If science fiction is simply fun to you, skip this. But if you believe as I do that our race can and will and must spread out into space, stick around.
The L-5 SocietyÆs sole purpose is to place a colony at Lagrange Point #5, the one railing the Moon at 60 degrees.
Sounds silly? It does to us, too, on gloomy days. We are about as far along as Willy Ley and von Braun and Goddard were in the æ30s. . . but one generation later Neil Armstrong stepped down pn Luna.
And things move faster today. Technology doubles every seven years. We could build that city in space today. . but weÆll be able to build it faster, easier, more economically in the æ90s. Or (IÆm an optimist!) in the æ80s. I have a1ready lived from horse and buggy to space shuttle.; I cannot believe that human progress will come to a sudden stop. Space will be colonized.
Space will be colonizedùalthough possibly not by us. If we lose our nerve, there are plenty of other people on this planet. The construction crews may speak Chinese or RussianùSwahili or Portugese. It does not take "good old American knowùhowö to build a city in space. The laws of physics work just as well for others as they do for us.
I donÆt think weÆve. lost our nerve. We can put a
construction crew of our own up there. . . and space is big enough fur everyoneùall races, all languages. We need never be crowded again.
L-5 Society dues are $20/year ($15 fur students) and include the monthly magazine L-5 News with all the latest space news, data not in newspapers and which must be dug out from technical journals and specialized sourcesùour editors do it fur you. The Society supplies other services too, but IÆm not going to list them, as the L-5 Society was not organized to serve or to amuse its members.
ITS SOLE PURPOSE IS TO FOUND THE FIRST COLONY IN SPACE.
HowÆs your nerve? Are your eyes on the stars? Send in your dues and join us.
Welcome aboard!
Robert A Heinlein (Member, L-5 Board of Directors)
