar gravity, effective artificial gravity for living in open space, faster and more economical transportation techniques, and in-situ resource extraction and utilization for the Moon, Near Earth Objects and Mars.
  4. To motivate governments to support — through tax discounts, grants and a friendly fiscal policy — the civilian space industry, the development of space tourism (suborbital, orbital, Moon), near Earth asteroid mining and using asteroids as space urban infrastructures, the validation of new technologies for low cost and safe access to Earth’s orbit, and the development of technological systems and new methodologies for human spaceflight.
  5. To convince the larger public that expanding civilization into space and giving birth to a true space renaissance is possible, convenient and urgent; and that passenger space travel will, like air travel did, create tens of millions of new jobs around the world.
  6. To create space renaissance investment funds to allow all savers to direct their savings into astronautical industrial enterprises.
  7. To limit military activities in Earth orbit to a purely surveillance operations while forbidding and preventing any lethal militarization of the space environment, as any major war is perceived to be the biggest threat to the future of human civilization, and space development is seen as the most optimistic alternative to war. Therefore, ongoing legal efforts such as the proposed Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space and the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects (PPWT) and the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) resolution deserve immediate attention and further elaboration. Any and all efforts at the international level that insure and enforce this aspect should be given the highest priority. The space environment has already proven to be an effective arena for international cooperation and, as such, it holds much promise and economic opportunity for emerging nations to collaborate with the current spacefaring nations. As economic development leads to peace and prosperity, further international cooperation and collaboration in the space arena needs to be encouraged and supported.

The 50th anniversary of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty presents the United Nations with a timely opportunity for these actions and endeavors to be given the highest consideration. We, at Space Renaissance International, are available to help with our network of experts. During the upcoming anniversary year, we are also planning events and activities that foster public discussion of these critical issues which have relevance for every citizen on planet Earth.

September, 17th 2016
Sincerely,

Adriano V. Autino, SRI, President
The Space Renaissance International Executive Committee
Space Renaissance Australia Space Renaissance Australia
Space Renaissance Bosnia Herzegovina Space Renaissance Bosnia Herzegovina
Space Renaissance Brasil Space Renaissance Brasil
Space Renaissance Canada Space Renaissance Canada
Space Renaissance Espana Space Renaissance Espana
Space Renaissance France Space Renaissance France
Space Renaissance Germany Space Renaissance Germany
Space Renaissance India Space Renaissance India
Space Renaissance Italia Space Renaissance Italia
Space Renaissance Mexico Space Renaissance Mexico
Space Renaissance Morocco Space Renaissance Morocco
Space Renaissance Nederland Space Renaissance Nederland
Space Renaissance Nepal Space Renaissance Nepal
Space Renaissance Poland Space Renaissance Poland
Space Renaissance Russia Space Renaissance Russia
Space Renaissance Switzerland Space Renaissance Switzerland
Space Renaissance UK Space Renaissance UK
Space Renaissance USA Space Renaissance USA

 [English language editing by Arthur Woods]

The Space Renaissance International 2nd World Congress will be held from September 30th to October 2nd, on skype chat, three hours per day, starting at 15.00p, GMT
(participation is free)

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Posted by spacere in News, Newsletters, Press Releases, SRI Announcements
We will not be astronauts!

We will not be astronauts!

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Dear SRI Members, Supporters and Friends, Renaissance People,

As you might already know, Space Renaissance International will hold its 2nd World Congress from September 30th to October 2nd. The Congress will be held online, via SKYPE chat, 3 hours per day starting at 15:00 GMT.

Though SRI needs to increase its public visibility, we chose not to hold a live congress this time. Our main goal is to update our analysis and strategy, and to share this discussion with the highest number of renaissance men and women, that we are sure greatly outnumber SRI supporters, worldwide! Holding an online chat congress, participants will be allowed to register for free, avoid any travel expenses and be able to comment and participate even when everyone else is offline. During the three days of the congress we will discuss five “theses” or thought documents, covering what we understand to be the key issues during next four years, up to the SRI 3rd world Congress, in 2020.

The title of the congress is “From Space Exploration to Space Settlement”.

We propose that world leaders need to understand that humanity urgently requires a change in direction from exploring space to developing civilian activities in space, finding ways to create human space settlements. A global renaissance is fighting the global crisis, producing social, technological and scientific transformations: in order to win, it needs to be taken off planet, to be a space renaissance!

