Greater Earth Search

The Space Option: An Alternative to War

Arthur Woods / 07-03-2022

Here on Earth, human civilization has reached such a point in its development where it has evolved the means to leave its home planet and to begin operating in the environment beyond its atmosphere. Optimistically, this development would enable humanity to utilize this technological capability to harness the infinite resources located off Earth in order to improve the well-being of the population as well as improving the chances that its current civilization can continue to prosper in the decades and centuries ahead – both on Earth and eventually in other places in the solar system. On the other hand, this same capability could also be used in a negative manner in order to exert tyrannical control over a majority of the population thereby limiting prosperity to a select few, or, in the ultimate worst case, it could be used to destroy civilization and humanity’s only chance of expansion into the Cosmos.

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Astrostrom: the Ultimate Green Energy Option for Switzerland

Arthur Woods / 28-02-2022

Last year, Astrostrom GmbH analyzed Switzerland's energy situation based on the "Energy Perspectives 2050+" strategy and identified an Energy Dilemma that will lead to an annual energy deficit of 114 TWh by 2050 - equivalent to 15 nuclear power plants the size of Gösgen. As the Sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, terrestrial energy technologies – solar, wind and hydroelectric – while necessary, cannot be adequately scaled to meet Switzerland’s 2050 energy and climate goals.

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A Star is Born

Arthur Woods / 28-05-2021

S⊕S - SOS - Space Option Star - Energy from Space from Space For Switzerland. S⊕S - Addressing the Energy Dilemma and the Climate Emergency Humanity is facing an imminent Energy Dilemma in that the limited proven reserves of fossil fuels could reach exhaustion levels at mid-century and none of the current alternative terrestrial energy options – nuclear – wind - ground solar (PV) – can be sufficiently scaled to achieve the goal of divesting from fossil fuels by the year 2050 as is being called for by the United Nations, the European Union and numerous organizations to address the Climate Emergency.

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New Astrostrom Website

Arthur Woods / 24-04-2021

Switzerland: an Astrostrom Startup Nation? - Schweiz: Eine Astrostrom-Startup-Nation?

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SOS- Space Option Star Selected in ESA Call for Mission Ideas

Arthur Woods / 01-01-2021

Out of the 201 ideas submitted to the European Space Agency, about twenty were chosen to be further developed including SOS the Space Option Star - an in situ demonstration of space energy technologies. After further evaluation of all proposals. ESA will eventually pick 3-5 ideas for implementation as missions. Discussions begin in January, 2021.

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GE⊕-LPS Greater Earth Lunar Power Station

Arthur Woods / 04-11-2020

GE⊕-LPS Greater Earth Lunar Power Station was submitted to the European Space Agency's recent call for "Clean Energy - New Ideas for Solar Power from Space". 85 proposals were submitted. Of these, 16 are public and are listed on the ESA website while the rest were submitted as confidential. Evaluation starts on November 15. Successful ideas may be selected for further development.

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ESA: What's next? New space mission ideas and concepts

Arthur Woods / 05-10-2020

SOS - the Space Option Star project was submitted to the European Space Agency's recent call for new space mission ideas and concepts. The deadline for submissions was October 4. 201 proposals were submitted. Of these, 79 are public and are listed on the ESA website while the rest were submitted as confidential. Evaluation starts on October 17 and continues until November 28, 2020. 3-5 ideas will be selected and put out for bid for further development.

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The Space Option Star: New Website

Arthur Woods / 18-07-2020

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A Greater Earth Library

Arthur Woods / 10-07-2020

Discover Greater Earth in More Than 80+ Selected Books

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The Mythocosmological Context of Greater Earth

Arthur Woods / 27-06-2020

Cosmological myths are based on the newest information available to humanity. These myths have a major influence on human affairs and are often incorporated into artifacts such as images, objects and structures which become visual symbols of the information embodied in a particular myth and are used to communicate and/or access the perceived understanding.

