The Next Frontier? by Isaac Asimov From National Geographic Magazin

Hello Gang, First of all Happy 230th Birthday America, and many happy more years to come. I am celebrating July 4th by reading the Bicentennial Edition of the National Geographic Magazine. I have fond memories of this particular issue. Long before I heard of Gerald O'Neil or read the High Frontier, I readIsaac Asimov's article illustrated by Pierre Mion entitled "The Next Frontier?" National Geographic, July 1976, 76-89.This was the very first time I was introduced to the concept of orbital space colonies. I came across it in the Library of the United States InformationSevice (USIS) here in Malta. I was 15 years old at the time and had just moved to Malta with my family from New York City. I remember at the time that I was very homesick for New York and angry with my parents for making me miss the Bicentennial Celebrations. One other item of historical note is an advertisement for a sterling silver ignot collection issued by The National Space Institute (later the National Space Society) to honour 200 years of American leadership in the conquest of the air and the exploration of space. There is even a letter from the chairman of theinstitute Dr. Werner von Braun. In the same issue there is an article concerning thoughts from five leading thinkers concerning life at the dawn of the 21st Century. Most notable amongst them being Isaac Asimov and Buckminster Fuller. If you come across this back issue read it for the simple pleasure it offers and the perspective of a retrofuture we still must work to attain. Alex Michael Bonnici P.S. Is there ny chance that this article can be posted on one of the space settlement websites?