 | |
| Founded | October 10, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit public benefits, education and research foundation |
| Registration no. | SC048652 |
| Focus | Deep-time & SETI Communications, Space/ Heritage Conservation, Futures research |
| Website | beyondtheearth |
The Beyond the Earth foundation is an international non-profit public benefits, education and research organisation which was founded in 2016 before registering as a charitable entity in 2018 [1]. The foundation's objectives focus on; developing 'Companion Guide to Earth'[2] 'Rosetta stone' artefacts to support deep-time archaeology within geocentric orbit (and for other preservation projects), investigating the heritage significance of elements of orbital debris as part of space archaeology studies, assessing the cultural signature emanating from Earth within interstellar transmissions and other space messages [3], conserving the memory of heritage resources and deep geological waste depositories as part of long-term planetary stewardship efforts and also forecasting other emergent legacies that may possess profound implications for the future population of Earth.
Foundation Purpose & Objectives
editThe foundation possesses a number of stated principle and secondary objectives as outlined within the organisation's founding bylaws [4] ;
- To foster unique public engagement and educational opportunities within SETI and long-term communicative strategies, astrobiology, temporal social sciences, planetary stewardship praxis, the arts and humanities while also promoting inclusive, cross-cultural discourse on developing best practices for speaking in a single yet heterogeneous voice for Earth in line with the UNISPACE+50 resolutions (2018).
- To establish introductory, micro-etched archives that can facilitate 'interpretation preservation' over intervals of cosmic time from orbit; 'Companion Guide to Earth' libraries that will contain an essential, non-partial records which will subsequently benefit archaeological observations performed by our distant descendants.
- To preserve foundational portions of knowledge from a myriad of disciplines and conserve intricate, telluric records while also conveying the interdependence of our planet with its' inhabiting biota.
- To further develop an iconic, instrumental pidgin lexicon that mitigates partiality while denoting how to further interpret archival resources. This primer encyclopaedia and related implicit cues will be compiled through peer-led, interdisciplinary academic investigation and [online] public consultations.
- To coordinate the recovery of elaborate, terrestrial [and celestial] archives while also providing intelligible keys for interpreting these repositories.
- To responsibly deter future human interference with long-duration, hazardous waste storage facilities e.g. nuclear, chemical deep geological depositories.
- To support the conservation of celestial heritage sites/ artefacts in context with current debris/ contamination mitigation guidelines while also authoring intelligible artifices that can be adopted by similar projects for deep time/ space communication strategies.
- To contribute peer-led research, ethical considerations and public knowledge to qualitative investigations that aim to address some of the most profound questions facing human culture and its' democratic proliferation within outer space in accordance with the articles of the Outer Space Treaty (1967).
- To encourage international, cooperative learning between different ethnic backgrounds, language speakers and parties with specific accessibility requirements across national borders as per the principles outlined within the Vienna Declaration (1999) in order to collectively undertake this common, multifaceted challenge.
- To communicate the importance of supporting cooperative, international learning over multi-generational timeframes and conduct analysis on the societal implications for partaking within this temporal dialogue.
Companion Guide Assembly and Layout
editThe proposed library[5] will consist of sixteen micro-etched nickel discs of information that will be enclosed within a hollow aluminium sphere (a 30mm globe/ sphere which has a graphic rendering of Earth’s typography accurately etched across its’ surface). This capsule will be subsequently sealed within the protective layers of the bracket. The contents within this library are intended to provide a holistic approach in communicating concepts rather than partitioning fields of information according to disciplines.