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Relaunch of Greater Earth

Arthur Woods / 07-06-2020

Relaunch of Greater Earth

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Space, Art and the Future of Humanity

Arthur Woods / 06-09-2016

Artists and architects of the new millennium, burdened with the failures of current postmodern society, yet aware and convinced that human destiny on Earth is irrevocably linked to human destiny in space, have the unique opportunity to passionately imagine and build a truly optimistic and inspiring future for humanity - one that is far more compelling than any so far imagined.  Now is the time for a  new art movement to be formed to help humanity comprehend its situation and to choose its future. What should it be called? "spaceoptionism", "spaceoptimism", "spaceism" or ".............. "

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Quote by Sir Herbert Read

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

“The artist and the community are profoundly interrelated. Traditionally, artists have been channels for the tempo, the tone and the intensity of their society. The function of their art is to express feeling and transmit understanding. In a genuine work of art one recognizes what is being shared by our common humanity. Artists achieve this through an intuitive appreciation of the appropriate form and through the use of materials made available to them by the circumstances of their time." 

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The Role of Art in Greater Earth

Arthur Woods / 28-06-2017

It was the early works of science fiction and the descriptions and depictions of the cosmos by artists of a hundred years ago that stimulated the first space pioneers. In addition to the vast amount of science fiction literature about space that has for generations stimulated our imagination about exploring the cosmos, a highly diverse genre of visual art has also emerged called: Space Art.

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Quote by Dennis Wingo

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"We go to Mars to take our civilization there. We go to the Moon to save our civilization here."

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Quote by Ludwig von Mises

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"Wars are harmful, not only to the conquered but to the conqueror. Society has arisen out of the works of peace; the essence of society is peacemaking. Peace and not war is the father of all things. Only economic action has created the wealth around us; labor, not the profession of arms, brings happiness. Peace builds; war destroys."

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Quote by Krafft Arnold Ehricke

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"While civilization is more than a high material living standard, it is nevertheless based on material abundance. It does not thrive on abject poverty nor in an atmosphere of resignation and hopelessness. It needs vigor as well as vision. Therefore the end objectives of solar system exploration are social objectives in the sense that they relate to, or are dictated by, present and future human needs."

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Quote by Frank White

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"War and space exploration are alternative uses of the assertive, exploratory energies that are so characteristic of human beings. They may also be mutually exclusive because if one occurs on a massive scale, the other probably will not."

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Quote by Robert A. Heinlein

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"The Earth is just too small and fragile a basket for the human race to keep all its eggs in."

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Quote by Robert A. Heinlein

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"In the .universe, space travel may be the normal birth pangs of an otherwise dying race. A test. Some races pass, some fail"

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Carl Sagan

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"Since, in the long run, every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring--not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds."

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Quote by Issaac Asimov

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"There are so many benefits to be derived from space exploration and exploitation; why not take what seems to me the only chance of escaping what is otherwise the sure destruction of all that humanity has struggled to achieve for 50,000 years?"

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Quote by Gerard K. O’Neill

Arthur Woods / 13-05-2020

"Is a planetary surface the right place for an expanding technological civilization?"

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Space Energy Options for Addressing the Energy Dilemma and the Climate Emergency

Arthur R. Woods and Marco C. Bernasconi / 28-04-2020

Humanity is facing an imminent Energy Dilemma in that the limited proven reserves of fossil fuels could reach exhaustion levels at mid-century and none of the alternative terrestrial energy options – nuclear – wind - ground solar (PV) – can be sufficiently scaled to achieve the goal of divesting from fossil fuels by the year 2050 as is being called for by the United Nations, many governments and numerous organizations to address the Climate Emergency. Providing energy to Earth from space - either from orbit or from the Moon - is the only feasible and scalable alternative currently available to humanity to divest from fossil fuels in the near term while meeting its future energy needs.  This Space Energy Option is seldom mentioned and rarely discussed as a way to address the interrelated climate and energy emergencies.

