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In what sounds like a backstory for a sci-fi B-movie, a team from the Aerospace International Research Center (AIRC) has announced plans for Asgardia, a "space nation" satellite that will operate as its own country, independent of any Earthly nation state. At a press conference in Paris this week, project leader Dr Igor Ashurbeyli outlined the philosophical, legal and scientific goals and issues of Asgardia, as well as put out a call for Earthlings to apply to be its first citizens, and help design its flag and other national symbols.
Fans of Norse mythology (or Marvel movies) will recognize the name Asgardia as stemming from the city in the skies ruled by Odin. According to Ashurbeyli, it was chosen to represent the unifying philosophy behind the project.
"It is the realization of man's eternal dream to leave his cradle on Earth and expand into the Universe," Ashurbeyli explains. "Asgardia's philosophical envelope is to 'digitalize' the Noosphere, creating a mirror of humanity in space but without Earthly division into states, religions and nations. In Asgardia we are all just Earthlings!"
Tip for Asgardia: If Matt Damon wants to use your Med Bay, let him.
takyon: Also at BBC and asgardia.space.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @12:17PM
With companies calling the shots, I'd expect a "country" name more like Amazon or eBay, and with the residents consisting of a captive audience of customers who work for them and purchase everything from them. Kind of a creepy futuristic ring to that. :)
Given that people can't really live in space permanently (radiation, declining bone density), I guess they'd still have to return to some country at some point.
Interesting thought experiment for sure.
(Score: 1) by fraxinus-tree on Friday October 14 2016, @12:57PM
In fact, people CAN live in space permanently. Neither radiation nor weightlessness are unsolvable problems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @01:14PM
People can't live permanently, full stop.
And if we substitute "live permanently" with "live until they die" then nothing is an unsolvable problem.
Let's ask more meaningful question then:
- Can people procreate, grow, and develop, up to the age at which they are able to procreate, and meanwhile do useful work to
earn their and their minor offspring subsistence, as well as own funeral after they are done, ... in space?
Corollary:
- Would it be worthy to them?
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @02:06PM
The biggest issue will be changing diapers in zero gravity. I don't think that one is solvable.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @02:11PM
Humorous, but undoubtedly they would at least use a spinning section to simulate gravity.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @02:51PM
Clearly you've never changed a diaper or you'd know the contents are already immune to gravity and logic.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @07:32PM
Antarctica is more hospitable than space--it has breathable air and (frozen) water--yet humans haven't figured out how to create a SELF-SUSTAINING settlement there.
After THAT has been accomplished without needing continual resupply, THEN it's time to think about settling extraterrestrial space.
radiation [...] weightlessness
Those are a matter of scale.
You achieve gravity by spinning the structure.
In order to avoid vertigo, the thing has to be HUGE--making it MANY orders of magnitude more expensive than anything done to date.
Off-planet, resources are at a premium, so, finding ways such that everything up there will do double-duty would be really smart.
Radiation requires shielding.
Encapsulate the living space with several meters of water, which will be needed anyway.
...and the concept of "waste" will need to become a thing of the past.
Everything will need to be infinitely recycled.
So, until replicators are invented and become practical, you can forget this whole notion.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Friday October 14 2016, @04:15PM
Buy n Large?
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