Thanks for the Responses

Under the title of "An Earth Based Prototype of a Stanford Torus Space Settlement" I introduced an idea for a new nonprofit organization with a tentative name of Leaving The Earth Society. Several provided insightful and helpful responses, for which I am grateful. Five weeks should be enough "thinking about it" time so I have drafted a set of Bylaws to support a possible 3 October 2013 incorporation date. The first two Articles are as follows: ARTICLE ONE: PURPOSES 1.01 Objectives. The Leaving The Cradle Society (hereinafter, referred to as "LTC") is a nonprofit international organization with a mission to design, build, operate, and maintain space settlements accessible from the Earth. Corporate headquarters will research, develop, and demonstrate (RD&D) selected projects to include, but not be limited to: 1. An Earth Based Prototype of a Stanford Torus Space Settlement long-term living of up to 10,000 people in the torus and development of the sections between the spokes to include a casino, an arcade, rides, a zoo/aquarium, athletic fields, and international shopping. The hub will have hotel rooms and space exhibits. 2. Replication build additional models to meet demand. 3. Space Settlement build, operate, and maintain a prototype space settlement for operation in geostationary orbit and accessible by a space elevator. 4. Expansion build 999 more in geostationary orbit with each supported by a space elevator and ferry for access to and between the space settlements. 5. Leaving Earth Space place a space settlement at Lagrangian point 4 or 5. 6. The Future provide excess space settlement capacity at and transportation to Lagrangian points 4 and 5 to support 10 billion people migrating from Earth to escape the effects of a collision with a Hale-Bopp sized comet. 1.02 Financial Sources. The primary source of funds necessary for LTC to pursue its purposes is expected to be derived from businesses set up to tithe to LTC and/or for using LTC's intellectual property. A secondary source of funds will be from grants. A tertiary source of funds will be donations. ARTICLE TWO: OFFICES 2.01 Registered Office and Agent. The registered office and registered agent of LTC shall be designated from time to time by the appropriate filing by LTC in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of TBD (To-Be-Determined). 2.02 Other Offices. LTC may also have offices at such other places, both within and without the State, as the Board of Directors may from time to time approve. I will serve as Chairman of LTC until my death, a vote of No Confidence (for any or no reason) by 9,000 of the 10,000 Local Chapter Directors, or 100 years from now whichever comes first. I adapted these Bylaws from those of the Dirigo Energy Institute (DEI), a nonprofit organization I founded in 2007. As is obvious on the DEI web site, LTC and DEI fit together at two places: (1) the 1,000 space settlements in geostationary orbit, with each accessed by a space elevator, will support a network of 1,000 solar power satellites and (2) an Earth based prototype of a space settlement will surround prototype OTEC plants DEI will build in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. An umbrella over these plants will receive power transferred down from one or more solar power satellites. The seed money required to set both organizations in motion will be derived from the six business networks introduced on the DEI web site. I am planning now for a Christmas test of the first business - Microjoy Company with a motto of "A Little Bit of Joy is Our Most Important Product." I will be happy to send a copy of the draft Bylaws to anyone who wants to know more. I welcome questions, comments, or concerns anyone might have. Thanks, Leon Neihouse Emails: ljan910 at Yahoo dot com or neihouse at gwi dot net