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Greater.Earth Changing Our Perception of the Cosmic Dimensions of the World

Arthur Woods / 22-12-2019

In this Voices.Earth podcast interview, we speak with Arthur Woods, the resident artist of Greater.Earth, which is an effort to promote a new perception that is based on Earth’s true cosmic dimensions to catalyze an optimistic path to a sustainable and prosperous future.

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Fly Me to the Moon at Kunsthaus Zürich shows Cosmic Dancer

Arthur Woods / 03-05-2019

Kunsthaus Zürich curator Cathérine Hug introduced “Fly me to the Moon. The Moon Landing: 50 Years On“. The exhibition included a video of Arthur Woods' Cosmic Dancer sculpture

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New Cosmic Dancer Video

Arthur Woods / 03-05-2019

This is a re-mastered version of the Cosmic Dancer video produced for the upcoming exhibition in the Zürich Kunsthaus. The original 28 min. Beta SP video tape made by the cosmonauts on the Mir space station was sent to a video service for digitizing. The new file was 32 GB and in 4:3 format. However, the quality of the video was sufficient to stretch the video to a 16:9 format. The

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Swiss Space Museum shows Cosmic Dancer Video at Fantasy Basel

Arthur Woods / 07-05-2018

Arthur Woods has been invited by the Swiss Space Museum to show the Cosmic Dancer and Cosmic Dancer 2.0 projects on their stand at Fantasy Basel from May 10-12, 2018.

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Greater Earth – Redesigning our Planet

Arthur Woods / 06-03-2018

The 14 min. video presentation depicts a virtual journey from the surface of Earth to the outer boundary of Greater Earth. The journey is narrated by resident artist/astronaut Arthur Woods.

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DSCOVR Greater Earth

Arthur Woods / 15-02-2018

"Earth seen From 1 Million Miles”images which have been taken from the edge of Greater Earth by the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite located at LaGrange Point 1 (L1) which is 1.5 million kilometers from from the Earth.

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Observation #17: – Art in Space

Arthur Woods / 01-02-2017

The GEO-Political Observatory has focused on an art event in space - the launch of the Humanity Star on January 21. 2018. Resident artist Arthur Woods discusses the project initiated by the CEO of the Rocket Lab company and launched on an Electron rocket from their launch center located in New Zealand.

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Observation #16 – 1000+ Items in the DataStream

Arthur Woods / 19-01-2018

Resident artist Arthur Woods is back in orbit and this is the first observation for 2018. Over 1000 item are now listed in the GEO-Political Observatory's archive.

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To Earth and Back

Arthur Woods / 16-01-2018

Resident artist Arthur Woods reports on his recent visit to Earth where he attended a technical briefing at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna, Austria.

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The Year of Astronautical Art

Arthur Woods / 01-01-2018

Resident artist Arthur Woods kicks off 2018 with a number of astronautical art announcements.

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The Launch of the Sagan 2

Arthur Woods / 25-12-2017

Activities in Greater Earth are picking up with the successful launch of the Sagan 2 rocket and the rendezvous of the spacecraft with the Greater.Earth space station. Once in orbit the payload accomplished a successful docking

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Observation #15 – Information-Industrial Complex

Arthur Woods / 19/12/2017

Back on the Greater Earth space station resident artist Arthur Woods mentions some of the latest items in the GEO-Political Observatory's data stream. North Korea is still a geopolitical hotspot and a recent analysis published in the Unz Review suggests that any major conflict there would be a lose-lose situation for all involved.

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Observation #14 – AstroCurrency vs. CryptoCurrency

Arthur Woods / 12/12/2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods describes the inherent risks related to cryptocurrencies. As a possible counterpart, he introduces the G.E.A.U. - the Greater Earth Accounting Unit - the AstroCurrency of Greater.Earth which is currently 100% backed by gold but eventually will be backed by the plentiful resources in Greater.Earth.

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On the Ars Astronautica

Arthur Woods / 11-12-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods is on the Ars Astronautica module that was sent to the Greater Earth space station some weeks ago. Ars Astronautica is being re-purposed and prepared for lunar orbit so that a visit to the lunar surface can take place soon.

