About the Name: Greater Earth

Greater Earth Solutions to Terrestrial Problems

Arthur Woods

 

There is no need to list the many challenges currently facing humanity.  Be they environmental, political, economic or social, the problems are both obvious and immediate. Most can be linked to the overwhelming success of the human species over the past 200 hundred years – a success that has resulted in it occupying every available niche and exploiting every available earthly resource for living, working and maintaining its society. Therefore, is it not too soon to ask the obvious question: “Has humanity outgrown its home planet Earth?”

Most people intuitively assume and fundamentally believe that terrestrial problems must have terrestrial solutions. This is likely due to a lack of understanding about our interconnectedness and interdependence with the rest of the cosmos. As a terrestrially evolved organism, it is in our genes to adapt to our immediate environment as we have over millions of years.

Throughout millennia humanity has wondered about its relation to the cosmos and about its ultimate role and purpose in the matrix of life. Based on the available knowledge of the particular moment in time, different perceptions - cosmological myths - were created to try to satisfy its quest to find meaningful explanations to fundamental existential questions explaining the dynamic structure and order of the cosmos. As knowledge increased though a process of making finer and finer discriminations about the nature of reality, the prevailing models of understanding were consequently modified or replaced by newer ones in order to have a more precise and believable explanation of where we came from, who we are and why are we here. This continuing process influences the way our species formulates its beliefs and conducts its affairs.

Only recently has humanity begun to become more precisely aware of how celestial events have been critically important to the appearance and evolution of life on Earth. Impacts of comets and asteroids most likely provided a young Earth with the necessary water and perhaps even the necessary genetic materials for life to appear. Subsequent impacts are believed to have resulted in mass extinctions of life at various times in the history of our planet. The cycles of the Sun have resulted in a number of cold periods or ice-ages where life had to struggle to survive and numerous warm periods where life has flourished and spread.

The Sun’s energy that reaches the Earth’s surface warms the planet, drives the hydrologic cycle and is the primary source of energy for the climate system which keeps Earth suitable for life. Solar activity which modulates the influx of galactic cosmic rays (high-speed particles that strike the Earth from space), has been shown to have a direct influence on cloud formation and has been correlated with warmer periods during high solar activity and cooling periods during low levels of solar activity. The Moon’s gravitational influence on the Earth produces the ocean tides which impacts the ecosystems, influences the dynamics of plate tectonics which creates a unique continent/ocean duality on our planet and provides spin/axis and rotation stabilization without which life may not have appeared and evolved and life on the surface of Earth would be impossible.

All celestial bodies of significant concentrated mass exert a field of gravitational attraction around their cores which extends to the point of tangential intersection with other celestial bodies.  Earth’s gravitational influence extends 1.5 million kilometers in all directions from its center where it meets the gravitational influence of the Sun. This Sphere of Influence (SOI) of the Earth has 13 million times the volume of the physical Earth and through it, passes more than 55,000 times the amount of solar power than which is available on the surface of the planet. In addition to energy, within this sphere of 3 million kilometers are enormous amounts of other resources, including occasional passing asteroids and the Moon which has a surface area comparable to the continent of Africa.

As such, Earth's true cosmic dimension is significantly larger than the image of our planet defined by its atmosphere that most people envision. Awareness of this and the unique relationship between the Sun, the Moon and the Earth is key to embracing a new perception of our planet called Greater Earth which describes both a cosmic region defined by the laws of physics and celestial mechanics and an interdependent dynamic system that has enabled life to appear and evolve.

For over 60 years the human species has been extending its civilization into the region of Greater Earth.  Beginning on October 4, 1957 with the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1, humanity has also continuously expanded the physical dimensions of its home planet by placing artificial satellites in Earth orbit. Since then, over 10,000 satellites from more than 40 countries have been launched. As of 2020, some 6,000 satellites are still in orbit – some remaining permanently. About 60% of those are defunct satellites and roughly 40% are currently operational.

These activities beyond the atmosphere have effectively expanded the physical size of planet Earth from its solid dimensions with a diameter of 12,756 kilometers to a diameter of approximately 84,328 kilometers which encompasses that of geosynchronous orbit (GEO). Consequently, humanity has become increasingly dependent on these numerous civilizational assets located beyond the atmosphere and removing them would pose dire consequences to the functioning of today’s complex technological society.

