Space Mission Activation Process: October 2018 Update
Our Notice of Intent period passed, but you still have a chance to propose a space mission
*Updated on November 1st, 2018 to reflect recent calendar changes.
The Notice of Intent period of the Space Mission Activation Process closed roughly two weeks ago, and we have received quite a few abstracts. Some examples include ideas as groundbreaking as plasma magnet sails, or as seemingly simple as conditioning lunar regolith to produce soil, both with huge potentials to revolutionize human expansion into space. At the end of this article, I’ll briefly introduce some of the ideas we’ve received. But before I do that, I would like to ask — and try to answer — a very important question:
What makes a solid idea?
First of all, it has to be something you feel passionate about. If you have found yourself thinking about it over and over, wondering why no one has thought of it or done it this way before, then you probably fulfill this first item.
Second, it has to have a purpose. Is your idea relevant for human space exploration? Or will your idea increase our knowledge of the universe? It’s okay if it is simple, after all, someone had to invent the brick before the Great Wall of China was ever built. As long as there is potential for greatness, it is on the path to being a solid idea.
Finally, it has to be in the realm of reality. A tele-transportation device that would take you to Saturn in five seconds would be awesome, but it is just not possible with the technology we have today and we are likely to have it within the next three decades. It is okay to stretch the boundaries a little, but we can’t ignore physics or bend the space-time continuum (yet).
Of course, in order for us to understand your idea and evaluate whether or not the network can take it on, it is important for you to translate your insights, napkin sketches and notebook scribbles into a properly formatted proposal. So if you think you have a solid idea, take some time, write are least a paragraph on it — and post it in our forum. If you are looking for additional team members to help develop your idea into a proposal, we suggest broadcasting that in your forum post as well.
Additionally, you can join one of the teams that have already submitted an abstract. The ideas described below were submitted to our Notice of Intent process, and the teams are currently looking for collaborators for the proposal phase. If you are interested in collaborating, please contact the project leader directly for more information.
We are also looking for evaluators to join the Evaluation Committee and help review proposals to ensure they are technically sound and feasible. If you’d like to participate, apply to join the Evaluation Committee.
Some of the ideas we have received so far
Through the Space Mission Activation process, ideas will be taken from paper into the real world — if your proposal is selected during our Mission Activation Vote next year, it will be open for community crowdsourcing where the proposal will be developed into a fully fledged mission concept. Eventually these projects will be prioritized for crowdfunding — we believe that campaigns to fund the projects will be stronger if we approach them as a unified collective. So think big, and put your inner genius to work!
Lunar Soil Auto-Conditioner to Bootstrap a Farming Vitality on the Moon
Lead: Craig Beasley
Craig’s proposal envisions the development of a technology to facilitate the generation of workable farming soil from Lunar regolith.
Maneuvering Unit
Lead: Mikkel Haaheim
Mikkel proposes to design a “universal” maneuvering unit that can be arranged and combined into different configurations, according to the needs of each mission.
Mikkel is also looking for team members for his other proposals.
On-orbit Servicing
Lead: Faz Chaudry
Faz is proposing an On-orbit Servicing mission, with the objective of developing robotics for servicing satellites in LEO, MEO and GEO orbits, creating an infrastructure that will make space more affordable and less risky.
Plasma Magnet Technology Demonstration Mission
Lead: Joshua Perry
Josh Perry is proposing a technology demonstration mission for the Plasma Magnet propulsion concept using a cubesat, aiming to raise this technology’s TRL to 7.
The UniHab Scale Model Project
Lead: Doug Plata
Doug’s proposal intends to design and build a scale model of an inflatable habitat, testing the technology and usability of such a construction technique.
Upcoming Deadlines
The upcoming deadlines to keep in mind are:
- Apply to help evaluate proposals — by December 9th, 2018
- Proposal Submission — by January 6th, 2019
Check out the full schedule on the official Space Mission Activation Process: Rules & Guidelines.
Space Decentral is a decentralized autonomous space agency that leverages blockchain technology to reinvigorate the push for space exploration with global citizens in control. Space Decentral promotes collaborative design of space missions, sharing research for peer review, crowdsourcing science, and crowdfunding worthy projects that accelerate human progress.