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Observation #13 – $250 Million a Day!

Arthur Woods / 07/11/2017

War on Terror Costs Taxpayers $250 Million a Day AntiMedia / Darius Shahtahmasebi The U.S. government has spent a staggering $1.46 trillion on wars abroad since September 11, 2001, according to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) periodical “Cost of War” report. As International Business Times reports, this amounts to $250 million a day for 16 years consecutively.

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Observation #12– How & Why Big Oil Conquered the World

Arthur Woods / 05/11/2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods focuses on the recent documentary published on the Corbett Report by James Corbett How and Why Big Oil Conquered the World.

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The Launch of Ars Astronautica

Arthur Woods / 05-11-2017

The Ars Astronautica spacecraft atop a Sagan 3 rocket was successfully launched to the Greater Earth space station. In addition, resident artist Arthur Woods reports that the ars astronautica website has been redesigned and deployed online.

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Developments and Updates

Arthur Woods / 28-10-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods - after a short pause in broadcasting - gives an update on recent and future events on the Greater.Earth space station. He returned to Earth with the Destiny Spaceplane recently where he participated in the Practive Peace Project workshop and festival in Munich, Germany.

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Observation #11 – GEO-PO – One Year in Orbit

Arthur Woods / 06/10/2017

The GEO-Political Observatory (GEO-PO) has been in orbit for over one year.

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Observation #10 – Sputnik- The Space Age Begins

Arthur Woods / 04/10/2017

The Soviet Union inaugurates the “Space Age” with its launch of the world’s first artificial satellite. The spacecraft, named Sputnik after the Russian word for “satellite,” was launched at 10:29 p.m. Moscow time from the Tyuratam launch base in the Kazakh Republic. Sputnik had a diameter of 58 centimeters and weighed 83.6 kilograms and circled Earth once every hour and 36 minutes.

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Downlink with Palazzo Bembo, September 30, 2017

Arthur Woods / 03-10-2017

As the Greater.Earth space station passed over Venice and the Art Biennale on September 30, resident artist Arthur Woods demonstrates a virtual tour of the exhibition and he managed to successfully connect with two staff members of the Global Art Affairs Foundation.

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Observation #9 – Cooperation in Space

Arthur Woods / 01/10/2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods highlights some positive developments in the Geopolitical scene. A recent announcement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and China about a potential cooperation in the development of the ESA proposed "Moon Village" expands the sphere of cooperation that ESA has maintained over the years.

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The Space Peace Star – Technical Aspects

Arthur Woods / 07-09-2017

Arthur Woods discusses the technical aspects of the Space Peace Star art intervention including the mission objectives, the project background and the technology required. He also contrasts the costs of the Space Peace Star with the world's military budgets.

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More Space or More War?

Arthur Woods / 03-08-2017

This video suggests that space development is a viable alternative to perpetual conflict on Earth. The video uses a quote from Frank White’s book - The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution: “War and space exploration are alternative uses of the assertive, exploratory energies that are so characteristic of human beings. They may also be mutually exclusive because if one occurs on a massive scale, the other probably will not.”

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Observation #7 – US Military Budget and Worldwide Deployment

Arthur Woods / 11/08/2017

Recent data archived by the Geo-Political Observatory provides some insight into the budget of the US Military/Security complex which amounts to approximately $1.1 trillion per year.

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Downlink with Palazzo Bembo August 5, 2017

Arthur Woods / 09-08-2017

Another successful downlink as the Greater.Earth space station passed over Venice and the exhibition in the Palazzo Bembo.

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Observation # 5: – Our Plastic Planet

Arthur Woods / 25/07/2017

Looking over the constant data stream coming in from the GEO-Political Observatory, not everything has to do with the political back-and-forth of international politics.

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Downlink with Palazzo Bembo -July 21, 2017

Arthur Woods / 22-07-2017

As the Greater.Earth space station passed over Venice on July 21, 2017, resident artist Arthur Woods managed a live connection with the exhibition in Palazzo Bembo and had a short conversation with Deborah - a visitor to the show.

