{"id":17983,"date":"2019-07-20T00:50:59","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T16:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/they-choose-to-avoid-the-moon-anti-space-event-in-seattle-urges-bezos-and-others-to-focus-on-earth\/"},"modified":"2019-07-20T00:50:59","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T16:50:59","slug":"they-choose-to-avoid-the-moon-anti-space-event-in-seattle-urges-bezos-and-others-to-focus-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/they-choose-to-avoid-the-moon-anti-space-event-in-seattle-urges-bezos-and-others-to-focus-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"They choose to avoid the moon: Anti-space event in Seattle urges Bezos and others to focus on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Artwork by Kelsey Gallo, depicting an Amazon space shuttle and printed on used Amazon boxes, will be part of the Salish Sea Anti-Space Symposium in Seattle. (Courtesy of Kelsey Gallo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Daniel Smith is over the moon. As in, he\u2019s kind of done hearing about it and the hype surrounding Saturday\u2019s 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.<\/p>\n

Smith isn\u2019t a conspiracy theorist bent of proving that man never actually set foot on Earth\u2019s closest celestial neighbor. Rather, he\u2019s one of the organizers behind this weekend\u2019s Salish Sea Anti-Space Symposium in Seattle, an event aimed at resisting the fervor of space conquest.<\/p>\n

The free, all ages event starts tonight at Pipsqueak, a gallery and community space in Seattle\u2019s Central District, and runs through Sunday, featuring a variety of speakers, musical performances and art.<\/p>\n

As Americans get caught up in the celebration of what happened on July 20, 1969, Smith and friends want July 20, 2019, to serve as a wakeup call about how the real challenges of our own planet are being ignored in the race to settle the moon and beyond.<\/p>\n

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(SSASS Image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Smith and SSASS take particular aim at the priorities of space racers such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the Amazon and Tesla billionaires who are targeting off-earth pursuits with their companies Blue Origin and SpaceX respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis privatization of space is happening at the same time that we actually need to fund public research and action on climate change,\u201d Smith told GeekWire on Thursday. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest issue for me, that\u2019s what really set me off on this. We\u2019re actually funding Bezos\u2019s Blue Origin because we\u2019ve cut the corporate tax rates so deeply we\u2019re just funding this play thing in outer space.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Musk\u2019s February 2018 stunt in which he blasted a Tesla Roadster into orbit, Smith called it the fantasy of a 10-year-old \u2014 but with funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can actually do this, versus thinking about what actually is helpful to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Starman\"
\u201cStarman\u201d and the view of Earth from a Tesla Roadster launched by Elon Musk and SpaceX in 2018. (SpaceX Image via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A graphic designer in Seattle, Smith is particularly aware of the city\u2019s place on the front lines of wealth inequality. He references the very immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness at the same time corporations like Amazon are fighting efforts such as the head tax. On a national front, he blasts the Trump administration and the militarizing of space through the so-called Space Force.<\/p>\n

<\/span> There\u2019s nothing wrong with fantasy. I think fantasy and imagination is going to be key to solving some of our problems. It\u2019s just at this point it\u2019s really a matter of priority.<\/span><\/p>\n

The symposium\u2019s Salish Sea reference is about a local connection to the land and thinking about who was here first. Smith grew up on the Tulalip reservation and his mom is Tulalip.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen firsthand what the receiving end of manifest destiny looks like,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think we can translate that now to leaving the planet. It\u2019s manifest destiny extending to the moon and beyond. It is this extension of domination that doesn\u2019t feel right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith scoffed at Bezos\u2019 reveal in May of Blue Origin\u2019s lunar lander and his descriptions of rotating space colonies in which every day would feel like the best day on Maui, with no rain or earthquakes.<\/p>\n

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Jeff Bezos shows off a mockup of the Blue Moon lunar lander. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If he had the chance to speak directly to Bezos himself, Smith said he would guide the richest person on Earth toward thinking about putting the planet first.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine, be the second<\/em> richest man on Earth, because you\u2019re helping fund the projects that will actually address the crisis that we\u2019re in right now,\u201d Smith said of Bezos. \u201cMake observation satellites that are helping to determine what our future could be, fund research as a No. 1 priority versus trying to imagine a new life or manufacturing off the planet. I think there\u2019s an immediate need for those resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for his own resources, Smith said he\u2019s just a guy using friends and what he has at his disposal to put on the symposium. There\u2019s no sponsor behind the event, which while weighty and important, is designed to be playful and open to all.<\/p>\n

People are encouraged to bring their own anti-space posters, including those done by kids, for a show happening Friday night that also includes a zine release. The main event on Saturday features short talks and presentations from 1 to 6 p.m. and then a block party until 9 p.m. There\u2019s also a loose plan to do a \u201chighly opinionated tour\u201d of Seattle\u2019s Museum of Flight and its \u201cspace knickknacks\u201d on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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Life off Earth? The European Space Agency previously shared this vision for lunar settlement, including habitats shielded by piled-up moon dirt. (ESA \/ Foster + Partners Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Smith said everybody involved loves science fiction and is pro sci-fi, but as Americans we\u2019ve been inculcated through celebrations like the Apollo 11 anniversary and patriotism that it\u2019s a given that we\u2019re going to go the moon and to Mars and eventually further out. It\u2019s an \u201cunquestioned idea about the future of the USA and mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n

PREVIOUSLY:<\/strong> The moon in 2069: Top space scientists share their visions for lunar lifestyles<\/h4>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with fantasy,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think fantasy and imagination is going to be key to solving some of our problems. It\u2019s just at this point it\u2019s really a matter of priority and where are those resources best spent. Once we junk up the moon, where does that leave fantasy? If the moon becomes a manufacturing ghetto, that\u2019s really sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether his beliefs on space exploration, the climate crisis and spending priorities ever get in the way of just daydreaming and looking up at the stars, Smith said he absolutely loves to see the stars from Seattle \u2014 although it\u2019s not always easy in the city, through light pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it,\u201d he said of stargazing. \u201cAnd I want to keep it a mystery in a lot of ways.\u201d<\/p>\n