According to the foundation's schematics detailing the linear layout governing disc accessibility within each hemisphere, the proposed general thematic approach of each disc is;
| Disc | Side | General Content(s) | Side | General Content(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | A | Photographs of Earth | B | Sounds of Earth w/ spectrograms |
| 7 | A | Sounds of life w/ spectrograms | B | Biota library, ecosystem properties etc. |
| 6 | A | Ramazzottius varieornatus genome sequence | B | Portrait of humanity; anatomy & mental faculties |
| 5 | A | Phylogenetic Tree of life diagram & heredity | B | DNA, genetic structure & evolution |
| 4 | A | Chronicle of subterranean vaults/ waste depository locations & future Earth tectonic configurations | B | Earth biome, structure & climate information |
| 3 | A | GAIA Mollweide star map, Solar System properties & celestial archive atlas | B | Matter, periodic table, chemical compounds, common aromas |
| 2 | A | AV player instructions & diagrams | B | Collaborative activity instructions, instrument graphics & harmonics |
| 1 | A | Inductive primer guides & ideographic almanac | B | Atmospheric spectrum magnification guide |
| 9 | A | ‘Language: Hello’ introduction & magnification guide | B | 1000 language translations; The Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[6] |
| 10 | A | 1000 Panlex[7] Swadesh vocabulary lists | B | Map of ethnic/ indigenous groups & multiculturalism |
| 11 | A | Telluric language family tree, civilisation & proliferation | B | Sounds of Earth’s cultures w/ spectrograms |
| 12 | A | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms | B | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms |
| 13 | A | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms | B | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms |
| 14 | A | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms | B | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms |
| 15 | A | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms | B | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms |
| 16 | A | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms | B | Engraved analogue music w/ spectrograms |
Foundation Projects
editA Profile of Humanity
editThe foundation is conducting an in-depth study on the contents of interstellar transmissions and space artefacts presently extant beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The focus of this study is to cross-analyse the many narratives, concepts and media we presently employ within describing Earth at a distance as well as to determine elements of cultural and disciplinary partiality, missing subjects and the role of metamessage data in these artifices. In addition to this, the study aims to theorise about the present perception(s) of Earth that can be ascertained by a number of prototypical, dissimilar entities from contemporary SETI literature to deduce how humanity may be speaking for Earth. This study is based on an updated index collated for the initial 'A Profile of Humanity' catalogue [8].
Space Archaeology
editThe foundation is developing a comprehensive database of space heritage resources that presently remain in geocentric orbit and on other astronomical bodies[9]. It is presently compiling an informal space archaeology registry of Cold War / Space Race orbital infrastructure[10] for the purpose of identifying specific objects which should be the focus of space heritage preservation strategies (in context with current UNOOSA and IADC debris mitigation guidelines as well as provisions established within the Outer Space Treaty). This index is presently shortlisting objects from the remaining 2,889 spacecraft residing within Earth orbit using categories established under the Burra Charter while also documenting spacecraft that remain in/ around other astronomical bodies (or missing within interplanetary space) using the same assessment criteria. In addition to this, the foundation is part of a consortium alongside the organisation For All Moonkind and is contributing the established 'Lunar Index' towards the communal goal of developing preservation infrastructure, records and soft law protection for archaeological sites of significance on the Moon.
Forecasting Future Legacies
editThe foundation is presently operating a special interdisciplinary committee to formally identify emergent technologies and other activities which possess protracted legacies. While data density within the 'Companion Guide to Earth' artefacts is limited, the purpose of this working group is to communally compile an archive of relevant material in collaboration with experts and ethics committees in these fields; a repository of information that may thereafter form a staple element of more extensive archival projects for responsible retention of these vital records.
Published Research
editThe foundation has published an initial catalogue documenting the extended legacy of humanities' cultural articulation beyond the atmosphere [11] [12] [13]. In addition to this, the foundation has also published a draft (long-list) registry of Cold War resources which remain in Earth orbit or on other astronomical bodies for the purposes of advancing space archaeology and space heritage preservation strategies.
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^ Scottish Charity Regulator. "The Beyond the Earth Foundation, SC048652". OSCR. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ Quast, Paul. "Beyond the Earth; Schematics for 'Companion Guide for Earth' archival elements residing within Geosynchronous Orbit". Researchgate. Beyond the Earth foundation. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Quast, Paul. "A profile of humanity: the cultural signature of Earth's inhabitants beyond the atmosphere". International Journal of Astrobiology. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/S1473550418000290. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Scottish Charity Regulator. "The Beyond the Earth Foundation, SC048652". OSCR. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ Quast, Paul. "Beyond the Earth; Schematics for 'Companion Guide for Earth' archival elements residing within Geosynchronous Orbit". Researchgate. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.14177.97127. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner. "About the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Translation Project". United Nations: Human Rights Officer of the High Commissioner. United Nations. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ Panlex. "Overcoming Language Barriers by Connecting Every Word in Every Language". Panlex. The Long Now Foundation. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ Quast, Paul. "A profile of humanity: the cultural signature of Earth's inhabitants beyond the atmosphere". International Journal of Astrobiology. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/S1473550418000290. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Finlay, Madeleine. "There's so much junk in space that our satellites will soon be at risk". New Scientist. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ Quast, Paul. "Celestial heritage arising from the Cold War era 1957 – 1991". Researchgate. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Quast, Paul. "A profile of humanity: the cultural signature of Earth's inhabitants beyond the atmosphere". International Journal of Astrobiology. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/S1473550418000290. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Meilan, Solly. "New Catalogue Describes Everything We've Sent Into Space". Smithsonian. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ Laskow, Sarah. "Is There Anyone Out There…Keeping Track of the Weird Stuff We Send Into Space?". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 21 November 2018.