From: tombaker@world.std.com (Tom A Baker)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Lecture Summary: What if SETI Succeeds, myth that we're prepared (long)
Date: 11 Oct 92 16:42:30 GMT
Organization: Me, at The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA

September Lecture Summary - Boston Chapter, National Space Society

by Roxanne R. Warniers

September's presentation was given by Frank White, author of the
two current books Overview Effect and The SETI Factor, and his
upcoming book International Space. Mr. White presented two ideas
for open discussion: 1) Myths in our way of being prepared for
SETI contact, and 2) "Personal Space" and the importance of low
cost access to orbit.



Contact Myths

NASA's SETI project is set to begin in October, to coincide with
the 500th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America. Should
this project succeed in finding evidence of extra-terrestrial
intelligence, most people would have to agree with Mr. White
that the impact on human culture would be enormous. At our
meeting, he proposed that many myths stand in our way of being
effectively prepared for this contact. A lively discussion
ensued involving a wide-ranging review of world history as
everyone attempted to find precedents for 'first contact.'

We tend to assume now that contact will be positive, Mr. White
commented, a over-reaction to the early days of TV and Radio
representations of evil aliens. But the contact might not be
positive... Another common assumption is that the populace of
Earth would bind together in the face of alien contact - Mr.
White doesn't think that would necessarily be the case. 

If the aliens were clearly malevolent, we might bind together,
although Mr. White and our group recounted stories of American
Indian tribes who did not come together in the face of the
expansionist colonies. Instead, they sought alliances with the
various groups (American, English, French, and British) to
better defeat their tribal enemies. 

A benign contact could be very problematic too. If the aliens
appear peaceful, and even helpful, we may polarize into groups
in order to procure an alliance to defeat our earthly enemies.
"Benign" is also subject to various interpretation, as our group
remembered well-intentioned missionaries who forced religion on
the people and inadvertently decimated populations with their
common diseases.

An alien contact could also be mischievous or deceptive. It
would be very hard to determine intent from any message.


Personal Space 

In the second part of Frank White's open discussion, he talked
about his new passion - the idea of 'Personal Space' and the
importance of low cost access to orbit. In his previous
writings, Mr. White's thought have evolved from national space
to international space; for him, the next step is Personal Space.

Mr. White sees a major problem in our space programs today
because there is no public excitement and no personal interest.
The current space program has no specific, easily-identified
goal, unlike the space race in the 1950's and 1960's that
mobilized an entire country, allocating resources, gearing
education more towards math and science, and funding research.

We should change the priority of the purpose of space program to
get the maximum number of people into space, according to Mr.
White. More people would be interested in Space program if they
could have a better chance to go themselves. He identifies
people's desire/need to be 'out there' themselves as "Personal
Space."

White used the analogy of personal computers to better explain
Personal Space. Large computers lumbered along for many years
but were inaccessible except to the 'elite'. With the advent of
personal computers, a much larger segment of the population has
access to computers. These small computers have become a
necessity to our culture, and life without them would be
significantly less productive, if not less rewarding. White
believes that if people were given access to space in the same
ways as PCs provided access to computing power, they would come
to cherish and demand the extra freedom.


Low Cost Access

The major obstacle to giving people access to space is its high
cost. A substantial percent of this high cost is dedicated to
achieving Earth orbit. Frank White believes the cost of
achieving orbit must come down if Personal Space if ever to take
off. His ideal cost for individual transportation to Earth orbit
would be similar to the price of a plane ticket between Boston
and New York.

What model would move the space movement toward giving high
priority to the goal of low cast access to orbit and Personal
Space? Mr. White suggested one model similar to the beginning of
first commercially successful personal computers, where Steven
Jobs and Steven Wozniak built the Apple computer in their
garage. Although everyone agreed that space flight required more
technology and capital than a few entrepreneurs could easily
assemble.

Mr. White prefers a second model. He suggested that a mass
grass-roots movement, similar to the civil rights movement,
would produce the best results. He says that when people begin
to see space as a freedom not to be denied, and low cost access
as a natural individual right, public sentiment would readily
support the same kind of vision that got us to the moon in 1969.
We take for granted our right to leave our country, but the
planet may be our prison and we don't have the technology to
leave it yet. "If we cannot leave" he says, "we cannot go to our
next step" in evolution. 

Mr. White notes that some have responded with apprehension to
popular access to space. Many of these people prefer a space
expansion similar to current management of Antarctic
exploration, where it is shared by all, but accessible to only
the academic elite. The underlying philosophy here is that
humans cannot be trusted. Frank White acknowledges that a policy
of PersonalSpace will send forth the good and the bad free
spirits, but we must trust our ability to handle it. After all,
those emissaries are only natural; we are the human race.

Frank White is a Rhodes Scholar and a Senior Associate at the
Space Studies Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, as well as a
senior consultant on space and high technology issues for Hill &
Knowlton. In addition, Mr. White gave the banquet speech at 1992
national NSS Conference. 


This article is copyrighted (C) by its author, 1992.

Excerpts cannot be used, except for reviews and criticisms, without 
written permission of NSS, Boston Chapter.  (We will try to respond
by e-mail within two business days.)

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