 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Origin >
Dangerous Futures >
The Moon as backup drive for civilization
Permanent link to this article: http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/articles/art0686.html
Printable Version |
|
| |
|
The Moon as backup drive for civilization
Imaginative new ideas for using space to protect civilization against existential risks, such as killer asteroids, nuclear war, and global terrorism, are in the works. The public increasingly sees NASA as irrelevant; we need a revitalized new vision of space, says a new breed of space activists. Gerard O'Neill would be proud.
Backing up civilization's collective
hard drive—its recorded archive—on the Moon and creating
a self-sufficient colony there precisely so it can act as a lifeboat
in case a calamity strikes Earth: that's the rationale for a new book
from Forge Books, The
Survival Imperative: Using Space to Protect Earth, according
to author William E. Burrows.
"That should be the overarching reason for moving there, not
to mine resources or for the sake of a grand adventure. And the
move outward must start with the Moon, not Mars. The Moon is three
or four days away, not a year, so it makes logistical sense and
is cheaper. And if there's an accident on the Moon, help or a safe
haven are likewise four days away. Finally, the lunar colony ought
to be NASA's overriding (but not only) mission, especially since
it walked off a cliff after Apollo. That's what the book is about.
It's my gift to the home planet."
Burrows presents a dramatic scenario of a killer-asteroid impact
and highlights other existential risks facing the Earth, including
nuclear war, terrorism, and in the future, gray
goo and nanoweapons—"a far greater danger" than
nuclear weapons, he says, quoting Ray Kurzweil's The
Age of Spiritual Machines. And he lays out a revitalized
national space program that coordinates efforts in global defense,
environmental protection, communications, and military security.
"Planetary defense should be conducted, not as a major program
within the space agency, but as the agency's highly focused, overarching,
mission.... The core mission, in its totality, would send humans
and robots to space for mutually supportive operations specifically
designed to protect the planet. That is to say, NASA, its collective
foreign counterparts, and other cooperating U.S. agencies, should
assume the role of Earth's guardians." (From Chapter 8, The
Guardians, which can be read here.)
Reviving the spirit of Gerard O'Neill
Futurist/author Howard
Bloom agrees, and is bringing together key space activists on
October 21st in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to help make imaginative
new space programs—including solar power from space to head
off a global energy crisis—a key factor in the 2008 and 2012
presidential elections.
"One or more generations of Americans does not see a reason
for spending a dime on space," he says. "One or more generations
of Americans imprinted as kids on something very different than
we did. They imprinted on spaceship Earth, on the view that this
is a planet with dwindling resources and that we have sinned against
nature and must atone.
"Our goal is to accomplish in the early 21st century what
Werner Von Braun, Willy Ley, Chesley Bonestell, and Robert Heinlein
accomplished in the early 1950s with their TV show (Tom Corbett
Space Cadet), their film (Destination Moon), their magazine articles,
and their books. They planted the image of an as-yet-unborn space
program so tangibly in the public imagination that it made Americans
hunger for space for half a century.
"I'd like to propose an NFL-style press campaign to elevate
the visibility of the space efforts of the non-NASA players and
to raise the level of public aspiration by inspiring it with the
immediacy of a new frontier we can open wide in our lifetime, a
new frontier that can dramatically upscale the lives of our children
and of their children after them.
"As a scientist of mass behavior who did his fieldwork by
founding the leading public relations firm in the music industry,
I have a sense of a structure that can achieve this aim. Each of
our participants also is far above average in organizational abilities.
Together I believe we can forge a plan that's practical, delivers
results, and lifts the eyes of humanity."
The Lifeboat
Foundation, which also supports this goal, is "assembling
the best minds on the planet to develop these and other strategies
for dealing with existential risks," said founder Eric Klien.
"In the near future, terrorism will become a serious problem,
first with biological and nuclear weapons and later with nanoweapons.
It is time to secure the future of humanity by establishing a location
off this planet."
Uploading to the moon?
The moon as digital archive could also play an important future
role in the CyBeRev
program being developed by satellite communications pioneer Dr.