“Thesis 1 – Our Committment to Astronautics” is an update of our analysis, about the current status of the civilization, faced to the challenges of nurturing the needs and industrial development of seven and half billion humans, avoiding further deterioration of the planetary environment, addressing the ever-increasing shortages of raw materials and energy sources. We will compare the history of the last five years, to the forecasts we made during the 1st SRI World Congress, held via SKYPE in 2011, especially as far as the development of civilian astronautics is concerned. We ask: “How can we influence global public opinion, demonstrating the extreme need for humanity to expand beyond Earth’s limits?” “Which are the most promising social and industrial processes, to be supported and further expanded?” And, “Is the science fiction scenario we used to love during the past century nothing more than a nostalgic dream, characterized by a romantic, vaguely retro, flavor?”

It is likely the term “astronaut” doesn’t apply to the civilian space passengers: Astronauts were sci-fi heroes, and are now military trained individuals who are carefully chosen and prepared for their missions. What we are talking about is our dream of taking a space vehicle as if we were taking a normal air flight, flying to the Moon or a Lagrange city whenever we desired. During such travels, one would not expect to go outside the vehicle in a space suit, just as we are not likely to sit on the wings of a jumbo jet during a flight from Milano to NewYork. We will not be “astronauts” at all, not even when we will reach our destination in space, where we will mostly live in closed environments.

Does a proper narrative exist, already, to stimulate people’s curiosity and make them feeling interested in space life? Do we need a new “futuristic” art movement? Perhaps we had enough futuristic visions, that always postponed to a more or less distant future the human expansion into space. A new art movement is deeply missed, but it should talk about our possible civilian life in space now, more than about future. An avant-garde awareness that we are late, from all points of view, and we have nomore time to waste. A word for defining such a movement doesn’t exist, yet. Usually, movements have birth before definitions.

Our duties, as awakened and conscious renaissance people, are enormous, and we could be terrified by the challenge… but we will not surrender. When looking up in the night sky and see the majesty of the Milky Way we know the possibilities waiting there … Looking at the sky is our power, the stars are our evolutionary destination. Like the first hominids who strained to stand up in upright position, we strive to think ourselves among the stars, in a 3d environment, limitless in every direction and degree of the space sphere.

“Thesis 2 – Space for Peace” discusses the rise in global conflicts that constitutes the biggest threat to the future of civilization. The underlying causes for these conflicts are numerous but most have to do with exerting control over natural resources and territories and the populations living in these regions by financial and geopolitical interests. Any major war that may occur in the next few years would have unpredictable consequences. As an alternative to the possibility of global war, we propose a civilian space development program that expands human activities into geo-lunar space, as the only valid counter measure to mitigate the risk of a global conflict and avoid an implosion of civilization. This theme will be a key part of our next four years program having a key place in all of our public events.

“Thesis 3 – Building the Space Renaissance” defines our program for next 4 years, including a primary initiative that will touch the five continents, distributing our space renaissance proposal around the world by lobbying the governments, collaborating with space agencies, trying to reproduce the exemplary experience of SpaceX to the entire “NewSpace” industrial segment. And, in addition, developing our proposals in the area of space law in the context of the 50th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty – the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies – which entered into force in October 1967 and provides the basic framework on international space law.

“Theses 4 – A New Communication Strategy” defines how we plan to multiply our out-reach, making a growing number of people aware of our proposals and initiatives, and encouraging them to join SRI and work with us, to wake up other renaissance people.

With “Theses 5 – Space Renaissance Academy” we will describe and set up our education program, that in its first phase will see the development of webinars (soon to be available online).

Please register to attend the congress for free, if you want to be sure you will be part of the SKYPE chat.

Registration only takes a few seconds, and will allow us to optimize the organizational process.

We also want to invite you to check out the theses documents, and feel free to propose a paper of your own or amendments to what you read:

An online form is available to upload your proposals to the congress.

Should you like to add any contribution/proposed amendments to the theses documents, please follow this procedure:

  1. read the theses documents (the above link)
  2. identify which theses document(s) your proposal(s) apply
  3. in case you want to submit a paper, use the proper template
  4. upload your text or paper

Are you a renaissance person? Do you think what we do is useful? Please also consider joining the Space Renaissance!

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