Essays on the space frontier

Space is the crucial frontier of our time. Whether we use the new millennium to establish self-supporting colonies out in space and on the Moon and Mars will be the definitive test of the fitness of our civilisation to survive and prosper.

Painting by David A. Hardy, from FUTURES by Patrick Moore and David A. Hardy.

The artist writes: “I received my author’s copy of FUTURES a couple of days ago, and am delighted with it – I think it’s my best art book yet!” (March 2004)

Useful references

Energy page (2003)

Space Policy Statements (2010)

New in 2011

• Towards the Sociology of the Universe – The Great Sociology Debate, arising from the Marxist critique of spaceflight offered by Peter Dickens and James Ormrod in their recent book Cosmic Society (supplemented with material added 30 August 2011)


• The Anthropogenic Global Warming Theory and the Hundred Million Year Outlook for Homo Sapiens, a review of Jan Zalasiewicz, The Earth After Us (added 4 February 2011)


• The Glob and Grunt cartoons (updated 24 January 2011)
  
  

New in 2010

• Towards the Sociology of the Universe, a review of the Marxist critique of spaceflight offered by Peter Dickens and James Ormrod in their recent book Cosmic Society; review by Stephen Ashworth (added 1 December 2010)


• Thumbs down for Avatar, a review of James Cameron’s blockbuster movie; review by Stephen Ashworth (added 16 February 2010)


• The Cetaceans, an original movie synopsis, by Stephen Ashworth (added 16 February 2010)

From 2009 and earlier

In chronological order, most recent at the top

• Not a Hoax, by Stephen Ashworth (added 26 November 2009)


• What should Europe’s first manned spacecraft look like?, by Stephen Ashworth (added 4 October 2009)


• Proposed lecture series: The 21st-Century Enlightenment, by Stephen Ashworth (added 14 June 2008)


• The great UK in space debate: British proposal to build two Habitation Extension Modules for the International Space Station, by Mark Hempsell, senior lecturer in Astronautics at the Dept of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol – versus The Hempsell plan: Boldly Going the Wrong Way, by Duncan Law-Green, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester (January 2008)


• A report on an evening meeting at the BIS: Three Ways to Mars, by Bob Parkinson, Alan Bond and Mark Hempsell, presented at the British Interplanetary Society, London, 24 October 2007; report written up by Stephen Ashworth (added 4 January 2008; PDF file)


• A letter to the BNSC: A Review of the Report of the UK Space Exploration Working Group, by Stephen Ashworth (released 25 October 2007; PDF file) – making the following points:
  1. Although the Global Exploration Strategy embodies noble aspirations (which I share), its narrow focus on science and spinoff invites constructive criticism.
  2. The SEWG is to be congratulated for attempting to broaden the scope of the Strategy. In particular, a strong case can be made that two important near-future space developments will be large-scale passenger spaceflight and space-based harvesting of solar power for use on Earth, both of which find a place in the Report. But regrettably, when it comes to draw up its scenarios and recommendations, the SEWG sets these aside and falls back into the conventional science and spinoff paradigm.
  3. The SEWG has therefore been unable to properly fulfil its mandate to assess the opportunities and benefits for Britain.


• Beyond the Psychoscope, by Stephen Ashworth – the long-awaited solution to the mind-body problem, or how consciousness is related to the brain (added 9 April 2007)


• Open letter to Prof. Garton Ash, by Stephen Ashworth – on Europe and exploration, responding to his article in the Feb. 2007 issue of Prospect magazine (added 9 April 2007)


• The Mission, the Business and the Tandem, by Stephen Ashworth – how can the public space agency and the private space business work together to make progress towards a spacefaring civilisation? (January 2005)


• Interview with George Armstrong, January 2100, by Stephen Ashworth (added 1 Jan. 2005)


• New stage play: The Moonlighter, by Stephen Ashworth (added 1 Jan. 2005)


• Concorde is still the shape of the future (added Oct. 2004)


• The Future of Fusion Power – discussion of the pros and cons of deuterium / helium-3 as a power source as opposed to deuterium / tritium, by Bill Spears of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project (17 Oct. 2003)


• What benefit did we ever get from putting men on the Moon in the 1960s? (added Aug. 2003)


• Energy page – how much room for economic expansion is there in space, and will there ever be enough that we might be able to build starships? (updated 18 May 2003)


• Check out Alan Wasser’s Space Settlement Initiative for innovative thinking on how sustainable missions to the Moon and Mars might be promoted (May 2003)


• “Why go to Mars?” – why Britain should be congratulated on the upcoming launch of Beagle 2 on 2 June 2003, and why decision-makers should be urged to follow up with a more serious Mars programme (May 2003)


• A Response to the views of Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin in their book The Sixth Extinction by Stephen Ashworth (31 Dec. 2001)


• Space, politics and British national identity – Stephen Ashworth writes to Michael Wills MP (22 Dec. 2000)


• "Let’s Build Colonies in the Solar System!" by Andreas Heidenreich (30 Sept. 1999)


• Space: philosophy of the future – can the space revolution provide the inspiration for the politics and ethics of the next millennium? (9 Sept. 1998)


• Why go into space? – here’s why: growth, security, and self-knowledge (August 1998)

Older items

• The Starchaser campaign – Britain’s leading entry in the international Ansari X-Prize competition of ten million dollars for the first non-government sub-orbital space flight


• The Beagle 2 campaign! – Britain’s Mars probe deserves a second chance to prove itself


• Essay: Why Should We Campaign? What Should We Campaign For?, by Stephen Ashworth


• Campaign Diary, by Stephen Ashworth


• Vote on the International Space Station – associates give their verdict on whether Britain should rejoin ESA’s astronaut programme, so that UK citizens can qualify for ISS flights (August 2003)


• Space Age: organisation and goals


• David A. Hardy – one of Britain’s best-known space artists


• Tom Harris – space activist, freelance author and speaker (Canada)

Stardust we are; to the stars we shall return.