Martine Rothblatt.
She visualizes storing one's life history—"digital reflections
of their mannerisms, personality, recollections, feelings, beliefs,
attitudes and values—with as great a fidelity as is possible."
Future developments in mind-uploading technology and regenerative
medicine would then "enable the recovered cyberconscious CyBeRev
person to transfer their mind into a synthetic body (including brain),
such as one made out of nanotechnological materials."
Eventually these would be instantiated into "a flesh body
(including brain) grown from totipotent stem cells in which genetic
engineering techniques have suppressed the development of a separate
mind."
- Amara D. Angelica
| | |
|
| |
Mind·X Discussion About This Article:
 |
|
|
 |
Frontier Shock is Required
|
|
 |
|
>I think the biggest step in your thinking as a nation is to realise that only a global collaboration can achieve such goals. Americans arn't the only damn people on the planet!
No offence taken. Thanks for your good points.
Rocket engineer, Robert Zubrin, says competition is better than collaboration. See his books, CASE FOR MARS, ENTERING SPACE, ENERGY VICTORY.
He rightfully states that manned spaceflight has been dead since the Soviets and US were competing for space. Also, the ITER project, being based on international "cooperation" rather than competition, is taking forever to make even relatively small decisions.
I have to agree with Zubrin. Homo Sapiens is an ill-motivated creature. He seeks pleasure and profit and would rather sit on a planet doing nothing unless his life is threatened or he is in competition out of fear.(1)
Until people stop sitting on their asses watching movies/media, drinking beer and screwing, nothing much is going to be happening.
Read ENTERING SPACE where Zubrin says we need "frontier shock" to prevent stagnation. The lack of this and competition, combined with the above mind-numbing technologies and past times, are sure to keep us locked to a planet.
James
-----------------
(1) But since fear-challenged psychopaths have infiltrated the gov, is it any wonder? See http://www.mecfilms.com/universe/articles.psychopa ths.htm |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Re: Self-sufficient moon colony
|
|
|
|
BTW, I hear that we shouldn't bother moving out West because nobody can haul a city in a covered wagon. And it's a hostile untamed environment out there.
Besides, if it weren't too difficult, it would most certainly be too expensive; and if not too expensive, it would be far too uncertain; and if not too uncertain, it surely sounds too utopian; and EVERYBODY knows that we can't just give up and cave in to modest and incrementally attainable aspects of a pragmatic utopian future all watched over by machines of loving grace, right?
After all, SOMEONE has to defend the right to live in disease and famine and poverty and inequity and injustice. Moreover, the fact that humans have not ever succeeded in building anything even remotely resembling a functional non-resource constrained society is clearly proof that we never will. After all, what more proof do you need that something cannot possibly come to pass other than the fact that it hasn't come to pass, already ... right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: Self-sufficient moon colony
|
|
|
|
But isn't this about the idea more than the specifics? The technology does not exist to completely back-up all human knowledge and/or the human race on the moon in any fashion approaching permanent. This is, sadly, very true. The idea I believe, is to begin. This is a necessary act. There is nothing to be gained by waiting for the necessary technology to be available. In fact, I would think that, logically, once we are able to travel to the moon in a cost effective manner, move the data in a cost effective manner, store it in a permanent fashion, and so forth, wouldn't we necessarily have advanced to the point that such a repository would then be superfluous? So at first it's a few people and a couple of Beatles albums, that's much more than would survive now. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Info-Resurrection and the CyBeRev program
|
|
|
|
The main message in this article is not to base human life in the moon but to turn the moon into a computerized back up copy of humans, in case of existential calamity to extinct human consciousness here on Earth. I was amazed to learn for the first time today about the CyberRev program by Dr Marthin Rothblat which is quite similar to the Info-Resurrection method I am developing in recent months, and intend to send first to KurzweilAI.net and to Ray Kurzweil the leading future pioneer himself. in my work I strive to show how a competent "Identity Critical Information", based on the reductionist theories of the self can be captured now for future reanimation. 'Our inclination to create models is culminating in our rapidly growing efforts to create virtual environments and to populate these artificial worlds with virtual humans.' Foreword to Virtual Humans by Ray Kurzweil
But who will be those first virtual humans?
