future energy needs – Citizens for Space Based Solar Power

Energy from Outer Space: A SSP Course on Udemy.com

This is the first of several course preview videos available at
https://www.udemy.com/course/space-solar-power/

The course author, John Clarkson, contacted me through C-SBSP to make me aware of this online course about space-based solar power. I have purchased the course and completed the 1-1/2 hours of included lectures on a broad range of SBSP-related topics. Many other learning resources are also included.

I have concluded that this course would be worthwhile to anyone seeking a solid introduction into the following topics from the course outline:

Space Based Solar Power (SBSP)
How SBSP works
What are its major advantages and drawbacks of SBSP?
Which nations are developing SBSP and why?
An idea of what it costs to get SBSP into orbit
Rockets, how they work, with some mathematics
Orbital mechanics and how this is relevant to SSP
Wider future market opportunities for SBSP, including direct and indirect markets both new and to be developed
Why SBSP will be an investment in the future
SBSP weapons – Are they feasible? Can we make them safe?
A wider knowledge of the economics of energy and how SBSP can change it

Energy from Outer Space on Udemy.com

Read more about the course author, John Clarkson, along with this and other related courses at his website, Future of Energy College.

SBSP: For Future Generations

China: The Long March 9 and Long Term Planning

President Kennedy Addresses Congress May 25, 1961
(Photo from NASA Commons on Flickr)

China plans to use a new super heavy-lift rocket currently under development to construct a massive space-based solar power station in geostationary orbit.
by Andrew Jones in June 28, 2021 Space News

The American four-year political cycle dissipates tremendous amounts of energy and opportunity like so much waste heat. Right, wrong or indifferent, when the first acts of every new administration are to undo the efforts of the previous administration in some made-for-television show of power and bravado, truly important projects like space-based solar power (SBSP), which require long-term planning and commitment, may literally never get off the ground for the citizens of the United States.

Without the authority to enter into international treaties, the private sector probably can’t implement SBSP on its own. Without the incentive to plan and execute outside of the four-year political cycle, the government probably can’t implement SBSP on it’s own.

Does logic suggest that a public-private partnership will be required to develop and implement SBSP for Americans? Do we have to rely on Congress to create that partnership? Spurring Congress to that meaningful action might fall on the shoulders of all Citizens for Space Based Solar Power.

Read the full Space News article:
China’s super heavy rocket to construct space-based solar power station

NSS: “Dear Earth”

Dear Earth: We’re Sorry for What We’ve Done to You…

The National Space Society announced today its “Dear Earth” campaign for space solar power has been named in the Best of Social Media category in the 42nd Annual Telly Awards.
https://space.nss.org/

It has long been C-SBSP’s assertion that Earth-found fuels–carbon-based, uranium, thorium, etc.–are all finite natural resources that will one day be more costly to extract than the value of the energy they will yield. On a planetary time scale, or even the time scale of humankind, when that day comes is practically irrelevant. If we are not prepared when that day does inevitably arrive, civilization as we know it, and perhaps even the existence of humankind, will no longer be sustainable.

To once again restate the obvious, the Sun is our virtually unlimited source of abundant, clean energy. The only question that remains is how best to harvest energy from the Sun to provide sustainable baseload power on a planetary scale. In C-SBSP’s opinion, the answer is space-based solar power (SBSP), with the following conditions:

SBSP development and deployment must be done with the agreement, cooperation and participation of all space-faring nations, for the common good of all humankind.
Given the potential century-level project timeline, conventional political cycles and economic models must be superseded.
SBSP must utilize off-planet manufacturing, construction and maintenance.
SBSP must harvest and utilize off-planet materials and resources.

Power Beaming & Space Solar Innovation by Dr. Paul Jaffe, PhD

Move energy, not mass.

This hour-long presentation by Dr. Paul Jaffee, PhD, of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory on July 30, 2020 is a comprehensive look at the past, present and future of power beaming and space based solar power. Power beaming is an integral part of space based solar power, and also has standalone terrestrial and space-based applications.