The human species has visited the Moon several times and has sent and continues to send various space probes to explore its closest celestial neighbor. This region is referred to cislunar space and plans for a Moon Village and/or a Lunar Gateway are currently being discussed by various space agencies. A number of countries have recently landed probes and rovers on the Moon. Several space companies are developing plans to mine and harvest near Earth asteroids or to capture one when it passes. A few countries have initiated Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) programs to harvest sunlight and transmit it to Earth to supply future generations with an inexhaustible and sustainable supply of clean solar energy. Geolunar space extends outwards to the outer boundary of Greater Earth where a number of scientific spacecraft have been parked in stable positions called the Lagrange points L1 and L2 in the Earth-Sun system. These spacecraft are observing the deep cosmos, the Sun, as well as continuously monitoring the home planet, its environment and climate.

Within the boundaries of Greater Earth, the human species will find the necessary room, resources, and opportunities that it will need to survive and prosper in the current millennium. As it has throughout its history, humanity must again refine its perception of the home planet in order to recognize and embrace an awareness of a greater, richer and more sustainable Earth. To do so, its next step will be to exercise its fullest capabilities to occupy and develop this new territory. Undertaken responsibility, consequently and with commitment, the severe pressures and stresses which are a threat to current civilization may be mitigated which may in turn lead to eventually achieving worldwide security, prosperity and ecological balance.

Furthermore, if one believes that economic and technological development are necessary preconditions for peace and prosperity, then one should also arrive at the conclusion that significant resources are necessary (a.) to fuel development, and (b.) to reduce tension. This tension-reducing potential is perhaps the greatest contribution to eventual peace and security on Earth. Thus, humanity’s future on the surface of Earth is irrevocably connected to its expanding activities into the region of Greater Earth and beyond. 

However, this expansion beyond our atmosphere must accelerate significantly before any of the concurrent threats result in a catastrophic collapse of civilization. If our species does not soon embrace this unique opportunity to secure its future with sufficient commitment, it may miss its one and only chance to do so. Unfortunately, as terrestrial threats multiply, the window of opportunity seems to be getting smaller and humanity could soon be overwhelmed by one or more of the many challenges it now faces.  

The list below categorizes a number of societal areas with specific challenges currently confronting human civilization and itemizes possible corresponding solutions that can be found through a committed expansion of human activities within the region of Greater Earth. Many of these issues are obviously interconnected and the solutions to one may be beneficial to others.

Energy Needs

  1. Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) generators either in orbit or on the Moon would help to meet much of humanity’s future energy needs with a plentiful and inexhaustible supply of clean CO2 neutral energy
  2. Helium-3 mined on the Moon for future fusion reactors on Earth

Climate Change / Mitigation & Control

  1. SBSP replaces humanity’s dependence on fossil fuel energy sources and therefore reduces the production of CO2 for energy purposes
  2. Parasols (Sun Shields) located at the Lagrange point 1 (L1)  could reduce the solar flux towards Earth and permit cooling of the planet’s atmosphere. Note: this geoengineering solution would be continuously controllable and, as its elements are located outside the biosphere without any direct interaction; if necessary, it could be modulated or moved away in a short time
  3. Snow Melting Satellites (SMS)  and Space Mirrors could be directed to raise the surface temperature of specific regions such as cities in the case of Global Cooling leading to a new Ice Age
  4. In both warming and cooling climate hypothesis, Solar Power Satellites, Snow Melting Satellites,  Parasols & Space Mirrors represent productive investments, in that they not only provide mitigation devices, but that their development and realization further support – or even create – an extended infrastructure together with operational capabilities that can serve, e.g., environmental remediation and developmental projects as well as future space development

Environmental Considerations

  1. Ground transportation including electric & hydrogen fueled vehicles would be powered by energy from space
  2. Scaling back terrestrial power plants will increase availability of water
  3. Water desalination can be powered by energy from space and resulting brines may serve as feedstock for co-located extractive facilities
  4. Some polluting industries could be moved into space, helping the biosphere to recover
  5. Sufficient clean energy would be available to address other environmental and economic issues
  6. Knowledge gained by creating sustainable artificial bio-environments off Earth can contribute to solving some of Earth’s environmental problems

