NOTE...
This is an earlier piece...GAIA TWO ( mentioned below ) is COMSATG2...the full name is Telecomsat Gaia Two.
In this version, GAIA TWO takes us beyond near space...out where Humanity's hopes and dreams run wild and free.
Enjoy!
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Fifty years in the making.
Eons in the dreaming.
Expansion beyond this planet remains Mankind's most enduring dream.
Ever since the first Hominid gazed up in wonder, we have looked toward the vastness for hope and inspiration.
Now, it wouldn't matter if you built yourself a Plasma Drive Cruiser, and had your vehicle on the pad, ready for launch.
There's no place to go.
Outer Space is CLOSED.
Earth is surrounded by electronic weaponry, all aimed this way.
The grid of satellites deployed throughout Near Space is like the barbed wire surrounding the base of Pork Chop Hill.
Nobody gets off this rock unless it’s with the full blessing of the bureaucracies administering the satellite weapon grid.
Something has to give, or Humans will slowly, surely wither along with the loss of our fondest dreams.
If this electronic perimeter can be breached, there's hope of freeing the High Ground, and turning Outer Space back into a place where the Human Spirit can soar.
I hope to re-instill our collective psyche with the sense of expansiveness that got us to where we are today.
To do so, Humanity must first break through the grid, and alter the conventional wisdom.
GAIA TWO is the key to this endeavor.
***
Fifty years ago, in 1959, my Father worked for AVCO RAD, in Wilmington, Mass.
AVCO was in the business of testing ablative materials to be used for ballistic missile recovery from Space.
These compounds would melt, dissipate, or ablate away from the returning nose-cone, and be swept aft, cooling the blazing warhead as it burned through Earth’s atmosphere.
The testing was done by placing miniature nose cones, made of the various test materials, inside metal boxes with mica observation windows, and blasting the test objects with a blowtorch.
I was fortunate enough to see this testing in action during Father/Son Day at the AVCO plant.
My only thought was, “There must be a better way.”
I voiced my thought, and so began the quest.
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As you will recall, Sputnik was launched in 1957.
I was ten years old.
By ’59, I had a lot of knowledge, and had formed some pretty strong opinions about the idea of weapons in space.
My Father was a very pragmatic, practical, and extremely capable guy.
As a WWII Vet, he was in the business of building a better America for his offspring.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles were the best defense, even if they never got used.
The deterrent factor was known from the very beginning.
It was Global King of the Hill, and we sat atop the pile, wielding the biggest stick anyone had ever seen.
"That should hold the Commie SOBs at bay long enough to get things up and running.
We've got a Future to build here."
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I loved the Astronauts, and still get goose bumps whenever Gus Grissom’s name comes up, but I knew they were handpicked thrill junkies, chosen to represent the best and brightest of America’s youth, willing to risk it all for the good of future generations, as promotion for The Space Program.
Truthfully, all but Glenn and possibly Shepard would have sat there, strapped in atop the launch vehicle, and shouted, “Light the candle.” just for the thrill of the ride.
It wasn’t likely to be any riskier than pushing a test fighter until it or some barrier the pilot was challenging broke.
These guys were Barnstorming Space, following the great tradition of pioneering airmen everywhere.
The prevailing attitude was, “Ya don’t get any deader this way than any other way.”
“Fire this bitch up, and let’s see what she’ll do.”
***
While everyone was transfixed by the exploits of our early astronauts, the Space Administrators were developing their control of Near Space.
This, in turn, assures control of Outer Space.
There’s no way out if the Administrators say NO!
Very little has changed since day one.
The Space Administrators remain in power, still working on projects which hit the drawing boards in those few years between Sputnik and Man on the Moon, because the goal is still the same.
Everybody’s under our umbrella.
If you want to stay safe and dry play along, or else!
That's where things stand.
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NEW…12/22/09
GAIA TWO is much more than a revolutionary spacecraft.
This vehicle represents a revolutionary state of mind.
The GAIA TWO State of Mind will resolve The Climate Crisis.
For starters, in a first for Humanity, Telecomsat GAIA TWO will take on the Space Junk Crisis before it gets out of hand.
A steady, uninterrupted stream of Global Telecommunication is the key to our future success.
From the flow of news and information, to control of Global Currency, we need instant electronic data if six billion plus of us are going to continue inhabiting Earth.
It is no coincidence that Earth’s Human population has doubled in the fifty years since new technology initiated the electronic data sharing boom.
Fifty years ago, Outer Space was untouched by the Hand of Man.
Today, we have already polluted Near Space with our Telecommunication Satellite debris.
Think of Near Space as The Shoreline of Outer Space.
Now, quickly review everything you know about Human History.
It would seem to me that our tendency to thoughtlessly pollute The Shoreline of Earth’s Oceans has carried over to Near Space.
Our current awareness of the consequences stemming from this ignorant behavior on Earth should immediately be carried over to Near Space.
Let’s not waste decades hiding behind the typical excuse, “It’s friggin’ huge. What’s one more piece of garbage gonna do?”
Images of doomed Seagulls and other coastal wildlife with Six-Pac wrappers around their necks started to invade our senses before we caught on about messing up the Ocean.
Do we need to see the first Alien Visitor land because a piece of Space Junk punctures his manifold?
I can picture the poor guy standing at a Pep Boys counter, holding up some unimagineable piece of technology with fragments of satellite debris wedged into the most critical component.
The Visitor was coming here to share the miraculous power source with all of us.
After an hour at Pep Boys, he’s back aboard his spacecraft, hoping the reserve power will hold, trying to figure out how to get as far away from us as possible.
An event like that would certainly get the point across, but let’s not allow things to get that far.
Consciousness of the negative effect we can have on our own environment, through wanton disregard in the name of a buck, has steadily increased, thanks to electronic sharing.
Right now, we are at an all time high in the Global Consciousness realm.
Let’s keep it up, forge ahead, and get over the stumbling blocks.
The mechanism is in place for this to continue, thanks to the grid of Telecommunications Satellites we have launched over the fifty year growth spurt.
Unfortunately, this has come about with the same level of early disregard for the only place bigger than the Ocean.
We ignored our effects on Earth’s Oceans for generations, until the stench caught up with us.
History tells me that we will continue to clutter Near Space with as many money making electronic gadgets and weapons as can possibly be jammed into the available space, until a falling chunk bounces off The White House roof, or topples the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Then we’ll react and respond like chickens with our heads cut off.
Bringing us back to resolving The Space Junk Crisis before it gets out of hand.
Enter Telecomsat GAIA TWO.
***
Here's a perfect example of the prevailing attitude.
From Will Whitehorn, President Virgin Galactic...currently the leader in today's New Space Race.
"...in any case the hostile vacuum in space makes it hard to do damage beyond leaving debris behind. Polluting space is extremely difficult."
NOTE...Whitehorn has moved on from Virgin...the comments were his response to a question about Virgin's approach and environmental concerns...
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