Blog – Page 12 – Space Renaissance

Jan

2017

A survey on space tourism

In the near future it may be possible to buy a ticket and travel into space. Indeed, several people have already done so. We would like to know how much you are willing to pay for a trip into space, what kind of trip you might like to take, and how much risk you are willing to accept.

Dec

2016

The SRI Board announced a position paper on civilian space development

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, and kicked-off the organization of the “Space Renaissance Tour”. The paper focuses the priorities of the international space advocacy association for the next four years.

Nov

2016

Moritz Bierling (Exosphere) interview to Adriano Autino, President of Space Renaissance International

Moritz Bierling (Exosphere) interviewed Adriano Autino, President of Space Renaissance International, in the frame of the Exosphere show called “The Creative Economy Interviews”. Autino talks about the Renaissance, begun 500 years ago, now aiming to outer space.
To make the meaningful steps of civilian expansion into outer space during next ten years is very urgent: low cost access to orbit, protection of life and human health for civilians passengers and settlers, a coherent space law system, to rule the commercial civilian activities in outer space.
The change of paradigm, now feasible, from military space exploration to civilization expansion into outer space. This is our presentist vision: the future shall be now! Traditional futurism, that used to promise a brilliant and distant future, is now obsolete. Humanity needs that brilliant future, now.
We recently had a very good methodology lesson by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX: let’s do what we can with the technologies we have, which demonstrated that we can certainly achieve immediate results.

Oct

2016

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

The Space Renaissance International 2nd World Congress took place on skype, since September 30th to October 2nd 2016, and it was a great event, with participants from all Continents. The SRI first World Congress had been held five years ago, in 2011. Since then, many things have changed, finally the space frontier initiated the opening process. The fully reusable rockets’ had first successful experimentation, this year, and the obsolete monopole of spendable rockets is finally broken. Fully reusable rockets are now a reality, thanks to a collaboration between the new space industry — Elon Musk’s SpaceX — and NASA.

Sep

2016

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

Thirty years after the Declaration on the Right to Development, 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. …
In the framework of the 2nd Space Renaissance International World Congress, September 20 – October 2, 2016: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Sep

2016

We will not be astronauts!

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

Aug

2016

Additive manufacturing: a disruptive renaissance technology!

A short reportage—and a few considerations—of the Additive Manufacturing workshop that ran from July 20th to July 22nd 2016. The workshop, organized by ASI, took place in the auditorium of the Tor Vergata branch in Rome. The initiative—relying on the expertise of Roberto Formaro, head of ASI’s Technology and Engineering Division, Danilo Rubini, and their staff—has without doubt been a success.
During the course of three days, it has seen more than 300 participants, mostly from the industrial and academic fields.

During the workshop, about fifty speakers have taken the floor. Of these, the 60% were representatives from industrial or technological research entities, 30% from universities, and 10% from research institutions.
Would you believe it possible that, during this seemingly endless economic crisis, in Italy of all places, an industrial sector is seeing growth rates in double figures? Well, this sector exists, and it is called Additive Manufacturing.

Jun

2016

Our interview with Jeff Greason – Are the major space agencies supporting the development of civilian astronautics?

Space Renaissance International has kicked-off the discussion leading towards its second world congress. Our first reflection is a self-critical one: in 2011, our first congress, we anticipated the kickoff of civilian astronautics that would be catalyzed by space tourism. But the long promised start of commercial suborbital flights did not occur as expected. In the meantime, SpaceX has become a key part of the revolution by developing reusable rockets, obtaining NASA contracts. Reducing the cost to orbit objectively supports the civilian astronautics development which allows more private enterprises to enter the market. Jeff Greason, who recently joined the Space Renaissance USA Chapter, says that there is more work to be done between LEO and GEO than what we expect, and that, working in orbital workshops and space transport nodes, human technicians will cost less, and be more efficient, than fully robotized systems.
To assemble satellites in orbiting facilities, by human technicians, and transport them from LEO to destination (GEO or intermediate), would be cheaper than to send them to destination from Earth, equipped with expensive automated mechanisms for self-deployment of antennas, solar panels, etc…. Humans for assembling, deploying, repairing and mantaining satellites and machines, are essential, and cheaper. The major space agencies market is anymore a closed captive market dominated by a cartel composed by few traditional aerospace dealers. NASA is now a competition field, that improves performance of all the suppliers. The main road to the building of geo-lunar space infrastructures: agencies to purchase services and supplies by private industry. Little doubt that a human return to the Moon, even with a permanent base could be done privately for something on the order or $10-$20 billion. No space agency is likely to do that so cheaply, and it is very difficult for the private sector to justify spending that money. But if space agencies really wanted a return to the moon – they can afford it, if they just buy it. Key to generate a virtuous industrial space market: to begin using extraterrestrial sources of propellant, coming from Lunar and asteroidal sources.