Resource Depletion

  1. Space-Based Solar Power would replace finite terrestrial energy sources such as fossil fuels, nuclear power and augment insufficient energy solutions such as terrestrial solar photovoltaics and wind farms
  2. The lunar regolith is considered a source of Helium-3 for future fusion reactors
  3. Processing silicon on the Moon to be used for the production of solar photovoltaics for power generation would provide oxygen as a secondary by-product
  4. Metals for industrial purposes and construction are found in the lunar regolith such as Iron, Aluminum, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Titanium
  5. Platinum Group Metals (PGM) found on asteroids and the Moon are necessary for many industrial products especially for the production of hydrogen fuel cells
  6. Water on the Moon is essential for human outposts and for rocket fuel production
  7. Over 16,000 near-Earth asteroids that share a similar orbit to Earth contain the essential resources that make it possible to fuel and sustain life in space. (Water, light elements and PGMs being the main objectives as well as carbon for lunar processes)

Economic Growth

  1. Energy is the largest market on Earth and energy from space would become extremely profitable as terrestrial energy sources prove to be inadequate for sustaining civilization
  2. An inexhaustible supply of energy from space would drive and sustain economic development for generations to come and contribute to world prosperity
  3. A determined SBSP program would significantly stimulate the launch industry leading to a lower cost to space
  4. Space tourism, space mining and space power industries would create millions of qualified and productive new jobs
  5. New net wealth creation would result through expanding terrestrial economies into the region of Greater Earth
  6. Extraterrestrial-based, commodity-backed currencies could stabilize financial markets
  7. Space development will create ample opportunities for entrepreneurs and new markets
  8. Transitioning the skills, knowledge and experience of the war industries into the new space industries would be economically useful
  9. Importing resource wealth from Greater Earth instead of depleting the remaining resource wealth of planet Earth would be more sustainable and profitable
  10. Rising prosperity would automatically have a positive influence on population pressures
  11. A new territory for human endeavors would lead to new knowledge, skills and technologies
  12. An industrial infrastructure in Greater Earth would be a stepping-stone to expanding human civilization throughout the Solar System and eventually creating exponential economies

Planetary Protection

  1. Space based energy systems could mitigate Global Warming or Global Cooling
  2. An industrial infrastructure beyond Earth’s atmosphere will help provide a defense from possible impacts by asteroids and comets
  3. Establishing off-Earth outposts and repositories for terrestrial life would be an insurance for the ultimate survival of life in this part of the Cosmos

War and Geopolitical Conflict

  1. Aggressive human tendencies can be redirected to conquering the space frontier
  2. Transitioning the skills, knowledge, and experience of the war industries into the new space industries by transforming the Military Industrial Complex into the Space Industrial Complex
  3. International cooperation and collaboration replaces competition and conflict
  4. Harnessing infinite extraterrestrial resources for use on Earth will negate the motives and rational for the perpetual geopolitical conflicts over control and exploitation of diminishing and finite terrestrial resources

Society and Culture

  1. Renewed hope about the future by providing humanity with an optimistic future of peace and prosperity and an increased sense of human purpose
  2. Spontaneous and authentic cooperation and collaboration among peoples and nations
  3. The real possibility of creating an optimistic and prosperous future for the next generations
  4. Positive economic growth will reduce social and cultural frictions and yield capabilities to tackle critical issues in other domains
  5. Excitement, adventure, opportunity and inspiration
  6. A new cultural dimension for the arts, literature and music
  7. Preserving and perpetuating human civilization
  8. Enabling humanity to become a spacefaring species
  9. Renewed reverence for all life on Earth
  10. The ultimate survival of humanity and of all terrestrial life

 

** The first mention of the Greater Earth concept was in an article by Elisa and Kevin Griffith that appeared in Space News in March, 1994. The concept was expanded upon by a group of space enthusiasts during an online group discussion in the late 1990’s which resulted in the Greater Earth Manifesto. It is currently being refined and further developed by Arthur Woods and Marco C. Bernasconi on the Greater.Earth website.