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First Visitor – AstroArtist Claudine Varesi

Arthur Woods / 07-07-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods welcomes his first visitor to the Greater.Earth space station -  AstroArtist Claudine Varesi - a long-time friend and colleague.

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Observation #3: Things to Come

Arthur Woods / 19/07/2017

Today's observation has to do with future developments in technology.

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Observation #2: UN World Population Prospects

Arthur Woods / 06/07/2017

The data stream form the GEO-Political Observatory has picked up information about the current and future population estimates from the United Nations 2017 World Population Prospects.

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Observation #1: Current and Future Population Estimates

Arthur Woods / 04/07/2017

This is the first posting in the Observation category. Resident artist Arthur Woods introduces a new series of communications based on the data stream coming in from the GEO-Political Observatory.

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EarthSeeds Update

Arthur Woods / 21-06-2017

Resident Artist Arthur Woods provides an update on the EarthSeeds art intervention currently on display in the Greater.Earth exhibition during the Venice Art Biennale, Italy.

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Asteroids with Marco Bernasconi

Arthur Woods / 01-06-2017

The first in a series of conversations between Arthur Woods and Marco Bernasconi discusses the topic of  Asteroids.

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My First Week in Orbit

Arthur Woods / 23-05-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods  provides an update on his first weeks on the Greater.Earth space station

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The Launch to the Greater Earth Space Station

Arthur Woods / 08-05-2017

The successful launch of resident artist Arthur Woods to the Greater Earth space station.

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New Websites and Launch Update

Arthur Woods / 01-05-2017

Also, the final launch preparations are being completed and his voyage to the Greater Earth space station will take place very soon. Due to the important exhibitions taking place in Singapore and in Venice, Resident Artist Arthur Woods announces the launch of two new websites that have recently gone online.

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The Universe and Art

Arthur Woods / 10-03-2017

The Universe and Art examines humanity's fascination with the Universe and what lies beyond. As the subject of dreams, mythologies and artistic explorations, the Universe has been studied by people around the world for millennia. Featuring over 120 artworks, scientific artifacts and manuscripts, this exhibition presents global views of the Universe through the centuries.

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The Meaning of Art

Arthur Woods / 15-02-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods discusses why art is important to society and if we lose faith in our leaders and institutions "art" still gives us some hope. He quotes from the book  "The Meaning of Art" by the British art historian Herbert Read who believes that believes that art is so much more significant than economics or  philosophy in that art is the direct measure of humanity’s spiritual vision. How does this apply to Greater.Earth? "Let's make Earth an artwork."

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A Personal Singularity

Arthur Woods / 02-02-2017

A Personal Singularity is defined as an awareness and an approximation  of  the cosmic relationship of a human being vis-a-vis the Universe. This can be expressed by the number 10-50    which is the ratio between the number of atoms in ones’ body 1028  and the number of atoms in the observable Universe  1078.

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Peace off Earth, Peace on Earth, Peace with Earth

Arthur Woods / 25-12-2016

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Voices from L5 - Interview with Liam Ginty

Arthur Woods / 11-12-2016

Resident artist Arthur Woods was contacted by Liam Ginty, the host of the podcast "Voices from L5", to discuss the Cosmic Dancer project in an interview.

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Grounded by Gravity

Arthur Woods / 27-11-2016

Resident artist Arthur Woods announces a slight postponement of his launch to the Greater Earth space station due to an injury while in a physical training exercise.

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The Space Race

Arthur Woods / 25-10-2016

Resident artist Arthur Woods comments on the information that is being collected by the GEO-Political Observatory. He points out, that from a statistical perspective, about 30% of the items concern"Space" activities which are generally positive and approximately the same percentage of the items in the Data Stream are in the categories of "War " and/or "Geopolitics".

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Our Cosmic Choice

Arthur Woods / 17-10-2016

The data stream coming in from the GEO-Political Observatory is very depressing. The march to World War III continues unabated. It appears that humanity must soon make its "Cosmic Choice" in order to insure the future of civilization before a global catastrophe  happens.

