Slides (PDF) for 100YSS 2012 session on Vessel Archives - Standalone Version
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PDF of slides (Standalone version) for 2012 100YSS Conference in Houston TX. Session is a proposal for a type of very-long-term archive as habitat, relief effort vessel, and crisis control solution.
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Slides (PDF) for 100YSS 2012 session on Vessel Archives - Standalone Version
- 1. Existential Risk, Human Survival, and the Future of Life in the Universe: Interstellar Civilization through Vessel Archives Heath Rezabek, MLIS heath.rezabek@gmail.com 100 Year Starship Symposium September 13-16, 2012. Houston, Texas. ORIGINS / © Lucy West 2012 / Used by Permission
- 2. Session slides available. slideshare.net/heathrezabek biota.cc/vessel-slides.pdf ORIGINS / © Lucy West 2012 / Used by Permission
- 3. Exploring further... Brief highlights Only a few key ideas could be covered in this 20 minute session. To save time, topics in breakout slides will not be explored in depth. Refer to paper for details The working Paper is 50 pages, and covers all key elements of this proposal. References are also cited there. Contact Inquiries and collaboration welcomed. heath.rezabek@gmail.com heath.rezabek@gmail.com biota.cc/vessel.pdf ORIGINS (Detail) © Lucy West 2012 / Used by Permission
- 4. The Fermi Paradox and The Great Silence Are we alone? EXOPLANET TRANSIT / ESA / Illustration by AOES Medialab 2003
- 5. The Fermi Paradox and The Great Silence Kepler and 0ther observations tell us that there is no shortage of worlds to be detected. Billions of years for worlds to develop. Radiant life or von Neumann probes would need < 1 million years. Where are they? This is the Fermi Paradox. The quiet in place of any other signs of life: the Great Silence. EXOPLANET TRANSIT / ESA / Illustration by AOES Medialab 2003
- 6. Exploring further... Possible answers to the Fermi Paradox Responsibility to strive, regardless of the unknown status of other life biota.cc/vessel.pdf EXOPLANET TRANSIT ESA / Illustration by AOES Medialab 2003
- 7. The Fermi Paradox and The Great Silence Is life widespread, or as uncommon as we seem to be? Learning the truth through interstellar travel will take time. Until that time, we must foster the traces of life as though we knew of no other traces... As is true. We must foster a supporting—and surviving—interstellar civilization. EXOPLANET TRANSIT / ESA 2003 / Illustration by AOES Medialab
- 8. Existential Risk Will we endure? MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 9. Existential Risk 100 years to achieve our primary goal. Our endeavor could be cut short before that time has passed. The risk that we may not endure is termed Existential Risk. An existential risk is one that threatens the premature extinction of Earth-originating intelligent life or the permanent and drastic destruction of its potential for desirable future development. - Nick Bostrom Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity (2011) MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 10. Existential Risk “... the permanent and drastic destruction of its potential for desirable future development.” Survival alone is not enough. In some cases, a surviving society may be brutalized, stagnant, or diminished irreparably. Bostrom’s 2011 classification sets aside discussion of particular causes. Strict focus on outcomes helps us envision possible recovery scenarios. MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 11. Existential Risk Classification of Existential Risk Human Extinction Humanity goes extinct prematurely, i.e., before reaching technological maturity. Permanent Stagnation Humanity survives but never reaches technological maturity. Subclasses: Unrecovered Collapse, Plateauing, Recurrent Collapse Flawed Realization Humanity reaches technological maturity but in a way that is dismally and irremediably flawed. Subclasses: Unconsummated Realization, Ephemeral Realization Subsequent Ruination Humanity reaches technological maturity in a way that gives good future prospects, yet subsequent developments cause the permanent ruination of those prospects. - Nick Bostrom Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity (2011) Four classes, but only two can be shaped by us. MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 12. Existential Risk Classification of Existential Risk Human Extinction Humanity goes extinct prematurely, i.e., before reaching technological maturity. Permanent Stagnation Humanity survives but never reaches technological maturity. Subclasses: Unrecovered Collapse, Plateauing, Recurrent Collapse Flawed Realization Humanity reaches technological maturity but in a way that is dismally and irremediably flawed. Subclasses: Unconsummated Realization, Ephemeral Realization