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Lifeboat
Foundation
"Safeguarding
Humanity"
Interview with
Eric
Klien, Part
II
On August 31, 2002,
Space N
Stuff
published an interview with Mr. Eric Klien, Founder and
President of Lifeboat
Foundation:
"The Lifeboat Foundation.... A matter of Life
and Death."
http://www.spacenstuff.com/archives/index.php?id=71
A
follow-up interview was promised, and finally, we are able
to present this to you.
Briefly, as a mini-refresher
course, the purpose of
Lifeboat
Foundation
is to research technology in a serious effort to build
vehicles, or "Arks" that will house permanent residents,
away from Earth. In essence, self-sustaining colonies would
be established, one at a time, in an effort to provide an
insurance policy protecting Humanity from
extinction.
Space
N Stuff:
Welcome back Mr.
Klien. We
had not forgotten you, however "life" and unforeseen
circumstances have a way of placing bumps in the road,
please accept our apology for the excessive delay.
We
have ventured to your website and find quite a few additions
and changes. We found information regarding Membership as
well as Sponsors supporting your goals.
Mr.
Klien, has
this addition been successful in spreading the word about
Lifeboat
Foundation?
Mr.
Klien:
Due to the importance of our cause, over 50 companies have
offered discounts to
Lifeboat
Foundation
members. And that's not all, companies like IBM,
Microsoft, and Sun have offered to match their employee's
membership fees and donations to the foundation. With
that kind of support, we grow stronger every
day.
Space N
Stuff: As
respects the Timeline, could you bring us up to date on how
your goals for 2004 are progressing?
"SHORT-TERM
GOALS (BY 2004) Educate the public to coming dangers and
promote our efforts to preserve life in the future.
Encourage the public to participate in solutions to reduce
the threat of terrorism. Encourage advancements in space
technology. One example: increase X-Prize cash
"award."
Mr.
Klien: Our
recent press has been in Dutch, English, French, German,
Italian, Polish, and Russian. We are being covered
worldwide.
We are now encouraging the public to use
the excess CPU cycles on their computers to help the
Smallpox Research Grid Project, a joint research effort to
identify candidates for developing new drugs that, for the
first time, would combat the smallpox virus
post-infection.
We are currently analyzing grant
requests to fund projects that will encourage advancements
in space technology. The grant request most under
consideration is an electromagnetic (EM) launch competition,
in which entrants design and build small-scale EM launchers
that boost
gliders.
Space N
Stuff: Your
plans include the first functioning space colonies by the
year 2020. A lottery will be used to determine those who
will be able to participate.
Mr.
Klien, will
those designated to be included, have to pay for their
"ticket to ride" or is the trip courtesy of Lifeboat? How
much would a lottery ticket be? Other than winning your
Lottery, are there other requirements as to how potential
people will be accepted? Any emphasis on male, female, race,
etc.?
Mr.
Klien: Like
the current large multistate lotteries, our tickets would go
for a dollar or so. Lotteries will obviously include
the cost of going to the space station. There will
also be scholarships as well as simple pay-to-board
options.
People who don't pass our security screening
would not be allowed onboard. So someone on death row
could not join us simply because they won a Lifeboat
lottery! (They could give their winning ticket to
someone else, of course.) Medical status would not
disqualify someone unless the person had a highly contagious
disease or was too frail to survive the journey to the space
station. Financial status would not disqualify a scholarship
or lottery
winner.
Space N
Stuff: Since
our last talk, many developments in the horrors of terrorism
have escalated. In addition, we have been advised here in
The United States, that progress is being made, albeit at a
snail's pace at times, in capturing those responsible. It is
very possible that an all-out war may blossom shortly with
Iraq. Factions connected to the attack on the USA in
September 2001, appear to be honing their skills to the
point of extreme concern. Without placing a political slant
on our discussion, do you honestly feel that Ark I and the
technology vital to its success, will arrive in time to
fulfill your
goals?
Mr.
Klien:
Though many lives may be lost to upcoming war,
Lifeboat
Foundation is concentrating on reaching its
goals before terrorism becomes technologically advanced
enough to cause total annihilation.
As Bob Woodward
reported in his book Bush at War: "The president and
his team had found that protecting and sealing the U.S.
homeland was basically impossible. Even with heightened
security and the national terrorist alerts, the country was
only marginally safer."
If you check our "World News
Section" you will see that just in the past year there have
been two "terrorist" attacks that killed or injured over 100
people per attack that were committed by people who simply
wanted to commit suicide because they were depressed. To
stop such "terrorists" would mean that the war on terrorism
would have to expand from fighting a couple thousand
terrorist groups to fighting against all six billion people
on the planet. A very daunting task!
Threats
are increasing and many of our goals are going to take years
to accomplish, but we have nothing to lose by
trying.
Space N
Stuff: On
February 1, 2003, the world wept as
Columbia
and her Crew perished, as she exploded over Texas. The
concept of Space Tourism appears to have been scarred by
this.
NASA
has grounded the entire Shuttle Fleet, pending
investigation. The
International Space
Station is
potentially facing its most critical time. Nations are
counting their pennies. How does the 'fear factor' effect
your efforts?
Mr.
Klien:
Actually
NASA
will get significantly increased funding due to this
disaster. Who knows, maybe they will even try to do
something more exciting than circling the Earth?
Visiting Mars would be pretty
exciting!
Space N
Stuff:
Perhaps my hormones are working overtime, but
your
comments in our prior interview regarding the number
of people limited to 1,000 per Ark still concern me. Since
the family unit as we know here, will not apply, do you
really feel that people will 'bond' and trust and cooperate?
Not having an entire family included, based on your lottery
system, seems to me to tear apart those left behind and
encourage dissension onboard your Arks. Could you
elaborate?
Mr.
Klien: We've
created boarding options that will make it possible for
families to join the station's population. For
example, the lottery would give the winner the option to
pick three people to accompany them who would probably be
family members.
Ideally, there would be more than one
space station created. This would open up the
possibility for even more families to be
rescued.
Mr.
Klien? Feel
free to add whatever you wish, and thank you again, for your
patience and your valuable time!
Nancy, Director of
Operations,
Editor
COMMENTS:
We
have nearly completed phase 4, the technical credibility, of
our ARK I design. Within a month, our efforts will be
presented on the website. We encourage your readers to view
this project's many phases.
Also,
Lifeboat
Foundation
would like to thank the many scientists, corporations, and
members who are enabling us to move forward with the
enormous task of ensuring that humanity survives the 21st
century!
Eric
Klien,
Founder
and
President
Lifeboat
Foundation
Lifeboat
Foundation
Home Page:
http://www.lifeboat.com/
INCREASES IN
TERRORISM:
http://lifeboat.com/ex/worldnews
DANGERS:
http://lifeboat.com/ex/quotes
SOLUTIONS:
http://www.grid.org/projects/smallpox/
ENCOURAGE
ADVANCEMENT IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY:
http://www.xprize.org/
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