2020 VISION “THE SPACE ELEVATOR ENABLED NETWORK OF GALACTIC HARBOURS” By Vernon Hall & Michael Fitzgerald
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020 VISION. It sounds like a diagnosis f rom your
becoming the worldwide Containerization system.
optometrist; but it isn’t. It is what the Space
That system remains the primary mover of large cargo
Elevator, the Galactic Harbour, is becoming.
volumes across the face of the Earth. In the 1970s, FedEx
Our 2020 Vision is a portrayal of the fulf illed
developed its system of specialized Air Cargo planes
transportation story of the 21st Century. It is the
that revolutionized the movement of consumer goods.
extension of our experience; the manifestation of
By the middle of the 21st Century Galactic Harbours will
humankind’s initial expansion into the rest of the
provide a nexus for connecting these two dimensional
Universe. This is an unabashed explanation of what we
transportation systems of rail, highway, shipping, and air
see with 2020 foresight.
to the third dimension; and provide a safe, reliable and
An architectural engineer is a system engineer with vision. You have to completely rebuild a modern harbor
cost effective means to move material and people into orbit and beyond.
to understand the “mega” part of megaproject. The cofounders see a network of space elevators as a visionary megaproject and that is the culmination of our vision. In the broad f ield of Transportation Systems, the
Earth’s Galactic Harbours
We see a network of diverse elevators, spread around the earth; but they differ by more than location. Their
19th and 20th Centuries saw evolutionary advances
respective engineering differs by their purpose. Cargo
in the movement of cargo and people across vast
transshipment and vertical cargo transport are common
distances. In the United States, the opening of the
to each, but the Harbours are optimized for their
Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s brought
respective specific purposes.
expansion and opportunity while making such systems as covered wagons, pony express and even “around the Horn” sailings obsolete. In the early 20th Century, gasoline powered automobiles and trucks led to development of roads and highways that expanded into the Interstate Highway System in the 1950’s. In this same era, visionaries developed the concept of Intermodalism based on standardized shipping containers; soon
n GEO Orbit factory support o Space Based Solar Power o Satellite servicing – Refuel, repair, upgrade o Assembly of large spacecraft and space facilities. o Other on orbit enterprises n Interplanetary travel support o Flight Systems final assembly
HUMAN FUTURES
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