Subsequent Ruination Humanity reaches technological maturity in a way that gives good future prospects, yet subsequent developments cause the permanent ruination of those prospects. - Nick Bostrom Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity (2011) Extinction is extinction; beyond our control. MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 13. Existential Risk Classification of Existential Risk Human Extinction Humanity goes extinct prematurely, i.e., before reaching technological maturity. Permanent Stagnation Humanity survives but never reaches technological maturity. Subclasses: Unrecovered Collapse, Plateauing, Recurrent Collapse Flawed Realization Humanity reaches technological maturity but in a way that is dismally and irremediably flawed. Subclasses: Unconsummated Realization, Ephemeral Realization Subsequent Ruination Humanity reaches technological maturity in a way that gives good future prospects, yet subsequent developments cause the permanent ruination of those prospects. - Nick Bostrom Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity (2011) Far-future outcomes: beyond our control. MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 14. Existential Risk Classification of Existential Risk Human Extinction Humanity goes extinct prematurely, i.e., before reaching technological maturity. Permanent Stagnation Humanity survives but never reaches technological maturity. Subclasses: Unrecovered Collapse, Plateauing, Recurrent Collapse Flawed Realization Humanity reaches technological maturity but in a way that is dismally and irremediably flawed. Subclasses: Unconsummated Realization, Ephemeral Realization Subsequent Ruination Humanity reaches technological maturity in a way that gives good future prospects, yet subsequent developments cause the permanent ruination of those prospects. - Nick Bostrom Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity (2011) But we can, and must, control for lapse of capability. MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 15. Existential Risk Imperative To achieve an interstellar civilization while addressing existential risk, we must do more than survive: we must preserve our aspirations, our capabilities, our cultural resources, and our biodiversity. MASSIVE TERRESTRIAL STRIKE / Don Davis / NASA
- 16. Could an archive answer to Permanent Stagnation or Flawed Realization? Gregory Benford’s Library of Life proposal (1992) addressed catastrophic loss of biodiversity. DIATOM 1 (Sarah Parker-Eaton & Louise Hibbert) Photo via Bradbury J: Nature's Nanotechnologists: Unveiling the Secrets of Diatoms. PLoS Biol 2/10/2004: e306.
- 17. The Library of Life DIATOM 1 (Sarah Parker-Eaton & Louise Hibbert) Photo via Bradbury J: Nature's Nanotechnologists: Unveiling the Secrets of Diatoms. PLoS Biol 2/10/2004: e306.
- 18. The Library of Life The Library of Life: A thought experiment on avoiding irreversible loss of biodiversity. A broad program of freezing species in threatened ecospheres could preserve biodiversity for eventual use by future generations. Sampling without studying can lower costs dramatically. […] Much more information than species DNA will be saved, allowing future biotechnology to derive high information content and perhaps even resurrect then- extinct species. - Gregory Benford Abstract for “Saving the Library of Life” (1992) DIATOM 1 (Sarah Parker-Eaton & Louise Hibbert) Photo via Bradbury J: Nature's Nanotechnologists: Unveiling the Secrets of Diatoms. PLoS Biol 2/10/2004: e306.
- 19. The Library of Life Controversial, but galvanizing. My main concern is that people will conclude that scientists have given up on preserving living biodiversity, or that future species extinctions are not so worrisome because we can always reconstitute the species and genera that we render extinct. But […] these potential obstacles can be circumvented: by stressing [...] that the very fact that such steps are being taken is an indication of how serious the problem is. - Carl Sagan Letter to Benford in Deep Time (1999) The Library of Life proposal: One of the deepest and earliest influences on my Vessel Archives proposal. We cannot be afraid to galvanize our efforts, when confronting existential risk. DIATOM 1 (Sarah Parker-Eaton & Louise Hibbert) Photo via Bradbury J: Nature's Nanotechnologists: Unveiling the Secrets of Diatoms. PLoS Biol 2/10/2004: e306.
- 20. The Library of Life What type of facility would be needed to carry a Library of Life, or a cultural equivalent, over the very-long-term? Cultural archives would use different methods. Built through both curation and sampling. Facility could take on as many different forms as there are cultures... DIATOM 1 (Sarah Parker-Eaton & Louise Hibbert) Photo via Bradbury J: Nature's Nanotechnologists: Unveiling the Secrets of Diatoms. PLoS Biol 2/10/2004: e306.