'The Info-Resurrection' claim is that they will be real people living today, first simulated as non conscious yet very convincing and vivid 'personalized' AI in the cyberspace, and later when conscious AI will emerge, these simulations of real persons will be the first individual humans living today, completely transformed into artificial brains ' and bodies - with all its implications.
info-resurrection is a method to survive oneself to the 'transhuman future, the singularity and beyond' through 'reliable and advanced self identity capture' to retain ' the critical information regarding the identity and the personality' as well as possibly retaining one's genotype, for future converging information technologies to reinstantiate that information either as 'info-resurrected' clone of oneself or better off as a human machine merger - cyborg ' or wholly non biological brain in all its various possible manifestations. 'artificial brains'
In other words, info-resurrection will reanimate a clone of yours, but a clone which carry the life experience, personality and the self identity of yourself at your present phase life and better off, transformed to pure artificial life forms enormously more capable than our DNA-based biology.
The central 'info-resurrection' claim to be defended in this work is that the critical information regarding a person and his identity can be gathered by reliable 'personality capture' procedure available mostly today and can shortly be refined and perfected, thus, future IT ' AI and molecular manufacture ' will reanimate a reliable and very similar duplicate of yours, to the effect of your survival - in case worst come to worst and the old self didn't made it. Personally I follow Kurzweil's 'Fantastic Voyage' biological strategy of survival, and sure this is the prime way, just to survive long enough biologically to live forever, but shouldn't we insure ourselves by having a good back up information copy of ourselves, if this is feasible?
David Ish-Shalom
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: Info-Resurrection and the CyBeRev program
|
|
|
|
One question I have about the transfer of one's "identity" or "self" to a "new version" of yourself (cyborg, clone, nonbiological, whatever) is what happens to the original? For instance, if we are using brain copying methods to get an exact copy at the electrochemical level of my brain and let another entity (my "version 2.0") use that, then there would, in effect, simply be two of me. I would still exists as my own self, only there would be another "me" in existence as well. This is easy to grasp.
The difficult part comes in the "transition" from simply being me to being me 2.0. I would imagine that logically, since my "identity" is now stored in me 2.0, there is no need to keep the old version around. So to external observers, simply "shutting down" the old hardware would okay, since my data is copied over. But I would not be sharing the experiences of the new "me", so this would (from my own perspective) be the same as dying. While to the external world, this wouldn't matter because my data still exists, it is not logical to assume that I would "go to sleep" and immediately begin experiencing from my "new" perspective. Logically, I would just cease to exist from my own point of view.
Any ideas on this??
- Enosch |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: The Moon as backup drive for civilization
|
|
|
|
I doubt if we can effectively motivate enough of civilization to establish a back up colony on the moon. Usually throughout history, the biggest motivator to do anything is someone always trying to destroy another. So natural human greed and malice may aid the cause of promoting a moon colony. In the coming years I expect to see a lot of conflict, with the looming oil crisis(see the website for the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO) )around 2015 and a myriad of other factors; demand for fossil fuels will be higher than production, causing a shortfall. We are so utterly dependant on fossil fuels; when the oil bust hits us without any alternatives, world-wide economic crisis will ensue followed by war. With oil wealth in the hands tyrannical nations, its only a matter of time before a major city will be attacked with nuclear weapons based upon current conditions.
Hopefully soon technological advancement will outpace any dangers presented to us, but becoming more than human will cause much strife of its own. Not everybody is going to play by the rules and powerful tech will be abused. Human advancement is the only option for the social security problem, but this option will most likely be for the rich and powerful.
