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The Space Frontier Foundation's Fourth Annual
Return to the Moon Conference
"Crossroads to the Cosmos"
July 18 - 20, 2002 (33rd anniversary of the first moon landing)
At the Hilton NASA Clear Lake Hotel, Houston, Texas
Conference Manager: Manny Pimenta
Honorary Co-Chairs: George Abbey, Wendell Mendell and John Young
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The Space Frontier Foundation is soliciting abstracts on several specific topics pertinent to the establishment and operation of a permanent lunar settlement. The primary requirement for this settlement is that it be economically self-sufficient (i.e. it must turn a profit) in the long term.
To this end, the methods and means used to attain our permanent foothold must not be based on any one single strategy. The creative forces of the free market must be harnessed and combined with public (governmental) needs and plans to generate myriad different approaches competing and combining in novel and unexpected ways to create a fertile environment for the outward expansion of the human race.
Along with this primary requirement we also ask that any new ideas submitted be conservatively based on existing technologies (That is, we should be able to achieve our goal with current technology or with reasonable extrapolations of current technological trends and research.) Papers demonstrating an understanding of the need for synergistic systems and activities to create the needed economic momentum are preferred. We are also interested in proposals that create synergy with existing or potential government space activities (transportation or life support systems that serve both Lunar and possible Mars exploration needs for example).
We believe that in order to achieve economic viability and increase the probability of success, the lunar settlement must incorporate as diverse a range of activities as possible. Examples include tourism, industrial research, mining operations (He3, precious metals, ice recovery, regolith processing, etc), far side astronomy and scientific research, spaceport and planetary missions training facilities, asteroid and NEO detection, power generation, etc.
Papers and ideas are welcome on any relevant subject but we are most interested in addressing the following areas:
1. Policy and Planning
2. Habitats and Architecture
3. Power Systems
4. Life Support
5. Transportation
6. Space Enterprises
7. Science
Given our goal of refining and moving towards a lunar settlement that is actually realizable, we are going beyond mere presentations to include a winnowing and future focus session. The end of the symposium will include a review of the presented papers and a voting procedure by the attendees to determine those presentations which deserve more focus in the next year, and those which need more work and development.
Thus, we hope to begin sculpting a comprehensive baseline design that integrates all these different and sometimes competing requirements into a logical, coherent architecture. The eventual baseline design(s) should address basic questions such as how large should the colony be? How many people should it support? How soon could it be achieved? What support infrastructure will it require? How will the government and private sector interact and support each other? What will the economic and scientific drivers be? What are the logical first steps that can be taken today, tomorrow?
Abstracts must be 1,000 words or less and provide an outline of a presentation on ideas or technology developed within the last ten years plus a brief biography of the presenter (not counted as part of the 1,000 word limit).
Papers on all relevant subjects are also invited for a poster session. All presentations will be included in a published volume following the event.
Abstracts must be submitted in electronic form before April 29, 2002 by e-mail to RTM4@space-frontier.org or by postal mail (Text or Microsoft Word format please) to the Space Frontier Foundation. |
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Space Frontier Foundation
16 First Avenue
Nyack, NY 10960
800-78-SPACE
(800-787-7223)
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Andrew Chaikin's A Man on the Moon is the definitive guide to the Apollo program. Click above to order from Amazon.com.
Robert A. Heinlein's classic, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, is a must read for all Lunar enthusiasts.
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