- 21. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 22. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 23. Vessel Archives A Vessel Archive is a self-contained, sustainable habitat, which harbors the traces of Earth's cultures and biomes. Vessel Archives would be dedicated to the twin goals of education and preservation. Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 24. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 25. Vessel Archives Vessel (noun.) The term vessel describes our focused-purpose arcology in part through its several meanings. A vessel is a ship; a vehicle meant to ply the waters (on Earth), or the space between the stars. A vessel is a container into which is poured something meant to be stored or carried. A vessel is a conduit or a medium for transmission. Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 26. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 27. Vessel Archives Vessel Archives... Should be designed as self-sufficient, sustainable, and resilient in case of existential catastrophe. Should be designed to harbor a diverse and interdisciplinary crew and staff of just a few thousand, per archive. Would be colonies on Earth, dedicated to the legacy of life. Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 28. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 29. Vessel Archives One habitat for a few thousand will not solve our societal challenges or safeguard life on Earth. Connected communities of Vessel Archives around the world, each sharing methods for sustainable design with society, may do better... Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 30. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 31. Vessel Archives Outer exhibits would house resources and environments introducing the 100 Year Starship Mission. Sustainable architecture and methods modeled throughout. Heart of a Vessel Archive would be labs for research, core collections, and sample banks of the cultural and biological records. Core archive (like a Library of Life) could be split or sampled, and transferred in whole or in part to a 100 Year Starship, to serve as its memory of Earth. Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 32. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 33. Vessel Archives If carried out in many forms, Vessel Archives would address the debilitating outcomes of existential risk: Permanent Stagnation; (Unrecovered Collapse; Plateauing; Recurrent Collapse) Flawed Realization; (Unconsummated Realization; Ephemeral Realization) Would also address the other two outcome classes. Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 34. Vessel Archives Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 35. Many other approaches inform the Vessel Archive proposal. biota.cc/vessel.pdf STAR MAP / © Debra Joiner 2012 / Used by Permission
- 36. biota.cc/vessel.pdf DAEDALUS SEPARATED ARCOLOGY: The City in the Image of Man © Adrian Mann 2012 / Used by Permission © Paolo Soleri 1969 / Used by Permission
- 37. EDEN PROJECT: TROPICAL BIOME / Photo via Steve Keiretsu (CC-BY-1.0) 2001
- 38. THORNCROWN CHAPEL (E. Fay Jones) / Photo via Bobak (CC-BY-SA-2.5) 2006
- 39. Photo via Alijava (CC-BY-SA-2.5) 2010 biota.cc/vessel.pdf CLOCK OF THE LONG NOW BAMBOO Photo via Alijava (CC-BY-SA-2.5) 2007 Photo via Alijava (CC-BY-SA-2.5) 2012 Photo via Alijava (CC-BY-SA-2.5) 2007
- 40. But, none of these things matter, in the absence of a 100 year answer to this: STAR MAP / © Debra Joiner 2012 / Used by Permission
- 41. PALE BLUE DOT / NASA / JPL 1990
- 42. Architect © Vincent Callebaut Architectures 2008 LILYPAD / Floating Ecopolis Visualization Used by Permission and © Philippe Steels 2008
- 43. Countless Generations to Come STEM CELLS / © Douglas B. Cowan 2012 / Used by Permission
- 44. Countless Generations to Come To calculate the loss associated with an existential catastrophe, we must consider how much value would come to exist in its absence. It turns out that the ultimate potential for Earth-originating intelligent life is literally astronomical. […] The relevant figure is not how many people could live on Earth but how many descendants we could have in total. ... Even if we use the most conservative of […] estimates, […] we find that the expected loss of an existential catastrophe is greater than the value of 1018 human lives. This implies that the expected value of reducing existential risk by a mere one millionth of one percentage point is at least ten times the value of a billion human lives. - Nick Bostrom Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity (2011) STEM CELLS / © Douglas B. Cowan 2012 / Used by Permission
- 45. Countless Generations to Come And just thinking of these things, as we are here today, must surely count for something. My hope is that we will have reduced the chances of existential catastrophe—and increased the chances of humanity fulfilling its potential—by at least one millionth of one percent. STEM CELLS / © Douglas B. Cowan 2012 / Used by Permission
- 46. ORIGINS / © Lucy West 2012 / Used by Permission biota.cc/vessel-slides.pdf
