BBC: Asgardia: The Problems In Building a Space Society
“As of today, I’m an official citizen of two nations. One is the US, which has 325 million citizens and an area of almost 10 million sq km. The other is Asgardia, which has some 246,000 citizens, but physically exists for now only in the form of a 6lb (2.7kg) bread-box-size satellite floating in low-Earth orbit since November 2017”.
So begins the article published on August 03 on the website of one of the largest news resources in the world, BВС. It is important to note that BBC has written about Asgardia with no introduction nor explainer. The piece pre-supposes that its readers are already up to date about Asgardia. This is something new in the mainstream media and a significant step forward.
“One day, Asgardia plans to have an enormous “space ark” orbiting our home world, a colony on the Moon, and perhaps even further in the future on other “celestial bodies”, according to the constitution.
The nation’s ‘leader’, Igor Raufovich Ashurbeyli, isn’t joking around. And on 25 June in Vienna, Austria, he became Asgardia’s first “Head of Nation”. His face is on the official Asgardia commemorative coin that guests received at the post-inauguration gala dinner”.
Asgardia’s 246,000-odd citizens come from all over the world - the article says. Arlene Buklarewicz lives in Hawai‘i. She’s a nurse, end-of-life caregiver and volunteer at the Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo, Hawaii. She didn’t come to Vienna, but explained by email that she became an Asgardian citizen because she saw “a chance to truly form an ‘enlightened’ nation that has the opportunity to start with a clean slate”.
About 85% of citizens (and 72% of parliament ministers) are men. Why so few women? The wife of MP Elshad Kaziev — who asks to be identified only as Kate — has an opinion: “My immediate thought is that boys are more interested in science fiction. Whether you like it or not, women are less interested.”
The author Bill Harby also explains that in order to become a citizen, people simply have to provide their details on the website, and click a box that says they agree with the constitution, which they can read online. It’s as easy as creating a Facebook account.
Ashurbeyli says he admires the constitutional monarchy of the UK - says the article. But in the UK any member of the public can walk into the Houses of Commons and Lords to see democracy in action, warts and all.
In his inauguration speech, the head of nation described his vision of Asgardia as “a reflection of humanity’s beautiful and ancient dream of a divine and peaceful land in Heaven… a place where there is no pain or hatred, just love and joy” — mentions the author.