Human physical advancement is the solution for space colonization, due to lethal radiation and gravity sickness, and that means no giant hamster wheels for us. As for the problems of producing tools and other necessities, this will be solved by nano- synthesizers ("NANOFUTURE" by J. Storrs Hall, is a good reading on the subject). Production of fuel and construction materials without synthesizers can be accomplished with microwaving "regolith" (see February 2007 of discover magazine). In my opinion, there are three options for getting people and supplies to the moon. One: build more effective spacecraft that can escape earths orbit fly around in space. Two: a slightly less comfortable ride would is to build a space cannon capable of launching cargo into orbit, but this means that fine china and un-enhanced beings will be PULVERIZED! Three: The space elevator concept.
The last ingredient for life beings to flourish throughout the solar system and possibly beyond is the need for HUGE amounts of energy. There are many possible options but to yours truly, the best are highly efficient solar cells and nuclear fusion reactors. The amount of energy hitting the earth daily is 10000 times the amount society uses daily, and covering the moon with solar cells would solve the energy needs of people on the moon. Fusion is a possible solution with potential ("The Fusion Quest" by T. Kenneth Fowler is a good beginner reading for fusion, also www.brian-mcdermott Dotcom is a good fusion resource). Id like to know how advancements in nanotech could solve the fusion dilemma, any feedback would be appreciated.
Sorry about writing so much, it's hard to get the whole perspective with only a couple of paragraphs. I'm sure anyone reading this probably knows more about this than I.
Remember, were all on the same team, but we just have different ways of playing the game.
Yours Truly and Happy Hunting
SchadenfreudeWarmonger
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: The Moon as backup drive for civilization
|
|
|
|
BackUp To RePartition/ The Wrong Stuff
To expect a Codex of Earth Civilisation that may be uploaded to the moon not to become corrupted from when the first habitats are buried and when the Codex is needed again by Earth is a fallacy.
Succesive generations of Lunar Society will increasingly diverge from Earth civilisation. Lunar inhabitants will reside at the bottom of a much shallower gravity well than Earth and will not be subject to the same seasonal patterns. They will inhabit a rarefied biota not only different from our own but more fundamentaly, one that is actively and scrupulously maintained by themselves. Figuring prominently in the minds of lunar inhabitants will be the status of each and every system that second by second regulates and ultimately ensures their survival. We are only now beginning to think green they have no option but to fear the red of a sytems status alert.
No more will these people rise to each fresh and new day, look to the blue sky, feel the wind on their faces and thank God for their survival. They will thank themselves. If even moderately successful they will soon grow tired of Earth dwellers and their contempt of the Earths unlimited bounty. Perhaps their contempt will be driven by resentment during a period akin to adolescence when they might regard themselves as a mere outpost, or worse as lepers cast out into the night. But if they endure this initial sense of austerity and isolation will wane.
They might well raid the riches of Earths history , the guardianship of which they have been charged ,and find analogy with a past civilisation at a similar cusp to their own. I quote from Benjamin Franklin 'Advice to a Young Tradesman
"the way to wealth if you desire it, is as plain as the way to market. It depends on two words Industry and Frugality"
They will see that as once the sea faring Old World of Europe deposited a small band of dissaffected settlers on the shores of an undiscovered continent that posed many hardships in the short term whilst offering great wealth to anyone with neccesary grit and vision, they too have a similar opportunity.
I suspect they would soon look to Earth as an anachronism, a senile grandparent unable or unwilling to make the tough choices that they make every second to ensure their survival.
Now back to our own fate and that day that we need whatever this Lunar colony has held in trust for us. At that time we will be at the bottom not only of a gravity well but also in the depths or so its seems for our lunar progeny of a world view that is simply absurd.
The transmission log may go something like this;
Houston:- Send us down our seed banks
Luna:- You mean the proprietry terminator clones ones that you sent us or the open source strains that we developed ourselves and that abound in our transhabitats.
Houston:- OUR seed banks
Luna:- I suspect your patents no longer apply
Houston:- Okay then would you mind realigning the the microwave downlinks on the Phase B Lagrangian L4 solar array. You seem to have irradiated several sections of the midwestern refugee belts.