- 47. “The most astounding fact ... is the knowledge that the atoms that comprise life on Earth, the atoms that make up the human body, are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core ... under extreme temperatures and pressures. These stars ... went unstable in their later years. They collapsed and then exploded, scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy. Guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become part of gas clouds that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems—stars with orbiting planets—and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself. So that when I look up at the night sky, and I know that—yes—we are part of this universe, we are in this universe... But perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up—many people feel small, because they're small and the universe is big; but I feel big. Because my atoms came from those stars.” - Neil deGrasse Tyson TIME: 10 Questions for Neil deGrasse Tyson. ORIGINS / © Lucy West 2012 / Used by Permission biota.cc/vessel-slides.pdf
Editor's Notes
- Heath Rezabek is the Teen Services Coordinator at the Austin Public Library, where he works with his staff to empower at-risk youth through media literacy. &#xA0;A librarian by career and calling, his session suggests a key role for archives in the 100 Year Starship Mission. &#xA0;However, Heath is here today as an individual and enthusiast: &#xA0;A writer, artist, and advocate for the 100YSS Mission. &#xA0;His other interests include community building, sustainable architecture, the mission of art, cosmology, the importance of the humanities, and the prospects for life in the universe. &#xA0;He unites these themes in his session: &#xA0;Existential Risk, Human Survival, and the Future of Life in the Universe: &#xA0;Interstellar Civilization through Vessel Archives.\n\n( &#x2026; Thank you. &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n\n
- Thank you.\n\nSome quick notes before we begin.\n\nSession slides available both on Slideshare and as a PDF from my own server.\n\n( &#x2026; These break-out slides will mention Brief highlights. &#x2026; )\n\n
- These break-out slides will mention Brief highlights.\n\nWorking Paper is longer - 50 pages - with more background than I can cover in 20 minutes. A link to the PDF is at bottom of these slides.\n\nI welcome contact, inquiries, and collaboration via email.\n\n( &#x2026; As early as the January 2011 100 Year Starship Workshop, the mission had identified human survival as a key factor in its work. &#x2026; )\n
- Are we alone?\n\n&#x2026; Is life -- living matter, whether simple or complex -- common, or is it rare, in the observable universe? \n\n( &#x2026; The Kepler Mission and others tell us that there is no shortage of rocky worlds to be detected &#x2026; )\n\n
- The Kepler Mission and others tell us that there is no shortage of rocky worlds to be detected.\n\nThere&#x2019;ve been billions of years for worlds to develop.\nRadiant life or von Neumann probes would need as little as 1 million years to colonize the Galaxy.\n\nWhere are they?\n\nThis is the Fermi Paradox.\nThe quiet in place of any other signs of life has been termed the Great Silence.\n
- Exploring further in the paper we have some Possible answers to the Fermi Paradox\n\n... and we discuss our Responsibility to strive, regardless of the unknown status of other life\n( &#x2026; Is life widespread, or as uncommon as we seem to be? &#x2026; )\n
- Is life widespread, or as uncommon as we seem to be?\nLearning the truth through interstellar travel will take time.\nIn order to achieve our goal of interstellar travel, we must foster a supporting and surviving interstellar civilization. ( &#x2026; This brings us to second key question &#x2026; )\n
- This brings me to our second key question\n\nWill we endure?\n\n( &#x2026; We have given ourselves 100 years to achieve our primary goal, yet our endeavor could be cut short before that time has passed. The risk that we may not endure is termed Existential Risk. &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n
- We have given ourselves 100 years to achieve our primary goal, yet our endeavor could be cut short before that time has passed. The risk that we may not endure is termed Existential Risk. \n\nNick Bostrom, Director of the Future of Humanity Institute, defines -\nAn existential risk is one that threatens the premature extinction of Earth-originating intelligent life, or the permanent and drastic destruction of its potential for desirable future development. \nThe paper quoted here is an excellent treatment, found on his site, called &#x201C;Existential Risk Prevention as the Most Important Task for Humanity.&#x201D;\n\n( &#x2026; Now let&#x2019;s notice that fragment - &#x201C;... destruction of its potential for desirable future development.&#x201D; &#x2026; )\n\n
- Now let&#x2019;s notice that fragment - &#x201C;... destruction of its potential for desirable future development.&#x201D;\nSurvival alone is not enough. In some cases, a surviving society may be brutalized, stagnant, or diminished irreparably.\n\nBostrom&#x2019;s 2011 classification sets aside discussion of particular causes.\n( &#x2026; Its strict focus on outcomes helps us envision possible recovery scenarios. &#x2026; )\n
