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EarthSeeds - Humanity's Ultimate Purpose in the Evolution of Life

EarthSeeds F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

The EarthSeeds art intervention is an open source, open space, open community astronautical art intervention. We are seeking collaboration from individuals, institutions and organizations that truly believe that the ultimate survival of all life on Earth depends on our help.

Please study all of the pages on this website for a more comprehensive overview of the EarthSeeds art intervention.

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers.

1. What is the EarthSeeds art intervention?

   The EarthSeeds art intervention is project being developed to highlight the ultimate role and purpose of humanity in the evolution of life on Earth. The advent of spaceflight marks the first time in the history of planet Earth that life has developed the means necessary to perpetuate its own survival in the cosmos. That means is the human species with the technological capabilities that it has developed.

2. Why is this important?
   
   The environment for life's survival on Earth has become both fragile and precarious. Cosmic events will one day endanger and eventually terminate life's chances for survival on Earth in the future. Current environmental and geopolitical issues also pose a near term danger to all life on Earth. Thus, the only way for life on Earth to insure its ultimate survival is by it becoming established beyond its home planet.
   
   
3. Why is it important to do this now?
   

   At this very moment, humanity has a window of opportunity for confronting and solving the many challenges it currently faces. Expanding humanity and its civilization beyond the home planet would be a practical way to spread life in the immediate cosmos. If humanity does not choose to become a spacefaring species in the necessary time frame to do so,  then alternative measures should be immediately taken to spread the seeds of  life from Earth throughout the solar system and even further into the cosmos.
   

1. What is the purpose of the EarthSeeds mission?
   

   The EarthSeeds mission is three-fold:

   1. to become a communication vehicle for the dissemination of of the EarthSeeds concept- i.e. the ultimate role, purpose and responsibility of humanity in the evolution of life on Earth,
      
      
   2. to symbolically connect  - through various artistic interventions on Earth and in space -  how space development is essential to the future well-being of humanity and to all life on Earth,
      
      
   3. to allow the public to become directly involved in a global initiative that is dedicated to the preservation and ultimate survival of life as we know it. 
      
      
2. What is the message of this artistic intervention?
   

   The message that is embedded in the project and that which will be communicated to a global audience is:

   Spreading Life throughout the Cosmos is the Ultimate Role and Purpose of the Human Species

   This message connects the promise of space development with an understanding of humanity role and purpose in the evolution of life that has originated on planet Earth.. It also connects the ecological and environmental benefits that space development promises when addressing these critical concerns.

3. Are the EarthSeeds concepts technologically feasible?
   
   The technologies for seeding the cosmos can be narrowed down to three basic scenarios. The first and most obvious is the human colonization of near space. The second scenario entails robotic seeding missions, i.e. seed carrying spacecraft launched from Earth. The last scenario proposes using comets to carry EarthSeeds to outer reaches of our galaxy. Visit this page for more information on the technical issues.
   
   
4. What are the ethical issues?
   

   The idea of seeding the cosmos will not be popular with everyone. Religious and scientific opposition can be expected. The question: "Does humanity have the moral right, to interfere, to contaminate or even pollute other cosmic environments?" will surely be raised. Some scientists are concerned that their investigations of Moon or Mars may become contaminated with biological input from Earth. So these environments must be examined carefully before any seeding could take place. Some of these objections can be avoided by searching for target environments where the processes of life are not apparent or haven't had the opportunity to begin, such as, young or still forming solar systems. An understanding of the mechanisms for the spread of life on Earth offers insight into how it will eventually spread beyond the home planet. Visit this page for more discussion of the ethical issues.

5. What type of EarthSeeds art projects are you developing?
   
   At this stage, rather than developing specific missions or projects, our approach is to look for opportunities for spaceflight that are inexpensive, educational and have communication potential. Perhaps one day humanity will decide to build interstellar EarthSeeds spacecraft that will distribute life from Earth throughout the cosmos.
   
   
6. How can the EarthSeeds art intervention realistically contribute to addressing the issues of life's survival?
   
   Here on Earth, human civilization has reached such a point in its development where it has evolved the means to leave its home planet and to begin operating in the environment beyond its atmosphere. Optimistically, this development would enable humanity to utilize this technological capability to harness the infinite resources located off Earth in order to improve the well-being of the population as well as improving the chances that its current civilization can continue to prosper in the decades and centuries ahead – both on Earth and eventually in other places in the solar system. However, humanity currently faces a number of very critical issues concerning its own survival as a species. We have identified a number of space solutions to these terrestrial problems. As humanity's ultimate purpose in the evolution of life on Earth is to insure the survival of life on Earth and eventually beyond, it must deal with its own survival by making a Cosmic Choice. These issues and potential solutions are symbolically integrated into the EarthSeeds art interventions.
   