Luna:- The L4 outpost including most of my family have been decimated by tactical kinetic strike by an as of yet, unidentified element of your 'Axis of Evil'
Houston:- Luna, Do we have a problem?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: The Moon as backup drive for civilization
|
|
|
|
Good luck, but there is no way you can make a moon colony self sufficient!
While there are metals and huge amounts of oxygen locked up in lunar rock, the moon practically lacks such vital ingredients as nitrates, phosphates, carbonates and hydrates, basically everything you need to sustain life and agriculture (even though there might be some hydrogen in the form of polar water ice).
And if you plan to ship it all up there, please note that Moore's Law has nothing to do with energy requirements and thrust-to-weight ratios.
Luna is good enough for a giant observatory on the far side, enabling us to spot earthlike planets around Alpha Centauri, and a second utility might include a mining operation, since potentially platinum group metals could be there, but as a self sustaining world next door to Terra, forget about it! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: The Moon as backup drive for civilization
|
|
|
|
Oh yeah, that's right. Molecular and sub-molecular nano-assembly will build everything EXCEPT nitrates, phosphates, carbonates and hydrates. I forgot about that part. Phew. Good thing someone reminded us in time.
But I do agree that it's crucial to emphatically squelch and discredit any apparently discordant higher aspirations before those pesky and persistently enthusiastic, creative, and intelligent problem solvers run off and heal the whole damned planet; or teraform Luna with their loony nanofactories.
Besides, I've always said that I will defend my right to a short, inconsequential, and miserable life TO THE DEATH! So who needs a moon backup?
But seriously, we can't have a little fun making fun of ourselves while Saving the Universe, why bother? Besides, just a smidgin' of disingenuous self-deprecation always helps to put the public at ease, don't you agree? :o) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: The Moon as backup drive for civilization
|
|
|
|
Oh yeah, that's right. Molecular and sub-molecular nano-assembly will build everything EXCEPT nitrates, phosphates, carbonates and hydrates. I forgot about that part. Phew. Good thing someone reminded us in time.
Last time I checked nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon were atoms and the only place I'm aware that basic elements heavier than helium can be "assembled" is inside aging and dying stars (helium is produced in main sequence stars by the way).
I'm nevertheless open to suggestions. After all, what do I know, I'm no scientist.
But I do agree that it's crucial to emphatically squelch and discredit any apparently discordant higher aspirations before those pesky and persistently enthusiastic, creative, and intelligent problem solvers run off and heal the whole damned planet...
I was just reacting to the starry eyed, overreachiing pie in the sky optimism I was sensing in that article. Nanomanufacturing submolecular matter sounds *very* hypothetical to me, not mentioning that just a molecular nanoreplicator as far as I know still only remains theory.
....or teraform Luna with their loony nanofactories.
The end result will in any event be only 1/6 Earth gravity. I wouldn't want to be among the muscle antrophied and skeleton deteriorated second generation settlers on such a world, if indeed succesful childbearing will be even possible. The Moon is not a place to spend too much time on for too long. More like, grab potential riches and get out fast (at least for anything but hundred percent cyborgs)!
Besides, I've always said that I will defend my right to a short, inconsequential, and miserable life TO THE DEATH! So who needs a moon backup?
Correct, who needs it? Speaking of backups on the other hand, humanity ought to go to Mars instead. It's the only place in the solar system which is actually potentially capable of generating a self sufficient branch of human civilization, well, more or less anyway. Besides, if we get lucky with certain factors, we already know how to terraform Mars including short term, although an oxygenated atmosphere will probably take about a thousand years to accomplish.
But seriously, [if] we can't have a little fun making fun of ourselves while Saving the Universe, why bother? Besides, just a smidgin' of disingenuous self-deprecation always helps to put the public at ease, don't you agree? :o)
*lol* Yeah, okay, guess I can't argue with the last sentence. Nevertheless, we should count ourselves lucky if we manage to save the human species for expansion in our interplanetary and interstellar neighbourhood to begin with (the universe can certainly wait for its redeemer), and the only way to start doing that is to take a long and realistic look at our actual opportunities. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