- Its strict focus on outcomes helps us envision possible recovery scenarios.\n\nBostrom&#x2019;s classification is notable for not being a laundry-list of extinction events. It points out two key outcomes in particular. I call these Dystopian Outcomes, as they&#x2019;re unfavorable outcomes which continue indefinitely:\n\nPermanent Stagnation - Humanity survives but never reaches technological maturity or interstellar civilization. \n\nFlawed Realization - Humanity reaches technological maturity but in a way that is irredeemably flawed. \n\n[ -- I joke that, in the realm of Existential Risk, Dystopian outcomes are ones that only an existentialist could love. -- ]\n\nBut What of the other two classes?\n\n( &#x2026; Human Extinction is exactly as it sounds, no different whether the cause is a sterilizing asteroid, a pandemic, or an unforeseen technology. &#x2026; )\n\n
- Human Extinction is exactly as it sounds, no different whether the cause is a sterilizing asteroid, a pandemic, or an unforeseen technology.\n\n( &#x2026; Subsequent Ruination is a Far-future catch-all. Extinction at some point after we become interstellar is the least of our worries over the next 100 years. &#x2026; )\n\n
- Subsequent Ruination is a Far-future catch-all. Extinction at some point after we become interstellar is the least of our worries over the next 100 years.\n\n( &#x2026; That leaves us the challenges of today: the risk of a deeply diminished legacy, to pass on to the stars. &#x2026; )\n\n
- That leaves us the challenges of today: the risk of a deeply diminished legacy, to pass on to the stars.\n\nAvoiding this outcome is the focus of my proposal.\n\n( &#x2026; So, Reminded of the need to foster our cultural capabilities beyond mere survival, let&#x2019;s restate the January 2011 Workshop goal as an imperative: &#x2026; )\n
- So, Reminded of the need to foster our cultural capabilities beyond mere survival, let&#x2019;s restate the January 2011 Workshop goal as an imperative:\n\nTo achieve an interstellar civilization while addressing existential risk, we must do more than survive: we must preserve our aspirations, our capabilities, our cultural resources, and our biodiversity.\n\n( &#x2026; What type of archive would answer to our Dystopian Outcomes -- Permanent Stagnation or Flawed Realization? &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n
- What type of archive would answer to our Dystopian Outcomes -- Permanent Stagnation or Flawed Realization? \n\nGregory Benford suggested one example in 1992, addressing catastrophic loss of biodiversity.\n\n( &#x2026; The Library of Life proposal is a thought experiment on avoiding irreversible. &#x2026; )\n\n
- The Library of Life proposal is a thought experiment on avoiding irreversible loss.\n\n( &#x2026; In it, he details... )\n\n
- In it, he details...\n\nA broad program of freezing species in threatened ecospheres [that] could preserve biodiversity for eventual recovery by future generations. [Believing even then that we had no more time for the slow luxury of taxonomy, he recommended freezing flora and fauna in situ, their complex relationships as predator and prey intact. &#x201C;Much more information than species DNA will be saved,&#x201D; he wrote, &#x201C;allowing future biotechnology to derive high information content -- and perhaps even resurrect then-extinct species.&#x201D;\n( &#x2026; The proposal was controversial, but galvanizing. Carl Sagan wrote in a letter to Benford &#x2026; )\n\n
- The proposal was controversial, but galvanizing. Carl Sagan wrote in a letter to Benford\n\nMy main concern is that people will conclude that scientists have given up on preserving living biodiversity, or that future species extinctions are not so worrisome because we can always reconstitute the species [&#x2026;] that we render extinct. But [&#x2026;] these potential obstacles can be circumvented: by stressing [...] that the very fact that such steps are being taken is an indication of how serious the problem is.\n\nWhen I first encountered the The Library of Life proposal, I was stunned by a glimpse of very-long-term thinking. It eventually contributed to my becoming a Librarian. So one of the deepest and earliest ideas to shape the Vessel Archive proposal comes from the Library of Life, and can stated by saying:\n\n( &#x2026; We cannot be afraid to galvanize our efforts, in confronting existential risk. &#x2026; )\n
- We cannot be afraid to galvanize our efforts, in confronting existential risk. \n\nSo, can we envision the type of facility would be needed to carry a Library of Life, or house a cultural equivalent, over the very-long-term?\n\nCultural archives would require different methods, and the facility itself could take on as many different forms as there are cultures.\n\n( &#x2026; Here I propose the Vessel Archive, a recombinant idea, drawing many efforts into one. &#x2026; )\n
- Here I propose the Vessel Archive, a recombinant idea, drawing many efforts into one.\n\nIn illustrating the Vessel Archive proposal, I am especially thankful to Philippe Steels, who granted permission to use his design visualizations for Lilypad, an oceanfaring hyperstructure by architect Vincent Callebaut. \n\n( &#x2026; These structures also share much in common with the original Arcology concepts of Paolo Soleri. &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n