   
7. What is the Space Option?
   
   The Space Option concept is an evolutionary plan to meet the basic and anticipated needs of humanity through the utilization of near Earth resources -­ not for the in-situ support of science or exploration – but rather to apply these resources and/or their products for use on Earth at a conspicuous level. Of all the options available to humanity at this moment in its development, the Space Option presents our species with an optimistic opportunity to meet the basic and anticipated needs of human civilization through the utilization of extraterrestrial resources and to apply these resources for use on Earth so that humanity may survive and thrive in an eventual era of peace and prosperity. The process of accessing and harnessing these resources will in turn create an infrastructure beyond the atmosphere upon which further expansion of the human civilization can be anticipated. Consequently, if human civilization can be established beyond Earth, then the chances for its survival and the ultimate survival of life that has originated on Earth will correspondingly increase.
   
   However, by not embracing the Space Option, the possibility that humanity will be overrun by one or more of the many threats to its survival will increase and, likewise, its chances of ever becoming a spacefaring species will diminish. Therefore, today, we find ourselves in precisely this a critical situation – one that constitutes humanity’s Cosmic Choice.
   
   
8. Will you be allowed to launch EarthSeeds payloads into space and who will launch it?
   
   The EarthSeeds art interventions are bona fide space projects and will be developed as such. It will necessarily fulfill all technical, environmental and legal requirements associated with sending such payloads into space. The authors have much experience in the space community and have realized two previous art interventions in Earth orbit. Recently, access to space has become commercially available and more affordable. We will obviously seek out the most cost efficient launch provider for each particular intervention.
   
   If enough people in the world believe the EarthSeeds project is important and offer to support the project, it will happen.
   
   
9. Why are the EarthSeeds interventions being developed as artworks and not as a typical scientific mission?
   
   As we believe the Space Option concept is critical to the future of humanity, the communication aspects of the project will begin as the project becomes more publicized and will be fully achieved once an EarthSeeds project is realized.
   
   As art interventions, they have a broader technological developmental framework in which to achieve the specific goals. With this approach, it is more flexible and perhaps less risky than a typical scientific or commercial space mission with similar technological objectives.
   
   
10. How will the EarthSeeds art intervention be developed?
    

    The EarthSeeds project is currently being developed in the context of the Greater.Earth art intervention:

    • Phase 1: Near Term project definition, visualization and presentation in various media and exhibitions. Initial development of project's organizational infrastructure: Technical, Marketing and Management teams.
    • Phase 2: Identify shared development synergies with the Space Option Star project and other Greater.Earth art interventions.
    • Phase 3: Identification of possible flight opportunities for possible EarthSeeds realizations in space.
    • Phase 4: Design of appropriate architecture matching flight opportunities.
    • Phase 5: In-space realization of first EarthSeeds spacecraft.
      
      
11. How much will the EarthSeeds missions cost?
    
    The actual cost of the mission can only be precisely determined once additional technical studies for a particular intervention has been carried out and technology partners identified. These aspects are part of the project’s current development plan.   At this critical moment in human history, one could say that the cost on NOT DOING such projects is exponentially more than whatever the cost would be to make such projects happen. 
    
    
12. How will the EarthSeeds art interventions be financed? 
    
    As with our previous art interventions, we plan to rely primarily on an art funding (crowdfunding) approach. Artworks specific to the EarthSeeds will be created and sold to people who want to support the project. Hopefully many people from around the world will decide to support this and other Greater.Earth art interventions. 
    
    
13. What is the relationship between the EarthSeeds intervention and the other Greater.Earth art interventions?
    
    As mentioned section #6 above, at this moment in its history, humanity faces a number of critical challenges which may determine the fate of current civilization and humanity eventual survival as a species. All of the Greater.Earth art interventions are designed to address these challenges from different perspectives. The Space Peace Star directly addresses the most serious threat to our civilization which is the growing threat of a major war. The Space Option Star confronts the issues of energy, economic prosperity as well as the environmental issues especially the topic of climate change. EarthSeeds can be seen a "Plan C", if the other societal issues are not adequately addressed, then the need to develop EarthSeed payloads becomes even more urgent as the window of opportunity to do so becomes more narrow.
    

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