Introduction
We are going to run out of oil.
You may not see it. Your children might not see it, but your grandchildren almost certainly will. Please, think about the future, and the people (including your descendants) who have to live in it.
The Race To Space project is a "novel" approach to popularizing the only grid-level long-term solution (solar power satellites in geostationary orbit) for the looming end-of-oil crisis. The Race To Space book merges predictive fiction with a solid development plan to entertain and educate the reader in an effective way.
Please browse around this Race To Space site after reading this page. If you have any questions, feel free to email me for clarification. Subscribe if you'd like to be updated with progress reports. Buy a pre-publication copy of the book, or contact me directly for other investment arrangements. Join my LinkedIn network if you are not already in it, and let me know if you are interested in joining the active community I'm building.
There are two primary objectives writing the Race To Space book will achieve:
- First, there's the "predictive fiction" action story to tell that will thrill and entertain a wide spectrum of readers. It's the sort of thing Hollywood producers dream of - and yes, I'm looking at getting a movie version released into theatres. By engaging a wider audience, I expect to broaden the interest and participation in the Race To Space project's larger goals.
- Second, the book will include a hard-facts business plan for a system that will put solar power satellites in Earth orbit. Those satellites will be a major part of the energy supply human civilization needs to survive beyond the end of our fossil fuel reserves. The business plan will be the catalyst which starts that project, and ultimately gets the system built.
The fictional story is built around competition for The Nebula Prize, a major prize being offered for achievement of a significant space development objective. Populated by a couple of eccentric billionaires and other groups vying for the Prize, it's filled with ambition, intrigue, romance and more than a few plot twists. By the time all is said and done, someone will end the prize, but that will be just the beginning of a much bigger story!
As for the book itself, my aim is to sell at least a million copies.
The business plan is an equally important part of the Race To Space project: Building a constellation of solar power satellites will require a tremendous investment. Also, the work of many thousands of people, if not millions, will be needed for the effort, and the construction is not going to happen overnight. When it's done, my thesis will have realistic estimates of the costs involved, how many jobs will be created, and how long it will take to finish. I first started writing about this effort many years ago, and the version currently online has, in many ways, turned into an "interesting antique" rather than a plan that's relevant to today's level of technology. However, there is still a lot of good material there, so I've got a solid foundation to work from. The new presentation will define a specific course of action that we can "take to the bank" to get the next round of funding needed to put the plan in motion.
Getting the Race To Space book written and into stores is currently my main objective. As much as possible, I would like to move the movie version forward simultaneously as well. In the longer term, my goal is to get my space business up and running, along with all of the related "side project" efforts such as properly establishing the L5 National Bank, making SpaceColonists.org a thriving organization, and moving the Space History Newsletter to SpaceHistoryNews.com where it belongs. Toward those longer term goals, I'm looking for volunteers, partners and participants to build an interested community, with the intent of making profitably moving off-planet a reality. Please let me know if you would like to join the group, how you'd like to contribute, and what you are expecting in return.
Pre-ordering a copy of the Race To Space book will help support the project, you can reach the Reserve Your Copy Now page through the buttons at the upper right corner of nearly every page on this site. If you'd like to invest in the Race To Space project, please look over the About Funding page for an overview of the options currently available.
Thank you for your time and interest. I look forward to working with you, and I hope you enjoy the show!
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