- These structures also share much in common with the original Arcology concepts of Paolo Soleri.\n\nMost hyperstructure projects, including Paolo Soleri&#x2019;s Arcology proposals, are designed for large numbers of inhabitants (from 10,000 to millions). I propose applying these strategies on a more practical scale, in a limited-scope project.\n\nSo what is a Vessel Archive?\n\n( &#x2026; A Vessel Archive is a self-contained, sustainable habitat which fosters the traces of Earth's cultures and biomes. &#x2026; )\n\n
- A Vessel Archive is a self-contained, sustainable habitat which harbors the traces of Earth's cultures and biomes.\n\nThese installations would serve in the near-term as examples of sustainability and as ambassadors for society's understanding of the 100 Year Starship Mission, and would serve in the long-term as protective vessels for humanity's aspirations, knowledge, and the traces of life itself.\n\n( &#x2026; Vessel Archives would be dedicated to their twin goals of education, and preservation. &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- Vessel Archives would be dedicated to their twin goals of education, and preservation. \n\n( &#x2026; The term "vessel" describes our focused-purpose habitat in part through its several meanings. &#x2026; )\n
- The term "vessel" describes our focused-purpose habitat in part through its several meanings. A vessel is a ship; a vehicle meant to ply the waters (on Earth), or the space between the stars. ( &#x2026; A vessel is a container into which is poured something meant to be stored or carried. &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n
- A vessel is a container into which is poured something meant to be stored or carried. \n\nA vessel is a conduit or a medium for transmission.\n\n( &#x2026; The installation as a whole should be designed as self-sufficient, sustainable, and resilient in case of existential catastrophe. &#x2026; )\n\n
- The installation as a whole should be designed as self-sufficient, sustainable, and resilient in case of existential catastrophe.\n\nEach Vessel Archive should be designed to harbor a diverse and interdisciplinary crew and staff of just a few thousand, per archive.\n\n( &#x2026; They would be colonies on Earth, dedicated to the legacy of life. &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- They would be colonies on Earth, dedicated to the legacy of life.\n\n( &#x2026; One habitat for a few thousand will not solve our societal challenges or safeguard life on Earth. &#x2026; )\n
- One habitat for a few thousand will not solve our societal challenges or safeguard life on Earth. \n\n( &#x2026; But connected communities of many Vessel Archives around the world, each sharing concrete methods for sustainable design with society at large, may do better... ... )\n\n
- But connected communities of many Vessel Archives around the world, each sharing concrete methods for sustainable design with society at large, may do better...\n\n( &#x2026; A Vessel Archive&#x2019;s outer exhibits, clearly visible to a curious public, would house resources and environments introducing the 100 Year Starship Mission. &#x2026; )\n\n
- A Vessel Archive&#x2019;s outer exhibits, clearly visible to a curious public, would house resources and environments introducing the 100 Year Starship Mission.\n\nAt the heart of a Vessel Archive would be labs for research and development, core collections, and our sample banks of cultural and biological records.\n\n( &#x2026; This core archive (like a Library of Life) could be split or sampled, and transferred in whole or in part to a 100 Year Starship, to serve as its memory of Earth. &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- This core archive (like a Library of Life) could be split or sampled, and transferred in whole or in part to a 100 Year Starship, to serve as its memory of Earth.\n\nBut Vessel Archives themselves would remain after all other ships had launched, to ensure that humanity&#x2019;s essence endured.\n\n( &#x2026; The Vessel Archive, carried out in many forms, would address the debilitating outcomes of existential risk: &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- The Vessel Archive, carried out in many forms, would address the Dystopian Outcomes of existential risk:\n\nPermanent Stagnation and Flawed Realization.\n\nVessel Archives would also address the other two outcome classes, through Bruce Sterling&#x2019;s concept of Deep Archival. This is detailed in the paper.\n\n( &#x2026; While the Lilypad habitat is an oceanfaring vessel, the example is for illustration only: A Vessel Archive does not need to be floating, or have any other single form. &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- While the Lilypad habitat is an oceanfaring vessel, the example is for illustration only: A Vessel Archive does not need to be floating, or have any other single form.\n\n( &#x2026; Many other approaches inform the Vessel Archive proposal, starting with the need to encourage hybrid vigor through an open specification &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- Many other approaches inform the Vessel Archive proposal, starting with the need to encourage hybrid vigor through an open specification...\n\n( &#x2026; I propose the use of Creative Commons to seed an open specification on Vessel Archive designs. &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n