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A Space Industrial Complex?

Arthur Woods / 05-10-2016

Resident artist Arthur Woods describes the data stream that is being transmitted by the GEO-Political Observatory. In its first week of operations, more than 40 items of Geopolitical interest have been received in a number of areas.

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The Launch of the GEO-Political Observatory

Arthur Woods / 22/09/2016

The GEO-PO will supply a steady stream of information that is precisely focused on these issues. As geopolitical developments emerge or change the software on-board the satellite can be modified to refine its focus on specific targets of interests.

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Introducing the GEO Political Observatory

Arthur Woods / 21/09/2016

Resident artist Arthur Woods introduces the GEO-Political Observatory (GEO-PO) which is an Earth observation satellite that focuses on the geopolitical events and developments that are affecting the state of civilization and the well-being of the citizens of Earth.

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Supply Vehicle Rendezvous

Arthur Woods / 12-09-2016

The crew on the Greater Earth space station sent a video of the recent rendezvous of the supply ship. Resident Artist Arthur Woods talks about the next launch as the newest launch vehicle is positioned in the launch tower. Video of the previous launch is replayed.

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Communication 16-009 - Successful Launch and Rendezvous

Arthur Woods / 08-09-2016

Mission Accomplished! Today, an important milestone was reached with the successful launch and rendezvous of the supply vehicle with the Greater Earth space station in Earth orbit. Included in the supply capsule were the art supplies of resident artist Arthur Woods.

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Clean Room - Preparations for Supply Vehicle Launch

Arthur Woods / 01-08-2016

Resident Artist Arthur Woods is in the "Clean Room" making final preparations for the upcoming launch of the supply capsule to the Greater Earth space station. He describes some of the art making activities he will be doing once he arrives at the space station.

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Space Option Star Website and Video

Arthur Woods / 28-08-2016

Resident artist Arthur Woods took a break from his launch preparations to create a new website for the Space Option Star art intervention. He also shares the new video animation of how the Space option Star will appear in Earth orbit.

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The new Spaceplane and the Space Peace Star

Arthur Woods / 11-08-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods provides an update on his upcoming launch to the Greater Earth space station and he reveals the new Spaceplane that will take him to Earth orbit.

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Launch Update and the view home from the edge of Greater Earth

Arthur Woods / 25-07-2017

Resident artist Arthur Woods has been informed that his upcoming launch to the Greater Earth space station is expected to take place within the next 10 days. In the meantime, images from NASA's Goddard Spaceflight center show "One Year on Earth – Seen From 1 Million Miles" which have been taken from the edge of Greater Earth by the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite located at LaGrange point 1 or L1 which is 1.5 million kilometers from from the Earth.

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New Launcher for Greater Earth and Apollo 11

Arthur Woods / 20-07-2016

Greater Earth has taken delivery of its third launch vehicle. Arthur is still waiting for a definite launch date. 47 years ago today, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first human being to step on the surface of another planetary body - the Moon. Arthur relates his experience witnessing the launch of Apollo 11 and working at the Kennedy Space Center during the summers of 1967 and 1968.

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Astronomers Without Borders Interview

Arthur Woods / 27-05-2017

Resident Artist Arthur Woods was the April 2016 AstroArtist of the month on the Astronomers Without Borders website. The last post in the series was an interview with AWB's Danelia de Paulis, Arthur and his long-time collaborator, Marco Bernasconi.

