Space Frontier Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Space Frontier Foundation is a space advocacy
nonprofit corporation
organized to promote the interests of increased involvement of the private sector, in collaboration with government, in the exploration and development of space. Its advocate members design and lead a collection of projects with goals that align to the organization's goals as described by its credo.
, Bob Werb and Jim Muncy who felt that:
"it was technically possible to realize their shared vision of large-scale...settlement of the inner solar system... [but] they knew this was not happening (and couldn't happen) under the status-quo centrally planned and exclusive U.S. government space program."
, the SpaceShipOne project, and entrepreneur Robert Bigelow's plans to build a space hotel
. The Foundation has been critical of the U.S. government's efforts in space, particularly those of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. For example, the Foundation has criticized NASA's Space Shuttle
and Ares I, claiming that the shuttle's work could be better done by private sector companies. However, the Foundation has supported some recent NASA efforts, such as NASA's Centennial Challenges
prize program for stimulating private-sector innovation and the new NASA direction of canceling Constellation in favor of technology development and supporting commercial companies.
The Foundation’s current strategic focus is to enable the growth of the NewSpace
community. The Foundation's Board of Directors
has endorsed the following objectives:
Past and current foundation projects include The Watch, an asteroid
and comet
detection and research project, Permission to Dream, connecting students around the world through the wonder of space and astronomy
, sponsorship of conferences, and the Space Settlement Project in marketing space to the general public. Additional Foundation projects include Teachers in Space, a program to offer American teachers rides on future Sub-orbital spaceflight
launches.
Furthermore, the Foundation hosts its annual conference, NewSpace 2011 every year in July, which serves as a conference for NewSpace leaders to meet and determine the future of the movement.
Space advocacy
Space advocacy can be described as the general position supporting, pleading or arguing for the idea or cause of space exploration and settlements...
nonprofit corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
organized to promote the interests of increased involvement of the private sector, in collaboration with government, in the exploration and development of space. Its advocate members design and lead a collection of projects with goals that align to the organization's goals as described by its credo.
- The Space Frontier Foundation is an organization of people dedicated to opening the Space Frontier to human settlement as rapidly as possible.
- Our goals include protecting the Earth’s fragile biosphere and creating a freer and more prosperous life for each generation by using the unlimited energy and material resources of space.
- Our purpose is to unleash the power of free enterprise and lead a united humanity permanently into the Solar System.
History
The Foundation was founded in 1988 by space activists led by Rick TumlinsonRick Tumlinson
Rick Tumlinson is the co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation and a space activist. He has testified on space-related topics before the U.S. Congress six times since 1995...
, Bob Werb and Jim Muncy who felt that:
"it was technically possible to realize their shared vision of large-scale...settlement of the inner solar system... [but] they knew this was not happening (and couldn't happen) under the status-quo centrally planned and exclusive U.S. government space program."
Policies and Activities
In recent years, the Space Frontier Foundation has been supportive of various private sector efforts such as the Ansari X PrizeAnsari X Prize
The Ansari X Prize was a space competition in which the X Prize Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks...
, the SpaceShipOne project, and entrepreneur Robert Bigelow's plans to build a space hotel
Bigelow Aerospace
Bigelow Aerospace is a North Las Vegas, Nevada space technology startup company that is pioneering work on expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998...
. The Foundation has been critical of the U.S. government's efforts in space, particularly those of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. For example, the Foundation has criticized NASA's Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
and Ares I, claiming that the shuttle's work could be better done by private sector companies. However, the Foundation has supported some recent NASA efforts, such as NASA's Centennial Challenges
Centennial Challenges
The Centennial Challenges are NASA space competition prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams.-Current Challenges:...
prize program for stimulating private-sector innovation and the new NASA direction of canceling Constellation in favor of technology development and supporting commercial companies.
The Foundation’s current strategic focus is to enable the growth of the NewSpace
NewSpace
NewSpace, alt.space, and entrepreneurial space are umbrella terms for a movement and philosophy often affiliated with, but not synonymous with, an emergent private spaceflight industry...
community. The Foundation's Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
has endorsed the following objectives:
- The Space Frontier Foundation's mission is to open the space frontier to permanent human settlement;
- An open frontier can only be achieved by unleashing the power of free enterpriseFree enterprise-Transport:* Free Enterprise I, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1962 and 1980.* Free Enterprise II, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1965 and 1982....
; - Government’s role in unleashing the power of free enterprise is critical and best accomplished by adopting the proven frontier paradigm of catalyzing the private sectorPrivate sectorIn economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
; - All parts of all governments must embrace and fully utilize the potential of the emerging NewSpace Industry, and;
- Regarding NASA, the near-term focus of the Foundation is on maximizing the market share of goods and services that the NewSpace industry is permitted to capture.
Membership
The Foundation's membership is composed of volunteers who typically fall into one of two groups. The regular members are those who provide a large amount of the volunteer work necessary to operate the projects that support the conferences and many other less obvious processes associated with a corporate office. Regular members donate time and money as they can in accordance with other demands upon them. Advocate members are those who are invited to step to the next level and help run the projects, start new ones, and fund the Foundation's activities. Advocates are those who have demonstrated a high degree of understanding and commitment to the Foundation's goals along with a track record of action toward these goals. Advocates are asked to donate more time and money on a regular basis and are the voting members that decide elections for the Foundation's Board of Directors.Projects
Projects are the primary means by which the Foundation acts in support of its goals. Projects are advocate managed activities with their own objectives, budgets, and volunteer support teams. Each project pursues what its members think they can accomplish using the skills they have. Advocates working each project assume the responsibility for keeping them aligned with the Foundation as best they can. This mostly decentralized approach to action is intentional and a core tradition of the Foundation.Past and current foundation projects include The Watch, an asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
and comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
detection and research project, Permission to Dream, connecting students around the world through the wonder of space and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, sponsorship of conferences, and the Space Settlement Project in marketing space to the general public. Additional Foundation projects include Teachers in Space, a program to offer American teachers rides on future Sub-orbital spaceflight
Sub-orbital spaceflight
A sub-orbital space flight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches space, but its trajectory intersects the atmosphere or surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched, so that it does not complete one orbital revolution....
launches.
Furthermore, the Foundation hosts its annual conference, NewSpace 2011 every year in July, which serves as a conference for NewSpace leaders to meet and determine the future of the movement.