SRIC4 #15: “Why Space? The Purpose of People” with Rick Tumlinson

This is the preliminary webinar #15 of the IV SRI World Congress (SRIC4)

Abstract

We are at a unique moment in the history of humanity—and of life itself. Within the next decade, the railroad to space will open, and human society will begin expanding into the Solar System. At last, the children of humanity can be given Permission to Dream: not of a civilization at its limits, and a MotherWorld strained by our own pillaging, but of a future greater—more grand and more exciting—than any before. While the established rationales for space remain largely valid, it is essential that those of us leading this movement adopt a shared set of driving ideas and Principles. Without them, it will be far too easy to slip into the ages-old patterns that have left us perhaps materially wealthy, but spiritually empty. If we simply repeat the mistakes of the past on the wider canvas of the Universe, then what have we achieved? The Principles of Purpose offer guiding lights by which we can steer into a new tomorrow—one that is bold and inspiring, empowering, and open to all.

A short bio

Rick Tumlinson is the co-founder of several space companies and non-profits including Deep Space Industries, Orbital Outfitters, the New Worlds Institute, and the Space Frontier Foundation. In 2004, Space News magazine listed Tumlinson as one of the 100 most influential people in the space industry, stating. Tumlinson produced a series of animated videos used to gain funding for the Air Force’s DC-X rocket project, the International Space University, the X-33 rocket program, the Air Force’s Space Command and created the first ever paid political announcement for space, which was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. Tumlinson worked for scientist Gerard K. O’Neill at the Space Studies Institute and was involved in starting the Lunar Prospector project which discovered hints of water on the Moon. Over the years he has been a witness in six congressional hearings on the future of NASA, the US space program and space tourism. In early 2004, Tumlinson testified before Senator John McCain and the Senate Space and Technology Committee on the Moon, Mars and Beyond program.