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Launch Delay and Docking Excercise

Arthur Woods / 15-07-2017

The launch of resident artist Arthur Woods to the GE space station has encountered a delay due to bad weather. Arthur used this time to practice his piloting and docking skills. A night launch or a day launch is scheduled for the near future

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Final Preparations Before Launch

Arthur Woods / 28-06-2016

"Greater.Earth - an art intervention near Earth" is in the final stages before lift-off. Resident artist Arthur Woods tested the capsule while the GE space station has been positioned in near Earth orbit - currently seen orbiting over the Swiss alps. A video image from the station's drone has relayed a remarkable image of the space station in orbit. Arthur Woods will be launched to the space station soon

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Preparing for Lift-off

Arthur Woods / 28-06-2016

"Greater.Earth - an art intervention near Earth" is in the final stages of preparation. Resident artist Arthur Woods will soon be launched to the Greater Earth space station being positioned in orbit. Upcoming communications will discuss the "Overview" - issues, opportunities and solutions that can be discovered in the area of Greater Earth.

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A Space Age on Earth

Arthur Woods / 05-05-2020

This essay introduces the need to consider a new perception of our planet called Greater Earth. A perception that is based on Earth's true cosmic dimensions as defined by the laws of physics and how this new perception of our planet may catalyze an optimistic path to a sustainable and prosperous future. It was submitted to the FQXi Community 2014 competition: "How Should Humanity Steer the Future?​"

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The Moon as a Cultural Destination

Arthur Woods / Dec 28, 2013

The first soft landing on the Moon since 1976 ocurred on December 14 when the Chinese successfully landed their Yutu robot rover on the Moon as a part of their Chang'e-3 mission. In Chinese "Yutu" literally means "Jade Rabbit" after the mythological rabbit that lives on the Moon as a pet of the Moon goddess Chang'e. The naming of the spacecraft and the rover attaches mythology and symbolism to a significant technological event - an event which brings up memories of the Apollo project and the artifacts and artwork deposited on the Moon that are still there waiting for the next visitors from Earth.

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Assessing Our Civilization's Future Energy Needs

Arthur Woods / 21-12-2013

This article looks at the future energy needs of our civilization by examining the predictions and recommendation of recently published studies by the three of the world's important energy organizations: the World Energy Council (WEC, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the International Energy Administration (IEA). Each organization has made predictions about the future energy needs of society by mid-century and how these predictions will be fulfilled. The article concludes with a projection about the potential size and value of the energy market in the years 2035-2050. (Short Version)

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Our Window of Opportunity

Arthur Woods / 07-10-2013

Our civilization is at its peak - we have the means today to implement The Space Option but not yet the commitment. However, if our species does not soon embrace this unique opportunity with sufficient commitment, it may miss its one and only chance to do so.

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A Paradigm Shift for Space-Based Solar Power

Team Report / Jun 27, 2013

One of the main components of The Space Option concept has been the utilization of resources from space - primarily that of energy - to meet the needs of humanity on Earth. For years the idea of Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) has been predicted, researched and discussed. Two recent developments may indicate that SBSP may one day actually become a reality.

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How Civilizations Choose to Fail or Succeed

Arthur Woods / Jun 1, 2013

In his book "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed", Jared Diamond, a geologist, examines a number of ancient societies that have collapsed including, among others, Easter Island, the Mayan culture and the Norse settlements in Greenland. The keyword is: "choose". The Space Option concept implies that a choice related to space exists for humanity that has do with the success of our civilization.

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Cutting to the chase... More Space or More War

Arthur Woods / May 26, 2013

For those not familiar with this expression, it means to getting to the point without wasting time. The main point of this article is about the use of space technologies either for peace or for war and how that choice may influence the implementation of The Space Option. Simply stated, humanity must soon make a choice between "more space" or "more war".

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Considering the Universe

Marco C. Bernasconi / Apr 9, 2013

The progress of the astronomical sciences has constantly opened new horizons to the humanity's culture, not only by the discovery of new celestial objects, but mainly by showing the real dimensions of the Universe. In recent times, astronautical techniques have contributed substantially to the cosmic research effort, to the point that science has been advanced as the primary reason for spaceflight. In reality, although astronautics and astronomy have a common origin in the human drive to explore and to penetrate the mysteries of the heavens, this is not the case. The scientific research aimed at the basic understanding of the Universe is but one, if important, argument for space activities; the simple reflection on the dimensions of the Universe provides another, at least as powerful, theme in support of a real astronautical endeavour.

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