Guest Editorial

Space Renaissance International salutes you for your courage and sacrifice in standing up for the interests of all people of the world in the face of corporate greed that would sell out the planet for the sake of profit. You have demonstrated the power of the public to influence the course of history in the same way that protesters in many Middle East countries have proven that democracy can prevail over autocratic rule.

There are countless examples of how the manipulators of money have taken advantage of the freedoms embodied in the capitalist system to wreck the lives of millions. The economic collapse witnessed in recent years is one of the most glaring of such abuses in recent years. One must look no further than the global environment, however, to see the wholesale damage wrought by placing selfish gain over the common good. This practice has imperiled almost 7 billion human beings, placing humanity and civilization on the precipice of total destruction. We would like to remind you that in addition to protesting the violations of human values symbolized by Wall Street there are also worthwhile goals to demonstrate for - goals that offer a way out of the dilemma left by careless following of traditional political and economic paths. The democratic freedoms can be used for very much higher ends! These ambitions are found in Space Renaissance (http://www.spacerenaissance.org/), which is a movement dedicated to the exploration and development of extraterrestrial space. The only way to assure the continuation of our civilization and begin to relieve our mother planet from the burden of human development, fulfilling mankind's destiny to advance to a solar civilization, taking advantage of all the resources beyond the confines of Earth to improve the lives of all its residents.

Space Renaissance - which is likened to the Renaissance that began to move Western civilization out of the Dark Ages some 600 years ago - offers an alternative to the traditional economic models of capitalism and state socialism. It would meld free enterprise with the collective spirit and will to further humanity's horizons and expand our reach to solve problems ranging from energy and the environment to education and healthcare.

We, the people, can realize low cost access to Earth's orbit (first step for any other goal), build space-based solar power stations to capture the Sun's power and relay it to Earth via microwave or some other method to provide the bulk of the planet's energy needs. We can create millions of jobs worldwide through a space industry geared toward civilian passenger space transportation and hosting, tapping resources on the Moon and Near Earth Asteroids, collecting solar energy, building habitats for humans in orbiting settlements or perhaps on the Moon, and - perhaps most significant of all - launching a program over the coming decades to fulfill the eternal dream of traveling to other star systems within our galaxy or beyond.

All of this is possible, and there already are millions of people working toward such goals. It will take an international effort, unbridled by the current global political structures, and unencumbered by exclusive and restrictive economic systems symbolized by Wall Street. We hope you will join with us in advancing the spirit and fulfilling the goal of advancing civilization into a new age - one of Space Renaissance.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in editorials are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of The SETI League, Inc., its Trustees, officers, Advisory Board, members, donors, or commercial sponsors.