FYI
First private Space Station OPENS next Week.
"Dear Foundationers and fighters for the Frontier,
Next Wed. at 10:30 PST (current estimate) history will take another step
along the path we are blazing.
At that moment, the first two human beings to enter space without government
funding will open the hatch and enter the world's first commercial space
station.
This is YOUR victory, and you should start right now, today, telling the
world and those around you how it happened, and what it means.
The Foundation and our fellow Frontier Movement organizations should grab
this opportunity and get the word out.
Don't be mislead by discussions of ISS or the fact that they will be
Russians. The mess ISS is in goes well beyond any bad deals NASA cut with
their team members....and where these employees live is irrelevant, they are
humans, and they will be working for a company founded on the core principles
of our cause.
At that time or shortly thereafter, we will be declaring victory in our Keep
Mir Alive Campaign, closing the formal WEBsite and beginning the next phase
of our battle to create Alpha Town - the first human community in space - the
hand off from NASA of the ISS to the private sector.
Poss. slogan - We have privatized the former Soviet space station, now it is
time to privatize our own...)
Our push will be to force the creation of a National Commission to recommend
how the ISS can be turned over to a non-governmental entity to act as
landlord and manager of the facility. (Interestingly, this will help free
NASA up from doing a job it wasn't designed to do and is killing the agency,
to prep for Mars...if the next Pres. should choose to do so...)
This event needs you to amplify and explain it, for if we don't, others who
do not share nor comprehend our vision will. Please, begin today writing
OpEds, letters to editors, offering to speak to local radio and media, and
sending letters etc. to your representatives in Congress etc... letting them
know it is the dawn of a new era in space. If you feel unable to go public
yourself, create the opportunity and call our office at 818-985-7781, we will
supply the spokesperson.
The momentum created by this project is ours to use or lose. MirCorp may
succeed or fail based on business criteria which are none of our concern, but
we must not let them fail based on misunderstanding and negative PR generated
by those who still think they hold the keys to space. It would be a tragedy,
if other concerns or fear of controversy caused us to hesitate when we have
produced one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of our movement.
Your fellow members of the Frontier Movement have put their lives, money and
reputations on the line as they have charged ahead into the cannons of the
establishment.
Back them up, and we can win the future.
Join us."
Rick Tumlinson
President, The Space Frontier Foundation
Exec. Director, F.I.N.D.S.
PS - Some of you may recall a little pirate flag that has waved over our
offices for years and I occaisionally unfurl during speeches....also
allusions to such privateering concepts I have made over time....that flag is
on its way to Russia as I write this, to be flown aboard Mir...
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:08:58 MDT