The Millennial
Project
The Millennial Project is a book by the founder of the
First Millennium Foundation, Marshall T. Savage. In it, he presents an
achievable
plan to make first the sea, and then space accessible to humanity,
ensuring
our survival. This plan makes use of existing technologies, does not
assume
any unlikely breakthroughs, and has a place for anyone wanting to
participate
in this great venture. The Foundation sees the book as a starting point
- a way things might turn out. We are not tied to any specific
technology,
just to the purpose. (More)
The best way to envision the scale of the Project is imagine each phase
of the project requiring roughly twice the time of the previous phase:
- Aquarius Rising Phase
- Present to 2004: Establish the First Millennial Foundation, an
organization
convened to realize these destinies. This Foundation is now growing fast
as this site attests. We will build and operate Aquarius Rising, a
land-based
prototype sea colony on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin
Islands.
- Pre-Aquarius Phase - 2004
to 2008: We will build a floating sea colony inside a lagoon in
either
the central Pacific or Indian Ocean.
- Aquarian Phase - 2008 to
2016:
With the technologies we have perfected in the prototype colonies we will
go off shore to learn the lessons of space colonization by building
Aquarius,
the first in a series of autonomous floating cities situated in
international
waters.
- Bifrost
Phase - 2016 to 2032: Financed by the wealth created by Aquarius
and its sister colonies we will then construct a low cost launch system.
Several methods are currently being investigated.
- Asgard
Phase - 2032 to 2064: With cheap access to space, we
can build orbital colonies.
- Avallon
Phase - 2064 to 2125: Building on the mining infrastructure
established
to construct orbital colonies we terraform lunar craters for human and
animal
habitation.
- Elysium
Phase - 2125 to 2250: As humanity expands in the solar system we
begin the terraformation of Mars. Completion of this process will take
many
centuries, but it will be well under way by the end of this phase.
- Solarian
Phase - 2250 to 2500: Growth of a large scale human civilization
throughout the solar system. At an average sustained rate of growth of
around
2%, the overall population of the solar system will be on the order of
500
billion by the end of this phase. This is by no means a full-fledged K2
culture, but it is a hundred times the present human population and
should
be ample to at least begin building starships.
- Galactic
Phase - From 2500 to 3000: By the beginning of the Fourth
Millennium, there should be human colonies out to a distance of 40 or 50
light years. This will form humanity's toehold on the galaxy and will be
the tap root from which springs the rest of galactic civilization.
And it all begins with a solid Foundation.
[Note: For yor convenience we are building a Glossary
containing definitions of some of the terms used in these descriptions
and
in the rest of the First Millennial Foundation website.]
Is it feasible or just hypothetical?
The short answer is yes it is feasible. It's feasibility, however,
depends
on the level of detail one wishes to take it to. In it's broadest outline
the question is: Is it feasible for humankind to leave its home planet
and
establish life and civilization in space? Absolutely! If the question is
then: will mankind accomplish this by first colonizing the oceans and
then
gaining large scale access to space where we will ultimately build
habitable
ecologies? The answer becomes: Probably. If the questions then narrow to
issues of particular technologies: Will ocean colonies be accreted from
sea water? Will we gain cheap access to space with magnetic mass
launchers?
Will we inhabit zero-gravity space colonies? The answers become: Maybe.
No matter what the question though, the answer is never: Impossible!
Where do I get a copy of the book?
After you read the Introduction,
you can look for it or order it in any local bookstore as -
Title: The Millennial Project
Author: Marshall T. Savage
ISBN: 0-316-77165-1 [hc]
ISBN: 0-316-77163-5 [pb]
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company Ltd
Otherwise, visit the Store.
(InfoSource) | (Millennial
Village) | (Foundation) | (Project)
This page currently maintained by Phil Zack. Last update on April 23,
1996.