StarBound Alliance

I have been kicking around an idea for some time. I just signed up
to this group (I subscribed briefly a few weeks ago, but the traffic
was more than I could maintain). The following is just a rough
outline of the idea, but I was interested in getting some feedback
before pusuing the idea any further.

STARBOUND ALLIANCE (SBA)

There are millions of people who support a pro-active space program.
The problem is that these people are divided among hundreds of
diverse groups. Some of these groups focus on the politics of space
science research and activities (lobbying congress for more funds for
NASA, encouraging government funded space related research, etc.).
Others concentrate on the social and cultural implications of a space-
faring civilization, while still others hope to put their plan on the
front burner through a strong grass-roots effort. Some want to go to
L5, others to the Moon and still others want to colonize Mars. While
many of these groups share similar characteristics and desire the
same general end (space industrialization and colonization),
coordination and communication among them is sparse at best (some
speculate that the civil rights/peace movement of the 60's failed due
to the lack of communication and coordination between the various
groups).

Virtually all of the commercial space companies in existence today
could and would directly benefit from a commercial space station. The
same could be said of the space advocacy groups. Regardless of the
group's goals, a functional space station at their disposal from
which to launch their own projects would reduce the cost of that
project, simplify the logistics of that project, and be a step closer
to the goal(s) of that project. Ensuring cheap access to space and
building a functional space station from which to launch multiple
projects are two of the goals of StarBound Alliance (SBA).

It is obvious that most space advocacy groups would benefit by
forming an alliance with other groups. From the establishment of a
mining camp on the moon and NEOs to the further exploration and
eventual terraforming of the Red Planet, a significant reduction in
launch costs and a space station in LEO or L1 are THE stepping-stones
to further interplanetary and interstellar missions. Many pro-active
groups have just such a station as an initial or intermediate step in
their plan. The expense of establishing such an infrastructure,
however, renders most commercial space ventures impractical.

That brings us to a third goal of SBA. Most investors are looking for
a 3-5 year return on their investment, clearly impractical for
commercial space ventures. Almost all the plans researched and
developed so far by both private and public agencies and companies,
from Solar Power Satellites (SPS) to mining Luna and NEOs, require a
15-20 year time frame before the investment can be returned. Many
require much longer. SBA should dedicate a significant amount of its
resources to exploring and developing new and unique ways of raising
money.

As long as the cost of Earth surface to LEO transportation continues
to be several thousands of dollars per pound, you and I will have to
be content to seeing space from TV and postcards. Access to space
must be made affordable to small business to open up
commercialization and begin the greatest economic revolution ever
seen. I think we would all agree that the current space fleet used
to access LEO lacks the single most critical factor: cost-efficiency!

Wouldn't we all benefit from cheaper access to space?

And wouldn't cheaper access do more to help facilitate the beginning
of an infrastructure in LEO?

And wouldn't that infrastructure afford many others groups and
commercial space companies more opportunities?

Clearly the answer to all three questions is yes. SBA wouldn't be
just another space advocacy group. My goal is to get the varied space
advocacy groups that currently exist to come together, pool their
resources and progress in a common direction toward a goal agreed
upon by most if not all. I don't expect 100% agreement, but I think
most would agree that their interests could be better served by
joining such an alliance. There is strength in numbers. There is
strength in organization.

Let me add that I do not foresee perpetual existence for SBA. I would
want to set a date, say 20 years from today, when SBA would be
dissolved and all groups could then pursue their individual goals.

If anyone has any suggestions or any interest in helping me, please
let me know. I don't have a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, I don't own
my own space development company, and I am not rich. I just want to
do what I can to make space commerce common. All suggestions and
comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Jack