- I propose the use of Creative Commons to seed an open specification on Vessel Archive designs. A separate, licensed branch could allow for proprietary developments in parallel to public efforts. If you&#x2019;re interested in helping either effort, or hosting such a site at your organization, please make contact.\n\n( &#x2026; Given the time, I&#x2019;d explore how we could inspire the public with the 100 Year Starship Mission, through interactive exhibits at existing, familiar institutions: Museums, Planetariums, Arboretums, Observatories, Universities, Libraries... &#x2026; )\n\n\n\n\n
- \n
- \n
- And introduce solutions preserved in vernacular architecture, as a form of embedded cultural archival.\n\n( &#x2026; I&#x2019;d look at precursors to very-long-term thinking, such as the 10,000 Year Clock of the Long Now Foundation, or Bruce Sterling&#x2019;s entreaty towards Deep Archival. &#x2026; )\n\n
- But none of these things matter, in the absence of a 100 year answer -- to this:\n
- We recognize this as the Pale Blue Dot -- our fragile self-portrait, Earth as captured by Voyager I, looking back towards home, in 1990.\n\n( &#x2026; After 20 years of searching and synthesis, the Vessel Archive proposal, is the very best I have to give, in answer. But I hope that, together, we can do still better, because the Great Silence awaits our response. &#x2026; )\n
- After 20 years of searching and synthesis, the Vessel Archive proposal, is the very best I have to give, in answer. But I hope that, together, we can do still better, because the Great Silence awaits our response.\n\n( &#x2026; )\n\n
- The stakes are high, but the possible future benefits of our work are also vast, when considering the long-term potential of our interstellar civilization.\n\n( &#x2026; Nick Bostrom explains that, in order to understand the loss of an existential catastrophe, we&#x2019;d have to understand the value of its absence. &#x2026; )\n\n\n
- Nick Bostrom explains that, in order to understand the loss of an existential catastrophe, we&#x2019;d have to understand the value of its absence. He calculates the number of descendants the human race could have. Even the most conservative estimates show the value as greater than 10^18 human lives. He concludes &#x201C;...that the expected value of reducing existential risk by a mere one millionth of one percentage point...&#x201D; is at least ten billion human lives.&#x201D;\n\n( &#x2026; And just thinking of these things, as we are here today, must surely count for something. &#x2026; )\n
- Nick Bostrom explains that, in order to understand the loss of an existential catastrophe, we&#x2019;d have to understand the value of its absence. He calculates the number of descendants the human race could have. Even the most conservative estimates show the value as greater than 10^18 human lives. He concludes &#x201C;...that the expected value of reducing existential risk by a mere one millionth of one percentage point...&#x201D; is at least ten billion human lives.&#x201D;\n\n( &#x2026; And just thinking of these things, as we are here today, must surely count for something. &#x2026; )\n
- And just thinking of these things, as we are here today, must surely count for something.\n\nMy hope is that we will have reduced the chances of existential catastrophe&#x2014;and increased the chances of humanity fulfilling its potential&#x2014;by at least one millionth of one percent.\n\nI have detailed one model&#x2014;the Vessel Archive&#x2014;among, perhaps, many. \n( &#x2026; I hope that this work, and others like it, unleash a flood of collaborative efforts to piece together as many paths to interstellar civilization as we can imagine. &#x2026; )\n\n
- &#x201C;The most astounding fact ... is the knowledge that the atoms that comprise life on Earth, the atoms that make up the human body, are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core ... under extreme temperatures and pressures. These stars ... went unstable in their later years. They collapsed and then exploded, scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy. Guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become part of gas clouds that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems&#x2014;stars with orbiting planets&#x2014;and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself. So that when I look up at the night sky, and I know that&#x2014;yes&#x2014;we are part of this universe, we are in this universe... But perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up&#x2014;many people feel small, because they're small and the universe is big; but I feel big. Because my atoms came from those stars.&#x201D;\n\n- Neil deGrasse TysonTIME: 10 Questions for Neil deGrasse Tyson.\n