This video was livestreamed by the Homeland Defense & Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC). The original podcast and links to additional resources highlighted by Dr. Jaffe may be found at:

https://www.hdiac.org/podcast/power-beaming/

Moon to Mars – We Are Going

Fifty years after the Apollo program propelled the first humans to the Moon, NASA’s Artemis program is a plan to return us to the Moon. This time, we will stay, in orbital and surface outposts. The knowledge and resources gained in these outposts will fuel humankind’s next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

NASA programs spin off technologies that enter and improve our Earthbound lives. I believe the Artemis program will spin off space mining, space manufacturing, and other technologies that will support America’s capabilities to develop and implement scalable and sustainable space-based solar power.

As Citizens for Space Based Solar Power readers know, I believe that space-based solar power is the only viable replacement for fossil fuels that will supply global energy needs as we move into the 22nd century and beyond.

Forbes.com article – SBSP should be a national priority

“Trump Should Make Space-Based Solar Power A National Priority”
by Bruce Dorminey, contributor, Forbes.com

In a recent Forbes.com article, science journalist and author Bruce Dorminey argues for the current administration to make development and deployment of space-based solar power a national priority. Read the full article here.

If President Trump were to champion space-based solar energy as a means of delivering unlimited, renewable electricity from Earth orbit, it’s arguable that his administration could leave the U.S. and the world at large with a revolutionary new source of energy.

In this advocate’s opinion, one of the most important points Dorminey makes is that ” … the fledgling space-based solar power initiative needs cohesive leadership to actively plot goals and transform it into a workable industry.” The majority of SBSP supporters have thus far focused on engineering challenges, essential to the technical “how is it done” question of space-based solar power. Two other questions, the financial “who pays for it” and the political “who gets the credit or takes the blame” must also be answered for a complete solution.

With most complex problems, the level of difficulty usually increases from the technical solution to the financial solution to the often intractable political solution. A current, complex problem to illustrate this three-pronged approach might be the ongoing battle over national healthcare. (Have even one of the three questions truly been answered yet?)

To jumpstart a U.S.-led space-based power agenda, at least three in-depth proposals for federal legislation have already been put forward:

SunSat Corporation Charter – proposed by the Space Solar Power Institute’s (SSPI) Space Solar Power Workshop, led by Darel Preble at Georgia Tech

Space Review article: Federal Legislation to Jumpstart Space Solar Power – written by Mike Snead, President, the Spacefaring Institute™

D3 Space Solar Proposal – Diplomacy, Development, and Defense (D3) Innovation Summit Pitch Challenge award-winning proposal by a team of scientists led by Dr. Paul Jaffe, spacecraft engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)

Use Your Fame for Good, Ken Bone

Kudos to my wife, Linda, for suggesting that I contact Ken Bone and let him know about space-based solar power, the serious long-term clean answer to his excellent energy policy question at the recent presidential debate.

kenbone18

With 163k and counting new Twitter followers, a retweet by Ken would be a real public service!

Petition: The Space Review Article

The Space Review online publication has published an excellent article by Mike Snead, president of the Spacefaring Institute, supporting the USA taking the lead in space-based energy. The article also encourages citizens to sign both of our petitions to send this important message to the US Congress.

Petitioning the US to take the lead in space solar power

Human civilization has been very fortunate to have access to readily available fossil fuels to enable the industrial revolution and the rise of our modern society. However, as most now understand, environmental and energy security concerns have emerged from our substantial use of fossil fuels.

Two new petitions seek to generate public support for investment in space-based solar power development. (credit: Spacefaring Institute LLC)

Our thanks to Mike Snead for his concise and compelling arguments in favor of space-based energy, and also thanks to Jeff Foust for publishing Mike’s article and helping us to get the word out to a much wider audience.

Click here to read Mike’s entire article on The Space Review online publication website.

Click here to read more of Mike’s writing on his Spacefaring America blog.